Plan ahead to ensure that your in-person and online meetings are accessibile for all participants.
In-Person Meetings
Responsibilities
- Event planners are responsible for planning and providing for the accessibility needs of participants with disabilities at any event sponsored on behalf of the university.
- Event planners should budget for any anticipated costs of accommodations. Most accommodations can be made at little or no cost with advance planning, but some accommodations (e.g., sign language interpreting) will incur a cost. Before denying any accommodation requests, event planners should consult with the Office of Access and Equity: Disability Resources.
Planning Advice
- The key to making events accessible is to communicate well about access before the event. In all pre-event publicity and registration materials, include a disability accommodation statement that invites participants with disabilities to ask for accommodations (e.g., an interpreter, wheelchair access, assistive technology) in advance of the event.
- Event planners should consider accessibility of the meeting location, set-up, and content presentation.
Remote/Online Meetings
The W3C provides thorough guidance on planning accessible remote meetings. Key points are summarized here:
Considerations for online meetings
- Use an accessible remote meeting platform.
- Inquire about participants' accommodation needs well in advance of the meeting to ensure adequate time to plan accommodations (e.g., a sign language interpreter).
- Ensure that meeting content and supplementary materials are accessible:
- Use clear language and limit text on slides.
- Provide captions and text alternatives for media and visuals.
- Send a calendar invitation well in advance that includes information on the remote meeting platform as well as all relevant links and documents for the meeting. This gives participants time to test the meeting platform and review the documents with any assistive technology they may use.
- Remind hosts and participants of ways to make the meeting more accessible:
- Participants should make sure their faces are visible and well-lit when speaking.
- Presenters should test their audio and video before the meeting. Live captioning is only possible with clear audio.
- Presenters should provide multiple ways of participating in the meeting, such as inviting participation via chat.
- Files containing documents, presentations, multimedia, etc., should be made available directly to meeting participants. Screen sharing must not be the only means of obtaining these materials.