Introduction
The contents of this guide were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR award number 90DP0007). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this guide do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.
TransCen’s work represents the intersection of grassroots implementation and national policy and initiatives. Since 1996, it has supported the Mid-Atlantic ADA Center, one of ten regional ADA Centers of the ADA National Network, funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research.
Our goal is that this guide will help make every meeting, event, and conference accessible. It is with great pleasure that we share this work, which will continue to be updated to best serve the needs of planners, and help ensure that all meeting participants are fully engaged and have equal opportunities to contribute to public discourse, learning, and advancement.
How To Use This Guide
This online guide is an update from a print publication issued in 1993. As a web resource, however, it becomes a living document that can be modified and updated as emerging practices become best practices, and as these practices fold into an ever-widening circle of gatherings, like weddings, family reunions, and more.
Note that information may be repeated in various sections where it may be relevant. The navigation options on the left of the screen are "chapter" titles, and clicking the link will open both introductory text and additional subchapters with more information and resources.
Every effort has been made to ensure that links to other online resources are live and unbroken; staff at the Mid-Atlantic ADA Center will continue to monitor the guide and appreciate hearing from you if broken links are found.
Finally, while the ADA is referenced often throughout this document and technical experts have reviewed content, this is not a replacement for competent legal counsel. Rather, the team presents here what is required under the law as understood by these subject matter experts, and promising practices to make YOUR event fully inclusive, a market advantage in today's competitive and ever-expanding service economy. By ensuring that all participants have equal access, the world will truly be a richer place.
A Note on Language and Terms
"Disability advocates strive for equality, accessibility and acceptance, yet they are continually confronted by language which perpetuates negative stereotypes of who they are. People with disabilities, disability rights activists, service providers, health care providers, writers, reporters, editors, educators and supporters must become aware of the power of language. Are you perpetuating negative attitudes and false stereotypes of people with disabilities with your language?" ~Author June Kailes, 2010 publication, Language is More Than a Trivial Concern
Language evolves, often even faster than some of those who speak it. One might hear the phrase, "the disability community," and think that all people with disabilities use a common language to define themselves and one another, as well as the various accommodations that may be needed for access and inclusion. This is not the case! Often, even well-intentioned and well-informed individuals may fall behind the times and use language that is no longer considered current, respectful, and inclusive.
This guide is a living document, and its publishers will attempt to keep it up to date and amended over time. Defining some common terms, and discussing those terms which no longer should be used, is a way to help visitors to the site carry language into the marketplace. Of course, if you are visiting this site and come across terms that are objectionable or offensive to you as a reader, we hope you will share your perspectives so we may consider them for future updates to this guide.
Interacting with People With Disabilities
Preparing yourself, your team, and your facilities for meetings, events and conferences that are accessible to those with disabilities will likely result in delivering even better customer service and a better experience for all attendees. To best prepare, you will want not only technical requirements but also the soft skills to support your event. The Guide authors recommend the following resources:
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Tips for Interacting With People With Disabilities, by June Kailes
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Choosing Words With Dignity, by the Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council
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Disability Etiquette: Tips on Interacting With People With Disabilities, by the United Spinal Association
Online Guide Project Team
In addition to one of the original authors of the 1993 A Guide to Planning Accessible Meetings, the 2015 online guide project team includes subject matter experts from the professional meeting planning and accessible design fields, advocates, and those living with or loving individuals living with disabilities across a broad spectrum.
Project Contributor, Marian Vessels
Marian Vessels is the Director of the Mid-Atlantic ADA Center. In this role, she is responsible for the daily operation of the Center. Ms. Vessels provides disability awareness training and seminars on the Americans with Disabilities Act, covering such issues as current legislation and employment.
Previously, Ms. Vessels was the Executive Director of the Maryland Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. She also worked as the Director of the Maryland Governor's Office for Individuals with Disabilities and was an Executive Board Member for the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities.
“I am a wheelchair user who attends many meetings, events and conferences for my job as Director of the Mid-Atlantic ADA Center,” she says. “I often encounter venues, configurations of rooms, food displays, and other aspects of an event that are not welcoming to me as a participant with a disability. Many of these events were disability-related and should have considered these factors when planning and executing their function.”
Prior to this project, Marian says, there was no current single source to provide guidance and best practices to these planners. “Some of these issues are ADA-related, such as the correct number of properly configured parking spaces, while others are best practices to assure the goal of the ADA — full inclusion of those with disabilities into all aspects of American life — is achieved.”
It is the goal of the Center to provide information and resources to further the inclusion of participants with disabilities into the meetings, events, and conferences that you are planning. Please do share this resource with those you feel would benefit from it. We feel that this document will go a long way to provide guidance and tools for more inclusive meetings!
Author, June Isaacson Kailes
Author and subject matter expert, June Isaacson Kailes, (www.jik.com(link is external)), is a Disability Policy Consultant and the Associate Director and Adjunct Associate Professor at Harris Family Center for Disability and Health Policy at Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, California. Her current work focuses on building disability competencies into the worlds of health care and emergency management. June’s breadth and depth of experience in disability, access, and functional needs issues as a writer, trainer, researcher, policy analyst, subject matter expert, and advocate is widely known and respected.
“Much has changed since I and Darrel Jones, with the great support of ILRU, first published A Guide to Planning Accessible Meetings in 1993. The writing of that ‘Guide’ was motivated by the authors’ frustration at observing repeated access barriers at meetings and events. The lessons were observed, but often were not subsequently applied.”
The Guide proved helpful to making large dents in the problem. “Parts of our 'Guide' have been periodically updated and can be found in diverse pieces and fragments on the Internet,” she says. “This NEW online guide centralizes and modernizes accessible event planning information in an easy to use portal, offering dynamic, scalable, and customizable information for planning small to large events, be it conferences, meetings, receptions or dinners. It can be used for getting a thorough orientation to accessible event planning or getting a few very specific answers to access related questions.”
As this is a digital guide rather than a published book, June encourages feedback and suggestions from visitors to the site as they use the resources presented.
Contributor, Kobena A. Bonney
Kobena works out of downtown Boston for the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC). He is the statewide Coordinator of the federally funded Assistive Technology (AT) Act program in Massachusetts called MassMATCH (Massachusetts Maximizing Assistive Technology in Consumers' Hands).
Kobena is a longtime AT user and enthusiast. He has 20-plus years' experience using and working with Assistive Technology. His passion is to promote awareness of and affordable access to AT for people with disabilities everywhere.
Before coming to work at MRC in 1998, Kobena worked in Toms River, New Jersey for the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI) as a Technological Services Specialist. Among other roles, he conducted AT assessments and made recommendations on appropriate technology to enable CBVI clients to achieve their vocational rehabilitation goals. Between 1999 and 2006, Kobena worked for the Massachusetts Association for the Blind (now MAB Community Services) in three different administrative capacities - NFB-Newsline Coordinator, Director of Communication Services, and Regional Director of MAB's operations in Western Massachusetts.
Contributor, Marissa Sanders
Marissa Sanders has worked in disability rights for more than 15 years. She served as Executive Director of the West Virginia Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and as Director of Training for the Mid-Atlantic ADA Center. She has also worked at three different Centers for Independent Living and served on the National Council on Independent Living.
While at the ADA Center, she trained over 500 people on various aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ms. Sanders currently serves as an independent consultant and as a Video Interpreter for Sorenson Communications where she interprets phone calls in American Sign Language for individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing. She lives in Charleston, West Virginia with her husband.
Editor, Angela Strain
Project editor, Angela Strain, has been writing, editing, and presenting education and advocacy materials for more than twenty years in the nonprofit sector, on topics ranging from healthcare to the environment and community organizing, to name a few. She has helped secure more than $100 million in grant funds for nonprofits across the Southeastern United States.
“When the ADA was first passed, the museum system I worked for selected me for training in facility compliance to help advise the team responsible for construction and operation of new attractions, including theaters and education centers,” she says. “From that time to this, advocating for universal accessible design and equal access have been driving passions. This project will help reach a whole new generation of event and meeting hosts, planners, and facilities, with both the letter and the spirit of the law.”
She adds, “for me, this work is also personal. With functional needs to be accommodated myself, tackling conferences and meetings can be a challenge; I am eager to see this guide improve the experience of those living with both visible and invisible disabilities and limitations.”
Project Advisor, Sarah Galbraith Laucks, CMP
Consultant, trainer, subject matter expert, and president of Meeting Well, Sarah Galbraith Laucks has been planning conferences for people with disabilities since 1993. In fact, her connections to disability go back even further, to the late 1970s when her childhood best friend had intellectual disabilities. Her career includes eight years with Hilton Hotels and five years with Hershey Entertainment & Resorts. Sarah’s varied background has equipped her with skills in conference management, website and email marketing, VIP visits, special events, committee facilitation, and professional speaking and writing. She specializes in access for people with disabilities and eco-friendly initiatives for the meetings industry.
“While June Kailes’ guide has been a bible for those of us planning accessible meetings on a daytoday basis, the professional meeting and hospitality industry is quite large and a majority have not been aware of her work. There’s been a void in the industry's certification and training programs – no one place for these professionals to turn for answers to their questions, accurate information and guidance on how to make their meetings accessible. Beyond the need to accommodate attendees with disabilities of a certain level, the reality is that many attendees have some type of disability they face. Examples include low vision, hearing loss, dietary needs, food allergies, difficulty walking long distances and temporary, significant disability. Providing tools to make accessible meetings an everyday consideration will serve to take the meetings industry to the next level in producing inclusive, meaningful events.”
Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in education, graduating summa cum laude from Susquehanna University, and is a recipient of the Certified Meeting Professional designation from the Convention Industry Council. Personal interests include animal rescue, nutrition and wellness, and figure skating. She is a member of Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and the Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania Board of Directors.
Graphic Designer, Patrick Florville
Formerly a pre-med student, Patrick Florville is an award-winning brand strategist and creative director of Florville Catalyst, Inc., based in New York City. With over 30 years' experience, he has created branding and communication solutions for an impressive clientele across a broad range of industries, ranging from small businesses and non-profits to Fortune 500 corporations.
As a parent of a child with a disability, he brings passion and commitment to organizations and causes which embrace diversity and disability inclusion, empowering them with a compelling presence amidst their largest competitors.
Patrick’s work has won national and international awards, and is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute National Museum of Design at the Cooper Hewitt.
Technical Lead and Web Design, Daniel Schiavone
Daniel Schiavone is President and Chief Technologist at Snake Hill: Web Agency(link is external), where he brings years of experience creating, implementing and integrating software solutions. Snake Hill provides organizations with strategies and tools to grow their web presence and thrive.
The Baltimore Sun described Schiavone as a “renaissance man.” He's known around Baltimore as an entrepreneur, Drupal expert, software developer, artist, musician and community organizer. He and his wife run an art gallery, Schiavone Fine Art, below their home in a former Moose Lodge. He chairs the Highlandtown Arts District, and is a founder of Create Alliance.
Web Strategy and Designer, Liz Lipinski
As an experienced web strategist at Snake Hill: Web Agency(link is external), Liz Lipinski bridges technical ability with organizational need. Having worked with small and large organizations, she has significant experience developing creative technical solutions, sticking to project budgets, and working within existing and sometimes delicate dynamics.
Liz's experience with networks, the Internet, and software development has extended from the infancy of the web technology to the present. From those humble, technical beginnings, she has watched and learned how companies can use the Internet and technology to achieve their business goals, focusing time and effort in the best possible ways.
Additional Acknowledgements
The Project Team wishes to thank a number of organizations and individuals who have provided input and comment on the creation of this guide, including:
Lou Ann Blake, Managing Editor, Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research, National Federation of the Blind
Lise Hamlin, Director of Public Policy, Hearing Loss Association of America
Abby Fitzsimmons, Vice President - Membership, United Spinal Association
Mary Lamielle, Executive Director, National Center for Environmental Health Strategies, Inc.
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