A guide to planning more accessible events

Accessibility icon glowing neon green, surrounded by icons of an eye, wheelchair, brain, hands doing sign language, and ear

Sixteen percent of the world’s population is disabled. That’s over one billion people worldwide. And yet we still have a long way to go for most events to be accessible for disabled attendees.

At Qase, we attend, speak at, and sponsor several software and QA events throughout the year. We — Director of Content, Rease Rios and Developer Advocate, Jenna Charlton — recently traveled to a few different events and saw the need for more accessibility education and advocacy firsthand.

While there are many different disabilities, we cannot cover them all at once. In this article, we will focus mainly on accessibility for physical disabilities and neurodiversity. We will also use identify-first language like “disabled person” rather than terms such as “person with disabilities,” “handicapped,” or “special needs.”

We are not accessibility experts. We are two disabled people who are passionate about accessibility. For this article we used a mix of research, personal experiences, and quotes gathered from other disabled people. There is no such thing as one-size-fits-all accessibility, so we encourage you to use this article in addition to official resources such as the ADA planning guide for making events accessible. You will find additional resources and references at the end of this article.

Personal notes from the authors:

Rease: I am neurodiverse (ADHD/Autism), have visual disabilities, sensory issues, and several medical issues that can cause extreme and/or sudden fatigue.

Jenna: I am sharing some of my personal experiences and lessons learned over the last few years as someone who has more recently become physically disabled. Two and half years ago I experienced a back injury that has drastically changed my mobility. Anything personal I share reflects my experiences and not those of all disabled people.

Not all physical disabilities are visible

For many people, physical disabilities are invisible. Additionally, a person may occasionally use a mobility aid or only use one in certain situations. Disabilities like multiple sclerosis, for instance, can have periods of remission and relapse. This means that someone could have no or only minor impact on their mobility for a period of time and then experience a period of relapse where they may require the use of a cane, walker, or wheelchair. Another example would be people with heart conditions that may impact their stamina. They may be able to walk shorter distances with no issue but require the use of a wheelchair or power scooter for a longer distance, such as in an airport.

In both of the examples, it’s unlikely you’d be able to easily identify someone as disabled. This is why it’s critical that no assumptions are made about others when they use disabled parking (as long as they have a placard) or use the disabled stall in a restroom.

“For most of my life, I have not had any challenges that would need any accommodations. And when I did experience vertigo — the sort where I can't get on or off a stage with stairs without a handrail or person — I also got to experience being stuck on stage for 10 minutes as I could not get down. I requested help but participants had left. I was rescued by Seb Rose eventually and while I felt shame, he was really nice about it.”

- Maaret Pyhäjärvi, Tester and conference speaker

Plan ahead

An accessible event starts with great planning.

Venue evaluation

We’ll provide more specific information for different disabilities throughout this article, but you should always evaluate the venue for baseline accessibility. All venues should be ADA compliant, with accessible entrances, walking areas and surfaces, and bathrooms.

Ask questions such as:

Can all venue spaces be accessed without the use of stairs?
Is the catering staff able to safely handle food allergies and dietary requirements?
Is there seating available for meals?
If high top tables are used, will there also be standard seating available?
If chairs with arms are used, are there also armless chairs available?
Are there mics and speakers in all presentation and workshop rooms?
If there are off-site activities, such as networking meals or meetups, are they within an accessible walking distance or will transportation be provided?

Nearby hotels

As you evaluate partner or recommended hotels near the venue, ask questions such as:

How many accessible rooms does the hotel have?
Are there accessible rooms within a short distance from elevators?
Is there an accessible walking path between the hotel and the event venue?
Are there any accessible transportation services between the hotel and the event venue?

If you’re thinking of recommending rideshare services like Lyft or Uber, consider these insights from Michael Forzano, a Software Engineer who is blind, Hard of Hearing, and uses a guide dog:

“Unfortunately, rideshare continues to be extremely unwelcome to those who use service animals. Though the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) states that service animals must be accommodated in rideshare vehicles, many drivers still do not understand the law, and the rideshare companies do little to enforce it, so refusal by drivers to transport me is common. These situations are extremely stressful, with drivers often becoming aggressive and confrontational.”

Registration

Make it easy for registrants to inform you of any accessibility needs such as:

ASL interpreters
Assistive listening devices
Computer-Aided Real-Time Translation (CART)
Accessible parking
Reserved front row seating at sessions
Wheelchair accessibility
Mobility aid accessibility (canes, crutches, scooters, etc)
In-person assistance (e.g. for getting between sessions)
Access to refrigerator for medicine storage
Accommodations for a service animal
Other (write in)

Train your staff

Don’t skip staff training! It’s crucial for your staff to undergo training so they’re aware of what accessibility accommodations are available (and how to access them), how to recognize and assist with various disabilities, and how to advocate for attendees.

General guidelines from the ADA:

View an individual in terms of the whole person and not just the disability.
Avoid being anxious or overly protective; people will let you know what they need.
Some people will need extra time to move, speak, perform a task, or participate in an activity. The behavior of some people with developmental or cognitive disabilities may be unsettling to people unfamiliar with these disabilities. There is no need for fear and, as with others, respect and patience is expected. In other words, provide good customer service to everyone.

You may consider offering badges or stickers for anyone with invisible disabilities. Organizations such as Hidden Disabilities Sunflower provide materials, but you could also design your own for your event.

Ensure that your staff is equipped with the details of any attendee that requested assistance. This may include tasks such as helping visually disabled attendees locate various sessions, ensuring anyone who requested seats in the front row is seated accordingly, helping attendees locate sensory-friendly areas when they’re overwhelmed, distributing assistive listening devices, making sure interpreters and CART services are set up in the proper places, etc.

Staff should be easy to find at all times so anyone in need of assistance knows where to go with questions or requests.

When you provide key details prior to the event, you can help disabled attendees plan ahead so they will feel more comfortable during the event.

Share a map of the facility with details about things like parking, bathrooms, food access, rest areas, and where sessions will happen. The full schedule should also be shared as soon as the information is available.

Provide details about the various accessibility accommodations you will be providing automatically and give registrants multiple opportunities to request additional assistance. We recommend including a dedicated page on your event website to list out all the planned accommodations and provide a form for anyone who would like to request additional assistance.

While you should provide multiple opportunities for attendees to request accommodations, don’t assume that every person will reach out ahead of time. You should still plan ahead and be prepared to provide an accessible experience.

“It's important to ensure that conference materials are provided in accessible format. This includes the agenda, presentation slides, and any other printed materials. Ideally, slides should be made available ahead of time, so that blind attendees can follow along using their assistive technology. Tools such as the Microsoft Accessibility Checker can be helpful in identifying accessibility issues with documents.”

- Michael Forzano

A few additional things that are always helpful to keep on hand include:

Disposable earplugs
Extra assistive listening devices (beyond the number requested at registration)
Parking cones in case you need to block off parking areas
Extra chairs that are sturdy but still easy to move around

Visual accessibility considerations

Not only is there a range of blindness and color blindness, there are various visual disabilities that can make attending an in-person event frustrating or even dangerous. For example, flashing lights or repeating gifs can trigger seizures. Those same gifs can make processing information difficult for neurodivergent attendees. Color contrast on slides can make it challenging or even impossible for those with colorblindness or astigmatism to read text. And, anyone who suffers from migraines could end up missing your entire event because the lights trigger debilitating headaches.

Location

When evaluating the venue for your event, ask questions such as:

Is arriving at the venue confusing? If finding the location relies heavily on visual signage, it could be extra difficult for anyone with visual disabilities to find it, even if they’re arriving by taxi. Get ahead of this problem by providing Google Maps pins to attendees so they can rely on audio directions to the exact location.

How easy (or difficult) will it be for attendees to find the programming within the venue? Conferences often take place in massive buildings, hotels, or event spaces and you may be sharing the space with other events. How will you help attendees with visual disabilities locate the programming? Consider providing a floor plan and map ahead of time so attendees can familiarize themselves with the layout. During the event, include braille on signs and make audio announcements with clear instructions.

Are walkways clear enough for the use of white canes? Some people with visual disabilities use a white cane, which is designed to be tapped on the ground and swung back and forth so that the user can scan their surroundings. Make sure there is ample space for white cane users to move around.

Do signs include braille? If the venue’s established signage does not have braille, be sure to create your own accessible signage. Ideally, all signs would have braille and large, clear text.

Do any signs have critical information that relies on color? For example, are blocked off areas simply marked with red stop signs or yellow warning signs? People with color blindness may not be able to decipher the exact color or message, so be sure to add text as well.

What type of lighting is used? Flickering lights aren’t just annoying, they’re a hazard that can induce seizures or migraines. Try to avoid fluorescent lights, which are prone to flickering. Generally, halogen and LED lights are a safer choice.

Is there a way to control natural light? If the venue has large windows or skylights that let in a lot of natural light, make sure you plan around the sunlight. Ideally, you’ll have a way to control the natural light, such as blinds or curtains, but if you don’t, make sure you’ve tested presentation areas. The glare from natural light can make it very challenging to see presentations.

Programming

While you probably don’t have full control over every single session’s content and set up, you can encourage more visually accessible programming by providing guidelines for all presenters. Guidelines should cover things such as:

Instructions for checking presentation materials for accessible color contrast with a color contrast checker
Suggested fonts for presentations along with fonts to avoid. Generally speaking, sans serif fonts like Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, and Verdana are easier to read on screens. Decorative font styles like gothic or script can be very difficult to comprehend, especially from a distance.
Minimum font size for presentations. Presentations are usually designed on small computer screens, so it’s easy to cram a lot of tiny text onto a single slide. Provide a minimum text size to avoid issues with attendees straining to see information.
Suggestions for making presentations more visually accessible. For instance, avoid things that make text more challenging to decipher such as underlining, justifying text (use left alignment only), and all caps text. If an important image or illustration is included on a slide, the presenter should plan to describe the visual verbally.
Requirement to limit the number of loops of a gif to 3 or less. Gifs, animations, and short looped videos should be used sparingly as they can cause issues for people with seizure disorders and neurodivergent people.
Forbid the use of any flashing lights or strobe effects (live or via video) as they are a safety hazard for anyone with seizure disorders.

Auditory accessibility

While you may think of auditory accessibility as addressing the needs of Deaf and Hard of Hearing people, there is more to it. Auditory issues can also negatively affect anyone prone to sensory overwhelm, neurodivergent people, or people who do not speak the language of the event natively.

Ideally, you’ll know ahead of time if an ASL interpreter is needed. However, it’s always good practice to have Computer Aided Real-time Translation (CART) services, which provide real-time transcription of verbal words into text. CART services are performed by stenographers to ensure accuracy and offer various display options such as individual, group, or projected displays. Both in-person and remote services are widely available and are extremely helpful for those with auditory processing disorders, hearing disabilities, and attendees who do not share a native language with the presenter.

Location

When evaluating the auditory accessibility of the venue, ask questions such as:

Do any areas of the venue echo? Echoes can make comprehending speech particularly taxing for many people. If event spaces have an echo, rent or purchase acoustic panels to help improve the acoustics of the space. Whenever possible, test the venue in loud conditions like lots of people talking at once while there is music playing as well as ambient noise from something like a fan.
Does any part of the programming rely on auditory announcements? Audio announcements are a great way to make an event more accessible to people with visual disabilities, but they can be problematic for those with auditory disabilities or concerns. You can strike a balance by providing key information through signs and audio announcements. When making announcements, consider playing a pleasant tone before speaking to give people a heads up that a message is happening. It’s also helpful to slightly dim lights as a visual cue. But remember to avoid flashing the lights on and off.
Is there a place for an ASL interpreter in every presentation area? Check for space that would allow interpreters to be alongside the stage in good lighting so that they can be seen easily.

Programming

First, prepare the event programming and space to accommodate auditory disabilities. We’ve already mentioned the need for ASL interpreters and/or CART services as well as acoustic panels. It’s also important to provide assistive listening devices for Hard of Hearing attendees.

As we mentioned in a previous section, you should offer accommodations such as ASL interpreters and assistive listening devices at the time of registration. Gathering this information ahead of time will help you determine how many interpreters and devices you need. Keep in mind that ASL interpreters don’t just allow Deaf and Hard of Hearing attendees to understand the programming, they also help attendees participate in sessions. If you have multiple panels happening at once, for instance, you may need a team of interpreters to ensure that attendees can ask questions and communicate.

Additionally, provide guidelines to presenters such as:

All videos must have captions. While CART services should cover live captioning for the verbal part of presentations, any videos embedded into presentations should have their own captions.
No sound effects or jarring noises. Do not include sudden sound effects such as applause sounds, horns, alarms, etc. Sudden changes in volume can be very distracting and harmful.
No background music. Music should not be played while a presenter is speaking as it can be distracting and make captions and CART services less effective.
Do not rely only on verbal communication for audience interaction. For example, if a presenter poses a question to the audience, that question should also be clearly presented in text form so that anyone with auditory disabilities has an opportunity to participate.

“Ensuring microphones are used in all meetings will help ensure a positive experience for those who are hard of hearing,” says Michael Forzano, “this includes smaller meetings, and thinking you are loud is not an excuse to not use a microphone.”

General considerations

In addition to everything we’ve discussed above, here are some general guidelines for creating more accessible and inclusive events.

Seating areas

CHAIRS. You need more of them and a larger variety of chair types. Acquire chairs with and without arms to accommodate various body types and physical needs. Provide chairs with backs to accommodate people with physical disabilities such as back pain or balance issues. Don’t over-rely on seating like backless stools, stools that are low to the ground, deep couches, or beanbag-style chairs as they can be problematic for people with physical disabilities who may struggle to get in or out of the chair.

Just say no to those flimsy plastic chairs (folding or otherwise) that can be uncomfortable and a safety hazard for various guests. We know budgets don’t always allow for hundreds of high-end chairs, but ensuring there are some chairs with good back support and cushions in every area can make a big difference.

“In the last few years, I haven’t been able to stand for any extended period, so I have asked to sit when delivering keynotes. I tell organizers exactly what I need: a high stool with back and foot rests, an on-stage monitor placed so that I can see my slides, and a glass of water within easy reach. (Coming up with the right sort of stool has sometimes been challenging for them, as the venue might or might not have anything suitable.) Without exception, conferences have been really great about this, providing everything I ask for. And because I travel with a cane, they’ve always been solicitous about helping me on/off stage.

- Fiona Charles, International keynote speaker and retired Software Quality Coach

Scheduled breaks

Everyone benefits from scheduled breaks. When you pack an event with too much programming, people will suffer from cognitive overload and likely start to skip sessions so they can rest. Get ahead of this by scheduling frequent breaks throughout the event so that no one has to miss out on something they’ve been looking forward to because they’re exhausted by non-stop programming. Attendees also need time to stretch their legs, use the restroom, take medication, or simply take some time alone to recharge their batteries.

Breaks should include refreshments such as coffee, tea, and water along with grab-and-go snacks like granola bars and fruit.

Quiet zone

Designate at least one area as a “quiet zone” and furnish it with comfortable seating (couches and cushioned chairs), low lighting, noiseless fidget toys, and water.

Another way to make these spaces especially inviting is to include live plants. Simply looking at plants can reduce stress, plus they freshen up the air inside event spaces. You could also raffle off the plants at the end of your event so they won’t go to waste!

To avoid quiet zones turning into hang spaces, post signs that clearly explain that there is no talking, no cell phone or laptop usage, or eating. Event staff should also be available to enforce these rules.

Accessibility is a must, not a nice-to-have

We know this is a lot of information, but it’s extremely important. When you choose to leave accessibility out of your event planning, you choose to make it difficult or impossible for many people to attend.

It’s ok to be on a journey towards more accessible events, but you should be making continuous improvements.

A guide to planning more accessible events

Not all physical disabilities are visible