Facilitating Accessible Meetings

• Allow your participants the opportunity to identify their accommodation needs early in the process via your initial notice or invitation. This will allow you time to be prepared and to arrange for any requests related to accessibility.
• When you begin organizing your meeting, consider consulting with persons with disabilities. They know what works best for them in providing accessible services.

• When sending invitations, ask participants and/or guests if they require any disability-related accommodations. (See Government of Canada resource, A Way with Words and Images.)
• Ask participants/guests if they have any dietary restrictions.
• Promote a scent-free environment from the start by asking presenters and participants in the event invitation to refrain from using perfumes and scented toiletries.
• Circulate meeting materials at least one week before the event.
• Provide information on parking and transportation to participants/guests in advance of the meeting.

As the meeting chair or leader, what do you need to do?

• Include a roundtable of introductions at the start of the meeting.
• Briefly describe the content of the agenda at the start of the meeting.
• Remind participants to identify themselves each time they speak.
• Encourage presenters to speak clearly and at a moderate pace.
• Advise participants/guests that interpreters (if present) will say everything that is signed and sign everything that is said.

What do your participants/guests need to know?

• What services are available (for example, sign language interpretation, attendant care, note-taking and captioning).
• Location of emergency exits.
• Location of accessible restrooms.
• Frequency and length of health/bio breaks during the meeting.
• Timing for questions – during presentations or at the end.
• Identification of topics throughout the meeting.

Have you taken these steps to host an accessible meeting?

• Create signs with large print and contrasting colours to identify and give directions to meeting rooms, washrooms and emergency exits. Participant nameplates and ID tags should also be easy to read.
• Circulate meeting materials and presentations at least one week prior to the meeting. One week is the minimum time required for participants to review or convert materials to alternative formats.
• Provide printed materials in an accessible electronic format so that participants may convert and/or access the information as necessary. Tips on creating accessible print documents are on this website here and the Inclusive Design Research Centre website.
• Provide a room with enough space for participants who use mobility devices to maneuver freely.
• Ensure that there is adequate lighting with minimal-to-no glare. If the room has windows, use blinds to reduce glare.
• Create an open seating arrangement that addresses the needs of participants and their service providers. For example, ensure that people with hearing disabilities are seated closest to the sign-language interpreters or note-takers.
• Use language that is acceptable to persons with disabilities, creating an inclusive meeting environment. (See the Accessibility Toolkit: A Way with Words.)
• Provide clear and concise parking and transportation information to guests and participants.