Accessible Event Planning

All campus meetings and events should consider accessibility from the beginning and throughout the planning process. Accessible events benefit everyone by enabling all participants to fully engage and contribute.

Event planning can quickly become complex, and accessibility details can sometimes be overlooked or lost in the process. To ensure your event is inclusive and accessible, follow the steps below from the outset:

  • Advertise any accessibility features that will already be a part of the event, such as captions, accessible routes, etc.
  • Language should be included wherever an event is advertised that invites participants that need it to request assistance.
  • Flyers, emails, and webpages that promote the event or points of registration should include a direct method for a participant to contact the organizer, for example:

"If you require an accommodation to attend this event, please email [event organizer email] or call [event organizer phone number] at least 72 hours before the event begins."

  • Designate a single individual to oversee event accessibility and manage accommodation requests.
  • Ensure timely follow-up on accommodation requests, involving necessary campus departments such as the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD), campus safety, or other relevant offices to facilitate the process effectively.
  • Provide participants with a way to contact the accessibility coordinator both before and during the event in case they need assistance.

NOTE: A live captionist will not provide captions for pre-recorded videos shown within an event. Event organizers should place a separate request for captioning pre-recorded videos before the event.

  • Inform speakers always to use a microphone.
  • Ensure all audience questions are asked on a microphone; if not, have a presenter or moderator repeat the question with their microphone before furnishing an answer.
  • Encourage presenters to audibly describe visuals that convey information, such as those contained in PowerPoint presentations.
  • Presenters or moderators should also describe any interactive components of an event to benefit those that cannot fully participate.
  • Accessible versions of presentations or handouts should be made available to participants in advance of the event, preferably in a digitally accessible format.