Accommodate support animals by making sure there is a relief area nearby. DepositPhotos.com

One in four Americans has some form of disability, making those with disabilities the largest, most under-represented minority group in the country. Consumers with disabilities contribute hundreds of billions of dollars in discretionary income to the U.S. economy each year and make up the country’s third largest market segment.

“Disability rights are civil rights,” says Donna Mack, an independent accessibility consultant who works with businesses that want to grow profits and transform cultures by increasing disability access and inclusion. Mack has planned and hosted many accessible events over the years, and now empowers other organizations with the tools and systems necessary to ensure that everyone feels welcome and included in their events.

As Mack explains, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures that individuals with disabilities receive fair and equal access to opportunities, including most events.

“It’s honestly safe to assume that your events are all required to be ADA compliant. In the very rare instances where an event is not required to be ADA compliant, it’s still a good idea to follow Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) best practices to ensure your event appeals to the most people possible.”

Stephen Cutchins, senior product manager of accessibility at Cvent, says that live events are all about bringing people together for an incredible, shared experience. But without the right planning approach, sharing those experiences can be prohibitive and events can, inadvertently, exclude some people.

“Planners should work to ensure that everyone can have a positive, valuable experience, which is exactly why accommodating people with disabilities should not be overlooked during both the event planning and execution process,” says Cutchins, who also points out that, although the meeting and events industry still has a ways to go, more meeting and event professionals are starting to realize that they cannot overlook accessibility needs.

“An important — and legally required — aspect of that is being ADA-compliant. This means following the guidelines that are meant to protect people with disabilities from exclusion or discrimination,” Cutchins says. “Ultimately, Cvent’s mission — and the mission of our industry at large — is to bring people together. Making sure everyone feels welcomed and accommodated should always be priority No. 1.”

Steps To Take

Within the meetings industry, the most obvious focus for a planner is related to accessibility. Most venues hosting events must meet certain ADA requirements to be compliant; however, that can sometimes be a bit tricky since the regulation states when compliance is readily achievable.

It is important to make sure rooms and seating options are accessible. That includes restroom accommodation to making sure there are low chairs and tables versus seating that is pub style with stools. This type of accommodation is something which can easily be overlooked.

Even accessibility to food service needs to be analyzed. Food trucks are trendy, but not every one can easily access to window to order. Also, keep in mind many have dietary restrictions, like they are gluten free or have allergies to consider. Maybe they need to have more frequent snacks or food breaks due to a medical condition.

The good news is most hotels and other venues are ADA compliant when it comes to the physical structure. Door openings, restrooms, lodging rooms and pathways (offering elevators in addition to steps and escalators) meet ADA recommendations.

However, meeting planners still need to consider logistics. Everything from the schedule of events to the way a room is organized must be reviewed to make sure it is as accessible as possible for everyone. Is there enough time built in between events for a person with mobility restrictions to move between locations? Will pathways be unobstructed? Is there reserved seating in the front for hearing and sight impaired attendees? Have you selected activities that promote engagement from everyone? These things should be a standard part of the meeting planner checklist. Many may have a support animal with them. Is there easy access to an area for relief breaks for these animals nearby?

Also ensure signage is able to be understood by all. Those who have problems seeing might need larger or more easy to read signs with high contrast or possibly braille options. Those who have a problem hearing might need assisted listening devices or sign language interpretation.

Indeed, as a B2B accessibility consultant who is deaf, Svetlana Kouznetsova says, based on her experience, often event organizers think of ADA compliance as ensuring that events are hosted at venues that are accessible to wheelchair users but fail to consider accessibility needs of people with other disabilities, such as hearing, visual and cognitive.

“Also, just complying with ADA is not enough as needs of disabled people vary,” Kouznetsova  says. “It’s more important to focus on optimizing accessibility experience of disabled people rather than just blindly following an ADA checklist. Often laws cannot keep up with changes in times, technologies and needs of disabled people.”

Regardless of the event format (e.g., in-person, hybrid, or virtual), Cutchins says hosts, planners and partners must ensure they are building event experiences that empower all attendees to participate and derive value from attending. And that means having the right technology in place, investing in accessibility services and training support staff to accommodate guests’ needs.

“What that looks like in practice can vary, depending on the event’s size, scope and technological capabilities,” says Cutchins, who recommends the following:

For an in-person event, best practices include:

• Designing an unobstructed registration/ presentation space and having guides available to assist.
• Providing accessible check-in technology.
• Offering live manual captioning and creating accessible meeting notes.
• Providing Braille, larger print and assisted listening devices.
• Consider having a sign language interpreter present, and providing preferred seating for individuals who need sign language interpretation.
• Assisting with accessible transportation to and from the event.
• Ask about attendee needs during the registration process and contact attendees as necessary to customize their experience.

Meanwhile, a virtual or hybrid event requires its own set of planning considerations. First and foremost, planners should ensure any mobile or online content meets standards specified in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Other recommendations include:

• Offering blind and low-vision users who are unable to see visual information live or pre-recorded audio that describes the text, images, graphics, charts, animations and video that comprise the visual portion of the presentation.
• Providing participants with a variety of meeting connection methods (computer, app, telephone) to maximize accessibility and choice for participants with disabilities.
• Providing window-in-window sign interpretation and captioning on all video content.
• Building accessibility features and reminders for planners directly into the event technology software (e.g., maintaining proper color contrast, adding alt text to images).

Budget enough time for those with mobility restrictions to move between locations. DepositPhotos.com

ADA Management Tips

Kouznetsova says that event organizers need to consider accessibility — not just of their venue, but also of the event website, social media, emails and recordings.

“Often, they focus on ensuring that physical venues are accessible but forget to ensure that online components are also accessible,” Kouznetsova says. “Disabled people cannot sign up for an event if an online form is inaccessible and cannot enjoy recordings if they are not professionally captioned, for example.”

And it’s important to remember that planners aren’t doing this alone. There’s an entire events ecosystem that can help planners deliver more accessible experiences.

“For example, choosing a technology partner that values (and facilitates) accessibility through their platform can help planners stay ADA-compliant,” Cutchins says. Companies can claim they are accessible, when in reality, they might not be. So, look for technology companies that leverage outside companies to evaluate their accessibility and inclusion efforts through robust reviews and accreditations.” Cvent, for example, enlists an independent third-party firm to analyze its technology performance to ensure alignment with accepted accessibility standards and Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) — which outlines how a certain technology product or service is accessible to people with disabilities.

Cutchins points out that planners can also look to resources — like ADA.gov — that provide guidance on regulatory requirements, as well as helpful recommendations. Although of technical nature, planners can also refer to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which provides an internationally recognized standard for software products, although most are reliant on the software platform itself.

“Finally, for in-person events, work with your venue contact to ensure the experience will be welcoming for all,” Cutchins says.

Challenges Aplenty

The biggest challenge planners face when addressing issues with ADA compliance is a lack of awareness. The best way to overcome this is to first educate yourself on what the ADA law states and then review the venue, the event program and all activities through that lens, ensuring any proposed direction adheres to the guidelines. This will safeguard a compliant and enjoyable experience for all involved.

Due to the complexity of the ADA environment, it is easy for meeting planners to make some simple mistakes. One common mistake planners make regarding ADA compliance is not focusing on the specific needs and where to find the best options to resolve any noncompliance concerns.

Whenever possible, ask attendees in advance during the registration process if they have special needs and be sure to pay attention to responses. You may need to bring in an interpreter, CART (computer aided real-time transcription) provider or mobility guide, or offer accommodations for the attendee to bring their own. Planners can better meet their attendees needs by understanding in advance what to expect. That includes having emergency plans in place to address ADA needs, which is something that should be addressed with security. If there is a fire or fire drill, for instance, certain people may need assistance to exit the building expeditiously. They may not be able to take the stairs, for instance. This type of situation is just one example.

Often event planners also think about accessibility close to the event or during an event, which is a common mistake. They also treat accessibility as an afterthought or something that can be done easily or for free.

“Accessibility is a cost of doing the business and needs to be treated just like any other business operations,” Kouznetsova says. “Event organizers need to think about accessibility as soon as they start planning an event and to engage an accessibility consultant that can help them coordinate all many moving parts.”

What’s more, planners should keep in mind that no two disabled people experience their disability in exactly the same way. That’s why Cutchins says engaging directly with attendees to see how their needs can best be accommodated (before, during, and after the event) can mitigate confusion or frustration and ensure everyone is on the same page. For example, in pre-event surveys, make sure to ask attendees about any special needs or requests they might have and follow up with those concerns thoughtfully and directly.

“Also, for software partners, the role technology plays in the meetings and events industry is critical, and its outsized importance in ensuring accessibility cannot be overlooked,” Cutchins says. For example, Cvent recently launched an online training program that is a core component of its internal certification and teaches the company’s software engineers how to think about accessibility as they build event solutions.

“This is valuable because engineers who are building these solutions should not only be aware of accessibility requirements but also be properly trained,” Cutchins says.

To streamline the process, Mack recommends making a list of various types of disabilities. In selecting a venue, look at your choices to determine the availability of public or accessible transportation to and from the venue, as well as the level of accessibility of the venue itself.

“Keep pre- and post-conference gatherings in mind when applicable. Go over your event checklist from start to finish (including website, registration and programming) and consider how members of each of the disability groups you’ve listed will engage with the physical environment, website, registration, programming, food and beverages, emergency preparedness etc. from your event checklist,” Mack says.

ADA Compliance in the Virtual World

Virtual meetings and events are delivered on a medium that already lends itself to a more inclusive experience. As Herb Werth, chief product officer at OpenExchange, a virtual meetings platform, explains, individuals who can’t travel are able to join a meeting or event and feel welcomed, live transcription services are available for video, and video quality and production has improved for a no hassle, seamless connection.

“Today, we can do things on the web that are far more challenging to support in-person. By making your meetings more accessible, you are making a statement about your commitment to inclusion,” Werth says.

When orchestrating an ADA-compliance virtual experience, Werth says it’s important to consider the entire experience, from announcement through registration and, of course, the experience on the day of the event because attendees will be on that complete journey with you.

“Offering participants an easy-to-navigate platform is part of the inclusivity that is in the spirit of being ADA-compliant,” Werth says. “Organizers should strive for creating an environment that makes participants feel welcome at every step of the journey.”

What exactly does that look like? Virtual lends itself to being a more inclusive environment because you can use technology to eliminate some of the communication barriers that limit the accessibility of in-person events. For example, virtual events can utilize real-time transcription tools for attendees with hearing disabilities.

“It’s important to remember that virtual meetings aren’t one size fits all — a lot more goes into planning successful virtual meetings and events than meets the eye,” Werth says. And while being compliant is certainly a desired outcome, assessing the overall utility and usability of the event’s virtual interface is a way to ensure that you’re not only meeting the standard but also providing an outstanding experience for your audience.

Making virtual events more inclusive and accessible is going to continue to evolve and new guidelines and standards will emerge. This is evidenced by the active work being done by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). As Werth explains, this community is working to update the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and expects to publish a new version later this year.

“Plus, additional work is being done on a new standard, which will include guidance related to more needs, including the needs of people with cognitive disabilities,” Werth says.

An Evolving Process

It is important to always keep up-to-date on protocols and procedures when it comes to being ADA compliant. The ADA National Network can help identify resources and provide access to other people who have had success in implementing appropriate measures to keep compliant. Federal and state government agencies are the best resource for publications and training.

Taking steps to ensure your event is the most inclusive it can be will make for a more comfortable environment for attendees of all types, and lead to those who need accommodations feeling welcomed and wanting to return to other events in the future more readily. C&IT