Accessible Event Information

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Best Practices for Interacting With People With Disabilities Under the ADAAA
• The Basics: Dos and Don’ts for Reasonable Accommodation Requests
• Holding Inclusive Events: A Guide to Accessible Event Planning
  • Universal Design
  • Physical Accessibility
  • Sensory Accessibility
  • Cognitive Accessibility
  • Conflicting Access Needs
  • Venue
  • Interior Features Checklist
  • Exterior Features Checklist
  • Meeting/Event Rooms Checklist
• Meeting and Event Materials
  • Promotional and Registration Materials
  • Meeting/Event Materials
  • Individuals With Visual Impairments Checklist
  • Meals and Social Functions Checklist
  • Site Event Checklist
  • Training
  • Post-Meeting/Event Survey
• Appendix: Language

Best Practices for Interacting With People With Disabilities Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA)

Title III of the ADA applies to places of public accommodations. Places of public accommodations are found in 42 U.S.C. § 12181(7) and include:

• Places of lodging.
• Establishments serving food and drink.
• Places of exhibition and entertainment.
• Sales or rental establishments.
• Service establishments.
• Specified public transportation (terminals and depots).
• Public displays or collections.
• Places of recreation, such as parks, zoos, and amusement parks.
• Places of education.
• Social service centers.
• Places of exercise or recreation (athletic in nature).

Title III is meant to ensure that people with disabilities can equally enjoy places of public accommodations regardless of whether the place of public accommodation takes federal funds. Aim high when making reasonable accommodations or modifications for individuals with disabilities so that they can enjoy the participation/benefits of being at UT Dallas. But, before protections can be offered and provided on a case-by-case basis, an interactive process should occur. While you will not find much case law mandating an interactive process for Title III of the ADA, failure to do so is a surefire recipe for litigation. Also, Title III of the ADA demands that reasonable modifications/accommodations be provided to a person with a disability. Whether a potential modification is a reasonable one necessarily logically presumes the occurrence of an interactive process.

Title III of the ADA at 42 U.S.C. § 12182(b)(2)(A)(ii) & (iii) includes the obligation to provide reasonable modifications of policy, practices and procedures unless to do so would fundamentally alter operations. Auxiliary aids and services for those with communication disabilities must be provided unless an undue burden or fundamental alteration exists. Undue burden is very difficult to show because it looks to the entire resources of the entity. More likely, the question will become whether providing the reasonable accommodation is a fundamental alteration to the nature of the business, which is also not easy to show.

The Basics: Dos and Don’ts for Reasonable Accommodation Requests

Holding Inclusive Events: A Guide to Accessible Event Planning

This guide has the instructions to set up accessible events and conferences. Accessible means people can fully participate in conferences. Accessible event planning includes four steps. These four steps are universal design, physical accessibility, sensory accessibility, and cognitive accessibility. Here is what each of these steps means:

Universal Design

Universal design means everyone can go and take part at an event. Physical accessibility, sensory accessibility and cognitive accessibility must happen for everyone to take part.

• Physical Accessibility: The space has no problems for wheelchair users and people with vision disabilities
• Sensory Accessibility: The event is safe for people with allergies. There are accommodations for people who are blind, Deaf, deaf or hard of hearing.
• Cognitive Accessibility: Give clear information about the event. Provide all material in different formats and plain language. Let people know what to expect in advance.

Accept and deal with accessibility needs that are different from yours.

Physical Accessibility

All physical space used for the conference can be used by everybody. This includes hotels, elevators, and conference room. Examples of physical accessibility include:

Doors/Entrances

• Signs with Braille that say the names of buildings, room numbers, and locations of accessible entrances and elevators.
• Main entrances have wheelchair accessible ramps.
• Working entrance buttons for wheelchair users.
• Wide doors and hallways for wheelchair users.
• Clear paths in and around your venue for blind people and wheelchair users
• Accessible elevators that work

Surrounding Areas

• No hills around your conference buildings and transportation.
• Check for curb ramps that accommodate both wheelchair users and people with vision disabilities.
• Restaurants nearby (no more than 5 minutes walking distance).
• Weather: Depending on your location, snow and ice during winter can prevent participants from attending your event. Try to schedule your events in the spring, summer or early fall.

Seating

• Wheelchair accessible activity tables with room for snacks, medications and session materials.
• Chairs with high backs for people with balance issues.
• Everyone can see the front of the room.
• Accessible seating should be part of the room setup.
• Do not separate accessible seating from the group.
• Wheelchair accessible public bathrooms should be next to or near training session rooms.

Transportation

• Accessible transportation near the location (no more than five minutes walking).
• Have a list of accessible transportation options: Buses, taxis, subway/light rail, local nonemergency cabulance companies (businesses that offer wheelchair accessible transportation).

Overnight Lodging for Conferences

• Rooms with ADA automatic door opener.
• Rooms with enough space for wheelchair users to move around comfortably.
• Bathrooms have roll-in showers with a bench.
• The beds are high enough for a Hoyer lift but low enough for wheelchair users.

Sensory Accessibility

1. Hearing and visual aids are available (sometimes overlaps with cognitive accessibility).
2. A safe place for people with chemical and light allergies and/or sensitivities.
   • Examples of hearing, visual, and tactile (sense of touch) accommodations:
     • Image descriptions for presentations and captioning for videos.
     • Sound devices for hard-of-hearing attendees.
     • Microphones.
     • Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation. Alternative formats: Braille, digital, easy read (plain language with pictures), large print.
   • Examples of accommodations for chemical and light sensitivities:
     • Fragrance-free policies.
     • No flash photography policies.
     • ASL applause (or “flapplause”) instead of clapping.
     • Noise cancelling ear muffs.
     • Sensory free rooms.
     • Working air conditioning

Cognitive Accessibility

Everyone who comes to the event knows what to expect. Everyone knows what the event is about; the schedule; where the event is; and what accommodations are available.

Examples of cognitive accessibility include:

Detailed Schedules

• Make a schedule for your event available on your website or in emails.
• Send schedules to people in advance of your event.
  • Conferences: Send schedules that include airport arrival and departure times, training session names, speaker names, and breaks to participants and speakers at least a month in advance of your event. People who do not use email receive hard copy schedules.
  • One-day events: Send a completed schedule/agenda at least two weeks in advance.

Cognitive Accessibility at the Venue

• Use nametags for everyone.
• Present sessions in different ways (e.g., written and verbal instructions, visual aids such as photographs, drawings and charts).
• Schedule many breaks throughout the day. Do not schedule sessions that go beyond an hour and a half.
• Allow people to move around to stim or pace.
• Provide and explain color communication badges.
• Make sure presentations are viewable from different angles.

Conflicting Access Needs

An access need is a support or accommodation a person needs to communicate, learn and participate fully in an activity. People need different things to participate. Sometimes the needs of two different people conflict. Below are two situations and how to solve them.

Scenario # 1

People with low vision need fluorescent lighting. However, people with sensory disabilities have headaches and become anxious with fluorescent lighting.

Possible Solutions

• Provide high contrast electronic and hard-copy presentation materials for low vision participants in advance.
• Allow participants with low vision to bring a personal lamp for tasks.
• Use natural light when possible.
• Bring light filters if natural lighting is not an option.

Scenario #2

A person cannot process speech well. He needs to hear things multiple times to understand them. Another person has a physical disability. She cannot speak well.

Possible Solutions

• Allow the use of tape recorders for the event so people can hear information many times.
• Allow text-to-speech devices.
• A person with a communication disability may ask a support person’s help. The support person repeats what they said to the group.

Venue

When selecting a venue, plan an onsite visit to determine whether barriers to accessibility exist. Plan the visit far enough in advance so as to find an accessible venue without the time pressures created by an impending event.

Planners should evaluate the accessibility of the venue itself as well as the surrounding area. Ask whether the venue has participated in an audit to determine its compliance with the accessibility requirements of the ADA. Also inquire as to whether the venue staff has been trained in disability awareness and etiquette. In addition, check whether the venue is located in close proximity to airports, rail stations, taxi or shuttle services, paratransit services for persons with disabilities, and public transportation routes with accessible public transit stops nearby. Are there accessible hotels, restaurants, shops, theaters, and tourist attractions nearby?

Prior to the onsite visit, prepare a checklist of specific accessibility items. For assistance, get in touch with individuals with various types of disabilities; even better, ask them to accompany you on the visit, as they can be helpful in identifying barriers.

Below are some sample checklists for the exterior and interior features of the venue as well as the meeting/event rooms. Exact measurements (e.g., height, weight, requisite number) can be found in the DOJ’s regulations implementing title III of the ADA. Note that some items, such as ramps, temporary Braille and tactile signs, detectable warning devices, and additional parking spaces, may need to temporarily be added to make the venue fully accessible.

Exterior Features Checklist

Interior Features Checklist

Meeting/Event Rooms Checklist

Meeting and Event Materials

Promotional and Registration Materials

Alternative Formats

Promotional and registration materials are fundamental for communicating about the accessibility of your meeting or event. Most importantly, offer all these materials in alternative formats that are accessible to persons with disabilities, such as Braille, large print, and electronic files.

Printed and digital text should be in sans serif fonts, such as Helvetica, Verdana, or Arial. Include a statement in your registration materials that lets attendees know that alternative formats are available upon request. Here is a sample statement: “The materials are available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact [name, email address, telephone number (including TTY)] by [deadline date].” Or, “The materials are available in alternative formats.

Please check the format you need:

• Braille
• Large Print: Font Size _____
• Audio
• Digital File: Format _____
• Other

Accessibility Statement

Stating in these materials that your meeting or event is accessible is essential to attracting persons with disabilities. Example language: “We aim to host events that are accessible and inclusive for all participants.”

Consider including images of persons with various disabilities, as well as universal access symbols. To further reach attendees with disabilities, identify and contact those organizations that advance the rights of, or are led by, persons with disabilities.

Registration

Provide a range of registration options: online, telephone (voice and text) and email. Make sure your registration forms are accessible for persons using assistive technologies such as screen readers, text readers, screen magnification software, speech input software and alternative input devices for individuals unable to use a mouse or keyboard (e.g., head pointers, motion or eye tracking, single switch entry devices).

Include explicit labeling for all form fields as well as for other user inputs like drop-down menus and “submit” or “buy” buttons. Include a paper registration for people with light-sensitivity.

Accommodations and Accessibility

Be sure to include in your promotional and registration materials a statement that invites persons with disabilities to request accommodations, as well as a deadline that gives you enough time to respond to the requests and provide the accommodations. Please also include a contact person for individuals who are requesting accommodations. Doing so provides a wonderful opportunity to establish a relationship with attendees and make them feel welcome and included.

Asking questions beforehand about accommodations allows planners to identify attendees’ needs, find local service providers, make all the arrangements in advance, budget for these accommodations and minimize any last minute “surprises.” Of course, always be prepared for accommodation requests made a few days before, or the day of, the meeting or event.

Here is a sample statement: “For questions about accessibility or to request an accommodation, please attach your requirements to this form or contact [name] at [voice and/or TTY phone numbers]; [fax]; or [email]. Requests should be made at least [specific time period] prior to the event.” You may want to have one contact person for accessibility and another for accommodations.

For registration materials, planners may want to include a more specific statement, such as “I will need the following accommodations: interpreters (ASL, oral, voice, signed voice, other [blank space]; intervenors (trained in sign language that involves touching client’s hand in a two-hand, manual alphabet or fingerspelling); CART; assistive listening devices; hearing or induction loops; captioned videos; sighted guide; Braille; large print; notetakers; readers; digital files; audio; computer disk [format]; audio CD; scent-free environment; wheelchair access; accessible transportation; orientation to the facility; dietary restrictions (e.g., vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free); and other [blank space].”

Ask whether attendees have any food allergies (e.g., milk, soy, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish) or chemical sensitivities and allergies (e.g., latex, perfume). To accommodate attendees with multiple chemical sensitivities, you can request that all attendees refrain from wearing perfumes and use fragrance-free, unscented personal care products. Here is a sample statement: “To be respectful of individuals with allergies and environmental sensitivities, we request that all attendees refrain from wearing fragrances and use scent-free toiletries.”

Offer a range of accommodation options since not all individuals with the same disability use the same accommodations. What works for one person may not work for another. As a preventive law matter, strongly consider giving primary consideration to the option preferred by the person with a disability, unless doing so is an undue burden as defined by the ADA. Listening is key to determining each person’s unique needs.

Some persons with disabilities may bring their personal care attendants or service animals to the meeting or event. On the registration form, ask about these issues. Here is a sample statement: “A personal care attendant will be accompanying me: _Yes _No.”

Provide a service space in seating areas for service animals as well as break and relief areas. It is recommended that you not charge personal care attendants the full registration fee but rather that a food/drink-only fee be added to the attendee’s registration.

Note that you must accept service animals regardless of whether the service animal was noted on the registration form for the event. Service animals can only be removed if they pose a danger to others or if the individual cannot control them (see also Individuals Who Use Service Animals Checklist section on this page).

Designate an individual to handle all accommodation and accessibility issues and list them with their contact information (phone/text, email) in all materials. Ensure that they are trained and educated on the expected duties. They must respond to accommodation and accessibility requests promptly. Note that it may take several communications to work out the details. In addition, the contact people should notify the venue of the accommodations needed and accessibility issues that are within its control. In turn, the venue should notify these individuals of any accommodation and accessibility requests it receives.

Promotional and Registration Materials Checklist

• Provide alternative registration options (online, telephone, text, email).
• Include a statement that meeting/event is accessible. Include a request for accommodations statement.
• Inquire about personal care attendants and service animals.
• Designate an individual to handle accommodation and accessibility requests.
• Ensure that your website and mobile apps are accessible.
• Include an accessibility link for meeting/event in a prominent place on your website.
• Identify any barriers that cannot be eliminated and ways they have been mitigated.
• Offer materials in alternative formats (e.g., Braille, large font, electronic).
• Ensure that fonts used are sans serif.

Meeting/Event Materials

Planners must ensure that all attendees have equal access to the meeting materials provided, whether in print or digitally, so they can fully participate. Accordingly, it is essential to offer all materials in alternative formats. Doing so will not only expand the pool of potential attendees but also demonstrate your commitment to accessibility. When setting the deadline for receiving all materials, remember to factor in the time that it will take to produce the alternative formats.

Individuals With Visual Impairments Checklist

Presentations

It is crucial that planners communicate with all speakers/presenters well in advance to ensure that their presentations and materials will be accessible for individuals with a wide range of disabilities. Incorporating universal design into presentations ensures maximum inclusion and benefits everyone.

Explain both the types of disabilities that attendees have and their requested accommodations. Ask presenters to submit their materials a month before the meeting or event to allow enough time to produce alternative formats, and to provide the materials to interpreters and other service providers and attendees. Make the materials available to attendees in advance; posting them on your website is optimal.

The presenters themselves may also have disabilities. In fact, diversity should be considered when selecting presenters. Ask each presenter well in advance whether they require any accommodations. Also ask about the type of microphone (table, headset, lapel) and presentation environment (e.g., floor level, stage, podium, table) the presenter prefers.

If there are multiple presenters, including one or more with a disability, ensure that all presenters are seated together, whether at floor level or on a stage, to ensure that they are viewed as equals. Avoid podiums and putting presenters who use mobility aids or devices at the end of the table.

Prepare an accessibility checklist well in advance. We have provided a sample checklist below. Schedule a briefing session with the presenters to go over the items on your checklist. Communicate your expectations from the start.

Presentations Checklist

Meals and Social Functions

Planners must ensure that meals and social functions, such as receptions, are accessible to persons with disabilities. These networking opportunities can be as important to attendees as the substantive meetings and presentations.

Meals and Social Functions Checklist

Training

Staff (both event and venue) and volunteers (e.g., readers, notetakers, guides, and personal assistants) are critical to holding an accessible meeting. Thus, planning accessible meetings and events will require the commitment of staff and volunteers to identify and remove barriers to full participation.

Make sure that service providers, like interpreters and CART operators, have the proper certification and licensure. In the planning stage, appoint a point person for accessibility and accommodations who will be responsible for ensuring that all aspects of the event are accessible. This person should be listed as the contact on all materials and the website and be the one to answer accessibility questions.

Make sure all staff members or event coordinators and leadership know who the accessibility point person is and where to find them during the event. Make sure that all staff and volunteers know that hosting an accessible event is part of their responsibility. It is not just on designated people. Create a plan for accessibility problems that may arise during the conference. For assistance with developing or providing training, contact one of the 10 previously mentioned regional ADA National Network Centers.

Make sure to train those individuals responsible for registering attendees and answering questions about the event. They should be knowledgeable about the available accommodations, the use of assistive devices, emergency procedures, and the accessibility features of the venue and meetings. Educate event coordinators on emergency procedures as they relate to the evacuation of people with disabilities. They should also be trained in etiquette for communicating and interacting with persons with disabilities and service animals. They should also be trained in the do’s and don’ts of the interactive process.

Before the meeting or event, hold an orientation for all staff and volunteers that addresses how to best assist and communicate with individuals with disabilities. Emphasize that accessibility and creating a welcoming and inclusive environment are priorities and then set forth expectations. Discuss both visible disabilities and non-visible disabilities, such as learning, cognitive, and mental health impairments. Review all meeting and event activities, including social events, to ensure they are accessible.

Similarly, hold an orientation for interested attendees with disabilities. Assure them that trained staff and volunteers will be on site. Review the accessibility features of both the venue and the meetings and provide a tour. To help attendees with visual impairments find the meeting and event locations, tactile maps or prerecorded instructions can be very helpful. In addition, identify the location of aides such as assistive listening devices.

Make sure staff and volunteers are clearly visible and identifiable through signs, uniforms, or highly visible buttons/name-tags. Also, take care of any additional accommodation requests. For instance, people with visual impairments may need a guide to go from one meeting or event to another. People with cognitive impairments may need an explanation of what meetings and events will be going on and where.

Furthermore, in the days prior to and on the day of the meeting or event, the point person—accompanied by the appropriate staff and volunteers and persons with disabilities—should do a walk-through of the facility and the meeting/event rooms. All technical equipment should be tested upon its arrival, as well as on the day of the event.

Staff and Volunteer Training Checklist

• Create a plan for accessibility problems that may arise during the event.
• Contact a regional ADA National Network Center for assistance with training.
• Appoint a “point person” for accessibility issues and list as contact on all materials and the website.
• Train staff/volunteers about accommodations, use of assistive devices, emergency procedures and accessibility features of the venue and meeting/event.
• Hold orientations for staff and volunteers on types of disabilities and disability etiquette.
• Hold orientation for attendees with disabilities to review accessibility features, location of meetings/events and accommodations including explaining the location of a sensory room.
• Do a walk-through of the venue a few days before and on the day of the meeting/event.
• Test all technical equipment when it arrives and on the day of the meeting/event.
• Ensure that staff and volunteers are clearly visible through their uniform, signage or other notable features.

Communication and Disability Etiquette

Communicating with individuals with disabilities should be no different from the same respectful, clear communication deserved by everyone. This is especially important to remember given that the majority of disabilities are not obvious. Below are some general guidelines.

Appendix: Language

Language with respect to persons with disabilities can get very complicated because each group of disabilities has its own preferences. On a general level, there are two possibilities: 1) people first, i.e., “person with a disability”; and 2) identity first, i.e., “disabled.”

In general, start with people-first language and then switch to identity first if that is the individual’s preference. This manual also talks about Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing individuals, and the terms have different meanings. A Deaf (culturally deaf) individual is one 1) whose first language is ASL or some other sign language; 2) who went to a state school for the deaf; and 3) who has a severe to profound hearing loss of 65-90+ decibels. A deaf individual is someone with a severe to profound hearing loss. A hard of hearing individual is anyone with a hearing loss.

Additional Resources

Checking That Your Materials Are Accessible

• Web Content Accessibility Guideline Standards
• Simulators To Check PDF Accessibility
• Color Contrast
  • Explanation of Color and Contrast
  • Contrast Checker

Interactive Process

You can also call the ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (voice) or 800-514-0383(TTY) to speak to an ADA specialist if you have questions about a specific situation or learn more on the ADA’s Guidance and Resources page.

Acknowledgments

Manual for Planning Accessible Meetings and Events. National Bar Association; Tara Norgard, Chair, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Checklist for Readily Achievable Barrier Removal. The Americans with Disabilities Act ADA Title III Compliance Materials, 1995

A Guide to Planning Inclusive Events, Seminars, and Activities; Syracuse University.