Inclusive event planning 101: understanding accessibility barriers

In today’s blog post, I’d like to discuss the impact of accessibility barriers, stigma, and discrimination on audience members with disabilities, and how these challenges greatly affect the experience of those with disabilities when it comes to live, in-person and virtual events. Whether it be physical barriers that prevent access to the event space, negative attitudes and misconceptions towards individuals with disabilities, or discriminatory actions and practices, these experiences can make it difficult for audience members with disabilities to feel truly welcomed and included.

In this post, we’ll delve deeper into each of these three concepts, explore the ways in which they can manifest in events, and discuss potential solutions for creating more inclusive and accessible experiences for all. Hopefully, this post will provide valuable insights and inspire action towards creating more inclusive and equitable events for everyone.

Accessibility barriers

“Accessibility barriers” can take on many forms and can be found in various aspects of the environment in which the event takes place, such as physical barriers like venues that don’t have an access ramp to get inside, that are not fully wheelchair accessible, or that lack proper signage for individuals with visual impairments. Such barriers make the environment harder for someone to navigate or find their way around, and can even result in certain areas of the venue being off limits, like restrooms or restaurants.

On the other hand, digital barriers can include a lack of adapted platforms and services that don’t offer proper assistive technologies or accommodations support, or the use of applications, software, and tools that are not fully accessible to audience members with disabilities. Similar examples can include failed accommodations such as a lack of closed captioning for video content for individuals who are hard of hearing or deaf, or information conveyed through the use of colour alone for attendees who are colourblind, or have low vision.

Additionally, digital accessibility barriers can include websites, platform features, online activities, software, and applications that aren’t designed with accessibility in mind, are not compatible with the assistive technologies that audience members with disabilities might use, and become unusable by those who require these types of accommodations.

Accessibility barriers mean that audience members with disabilities can easily find themselves excluded from certain parts of the venue, unable to use certain equipment, or enjoy certain activities or components of an event. This leads to feelings of isolation, prejudice, and marginalization, and makes it difficult for these people to fully enjoy and contribute to the extent of their potential.

Certainly, identifying and addressing accessibility barriers is a crucial first step for event planners and speaking professionals who are serious about creating an inclusive and accessible environment for all of their attendees.

Stigma

“Stigma” refers to negative attitudes and stereotypes people might have that are associated with audience members who have those disabilities. Stigmas range from subtle microaggressions to overt discrimination, and can manifest in many forms. As an example among many, speaking professionals might assume that an attendee with a hearing or visual disability is incapable of participating in an activity, performing certain tasks independently, or that they might require constant care and support to be able to follow along in a workshop.

These negative attitudes and stereotypes often lead to discrimination, resulting in audience members with disabilities not being offered the same opportunities as non-disabled attendees. This can also result in a lack of accommodation or planning for creative ways to make sure that all attendees are included and can participate, because it feels too complicated to do so, which perpetuates the cycle of stigma.

Stigma creates an unwelcoming environment for audience members with disabilities and that can easily make them feel frustrated, isolated and unsupported in the context of an event or presentation. In many ways, perpetuated stigma also limits the professional development and networking opportunities of attendees who constantly have to deal with these disabilities. This can be detrimental to the individual and the audience as a whole, as it limits the potential of otherwise talented and capable individuals who are now set aside and are not given the opportunity to contribute their ideas and insights.

To combat this, speaking professionals and event planners alike must take steps to proactively address these attitudes and stereotypes and promote a culture of inclusion and acceptance for all attendees. Event planners can play an important role in this, by actively working to fight off stigma, promoting and planning for more inclusive environments, and providing support and accommodations so that speaking professionals can better serve audience members who have those disabilities. This can include providing training and education to their speakers, encouraging open communication and feedback with the audience, and being proactive in identifying and addressing accessibility barriers at and during the event.

It’s crucial for everyone involved to recognize the impact of stigma and discrimination on attendees with disabilities and to take action to promote a culture of true inclusion and acceptance. By doing so, organizers and event planners can create a more inclusive and supportive environment that allows audience members with disabilities to fully contribute to their potential and achieve their aspirations.

Now that we’ve seen an overview of accessibility barriers and stigma, it’s time to explore discrimination, the third challenge faced by audience members with disabilities in live, in-person or virtual events.

Discrimination

“Discrimination” is another as equally critical challenge faced by attendees with disabilities. It typically manifests in various forms, ranging again from overt acts of discrimination to subtle microaggressions and bias. Microaggressions are subtle, unconscious acts of discrimination that can include assuming someone with a disability is incapable of performing a certain task, making insensitive comments about a person’s disability, using insensitive language in a public setting, or not providing an accommodation for an audience member with a disability that requests it. Bias is when an individual has a preconceived notion or prejudice towards a person with a disability, which then leads to discriminatory behaviour.

Discrimination can also include not providing reasonable accommodations which are modifications or adjustments that an organizer or event planner needs to make to ensure that all audience members with disabilities have equal access to the venue or platform, or the ability to participate independently. Examples of accommodations might include providing sign language interpretation or live transcriptions during a presentation, or providing assistive technology like screen reader or screen magnification software to support audience members who have visual disabilities when they take part in a workshop.

Obvious examples of bias include not considering a person with a disability because of assumptions about their abilities, or not providing reasonable accommodations that would enable that person to participate independently. Such acts of discrimination and microaggressions have a significant negative impact on audience members with disabilities and their morale, and it’s important for event planners and speaking professionals alike to be aware of these issues in order to take steps to address and dismantle them.

The lack of representation of speakers with disabilities in most live in-person or virtual events is another aspect that leads to a lack of understanding and accommodation for the needs of audience members with disabilities, making it even more difficult for these folks to see themselves represented in events. This is something event planners can easily address, by being more proactive about also hiring speakers who are visibly disabled, or are comfortable being vocal about their invisible disabilities.

Overall, steps can be taken to address discrimination in live in-person and virtual events by providing training and education on disability inclusion and promoting a culture of inclusion, respect, and acceptance for attendees with disabilities. While it’s certainly important for organizers and event planners to champion the cause, it’s also beneficial for allies, staff, and speaking professionals to step in and support the representation and inclusion of speaker peers with disabilities during those events as well.

What does that look like in your own events?

As we can imagine, accessibility barriers, stigma, and discrimination all play a significant role in creating obstacles for audience members with disabilities in terms of professional development, participation and networking opportunities. These situations, when repeated systematically, have a tendency to erode morale and self-worth, and can lead to health complications such as depression, anxiety, and burnout for these audience members. It’s in the best interest of organizers to acknowledge these challenges and take steps to address them in their own events, in order to create more inclusive and equitable environments for all attendees, including those with disabilities.

When thinking about your own events, the venues you chose to host them, the way you present your materials, and the people who fill out the rooms in which your events take place, can you identify any instances of accessibility barriers, stigma, or discrimination that may affect some of your attendees (or speakers, should you have any on your roster)? If you remember that these situations can occur anywhere, then you understand how crucial it is for organizers and speaking professionals to be aware of these challenges in order to make the necessary changes to create more inclusive environments for everyone.