Making your in-person event accessible and inclusive might seem like a big task, but small changes can make a huge difference. Many of these tips were inspired by attendee feedback and community requests while I was co-chairing this year’s IA Conference.

Why inclusive and accessible events matter

When you ensure your meetup or conference is accessible and inclusive, some great things can happen! With barriers removed or accommodations made, attendees can feel comfortable, making it easier for them to participate. They’re more likely to engage in the event, have meaningful conversations, and truly be a part of the community. 

As an organizer, when attendees have a great experience, they’re more likely to come to future events and invite their friends and colleagues. Not to mention, when you plan for an inclusive and accessible event, you’re not scrambling to meet last-minute accommodations.

Venue and physical accessibility

Choose an accessible venue

Before booking your venue, make sure it’s accessible for folks. Most locations in the U.S. are ADA compliant, so you don’t have to worry about this. However, older, historic buildings might not be or might have workarounds that you have to request. For example, they might have to set up a ramp for the entrance. 

Consider your room setup

For room setup, provide a variety of seating options and arrangements:

  • Reserve rows up front for those who need to be closer to hear or see
  • Provide a space for folks in wheelchairs
  • Consider having some tables so attendees can easily take notes

Create quiet spaces

For day-long or multi-day events, it’s a good idea to provide a quiet space for folks to recharge. Being around several people in a noisy environment can be very draining for some. One year, Design Matters had a space that was dimly lit and played ambient music, which was super nice since I needed a quiet space to clear my head before presenting. 

You don’t have to go all out, though. A separate room or a sectioned-off area that’s quiet will work. Weather permitting, outdoor options are also nice for folks to get fresh air and get some space. Most importantly, let attendees know where the quiet spaces are so they can easily access them!

Provide a space for nursing parents

For longer events, ensure there’s a location for nursing parents. This should be a clean, lockable, and comfortable space that isn’t a bathroom. Provide a comfortable chair, a small table, and an electrical outlet. If possible, provide access to a refrigerator.

Inform your staff and volunteers

Before your event, let the team supporting your event know about the venue accommodations and setup so they can easily assist attendees. 

Talks and presentations

Provide captioning

Over the years, Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) transcription services have felt very cost-prohibitive for community-led events. With transcription technology getting better and becoming more available, captioning your event is getting easier and cheaper! 

For the IA Conference, we’ve been using Zoom to live-caption our events. Zoom’s transcription technology isn’t perfect, but it continues to improve. Here’s a quick overview on how to use Zoom for captioning.

You’ll need:

  • A separate computer and its power supply—this should be dedicated for captioning and will run the Zoom meeting
  • A large TV monitor—connects to the computer and displays the captions
  • HDMI cable and computer adapter—to connect the computer to the TV monitor
  • A stable internet connection—to run Zoom
  • Microphone (optional)—this helps capture the presenter’s audio and means you don’t have to have the dedicated computer so close to the presenter. 

Setup:

  1. Connect the dedicated computer to the TV and the microphone.
  2. Place the microphone near the presenter. Tape down any cables to prevent tripping! 
  3. Start a Zoom call—Turn off the camera and mute the sound coming out of the computer speakers.
  4. Enable captioning and increase the size of captions in Zoom.

A few additional tips:

  • If the captions aren’t big enough, you can try adjusting the screen’s resolution.
  • If the microphone isn’t picking up the audio well, try increasing the sensitivity of the microphone either on the microphone itself or in the computer’s settings.
  • If people need to see captions better, you can provide the Zoom link, and they can join on their computers or mobile devices.
  • If this is your first time doing this, do a dry run a few days before the event to work out any hiccups!

I’m sure there are other options, but if you already have Zoom, this is a pretty quick solution. I’ve heard other folks use Otter.ai for personal use, but I haven’t tried this out. Let me know if you have other cost-effective solutions!

Share guidelines for slide decks

For the IA Conference, we provided guidelines on how to make slides accessible. This includes foundational practices like color contrast and typography. As an organizer, here are additional things you can do to ensure a more inclusive and accessible experience.

  • Send your speakers the guidelines early on, so they don’t have to make adjustments at the last minute. You can even use my article on accessible slides.
  • Encourage your speakers to share their slides afterwards, so attendees can review them later. This helps folks who might speak another language natively, need more time to process, or are feeling overwhelmed with all the information from the event.

Food and catering

Ask about dietary needs or restrictions

If people need to register for your event, include a question asking about any dietary needs or restrictions. As an organizer, I prefer using a multiple-choice question with an “other” option. Personally, responses from open-ended text fields get very complicated and overwhelming for me. 

If you’re working with a catering company, they can navigate these accommodations like a champ. Depending on your event (e.g., you’re providing boxed lunches), they can make special lunches for anyone who has very specific dietary needs.

Here's the question I ask. Feel free to copy this:

What are your dietary needs/restrictions?

  • None
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Halal
  • Kosher
  • Gluten-free
  • Other

Food labels

For the food you’re serving, include ingredient lists when possible or at least denote potential allergens (e.g., contains nuts) or which dietary restrictions are accommodated (e.g., vegan). A catering company can usually help with this.

Section off food for special diets

Depending on the type of event, it might be beneficial to keep the food for special diets separate from folks who can eat a wider variety of food. If vegan/vegetarian food is limited, nothing’s more heartbreaking than when folks without dietary restrictions help themselves to your food—“Ohh, this vegan dish looks good, I think I’m going to have that.” 

Community and safety

Create easy opportunities to connect

Not everyone feels comfortable starting conversations with new people. So, providing a small facilitated component can make things much easier. Before a meetup starts, when people are arriving, grabbing food, and chatting, you can display a slide that has info about introducing yourself—say your name, what you do/where you work, and a fun fact. This simple framework can help get conversations started. You can tailor the intros to your event, but they should be things people can easily answer and not stress over.

Create a Code of Conduct

A Code of Conduct isn’t just about rules—it’s about creating a foundation for a safe, welcoming space. It shows your commitment to an inclusive experience and signals to attendees, speakers, and organizers that they can show up as their authentic selves.

If you want some ideas for a Code of Conduct, here are a few:

This year, I revised and wrote part of the IA Conference’s code of conduct. One thing that I made sure to provide is the “Should I report it?” section, because often, someone will debate whether or not something is worth reporting. It’s important to empower those folks, so we can ensure our community stays safe.

Registration Form

If you follow the above tips, you’ll have made things more inclusive. If people have to register for your event, include an optional text field for people to submit any specific accessibility accommodations they might need. If registration isn’t needed, provide some information on whom people can contact if they need accommodations. This will ensure you can proactively support their request. 

But what if it’s just one person?

Just because only one person made the request doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the only ones who need the accommodation. Some might not make requests because they:

  • Don’t feel comfortable sharing their accessibility needs
  • Don’t realize their disability, impairment, or situation is something that can be accommodated
  • Assume they can make do with existing accommodations

So while it might seem like you’re providing an accommodation for just one person, you’re likely benefiting others, too. For example, if someone needs elevator access for their wheelchair, you’re also making it easier for someone with a bad knee, who didn’t note that in their registration. I mention this because I’ve been guilty of all three scenarios, and I know I’m not the only one. 

Making events more inclusive and accessible

You don’t need to be perfect to make a difference. Creating inclusive and accessible events is an ongoing process. So if you can start with just a few of these things, that can go a long way. Enlist the help of others to help find solutions so you’re not the only one. And as you host events, ask for feedback to help tailor the experience for your community.

As you make these accommodations for your event, consider listing them on your event’s site. This will take the guesswork out for attendees! It also demonstrates your commitment to creating an inclusive space, and it hopefully inspires others to do the same!

If you try any of these or have additional tips, please let me know so others can provide more inclusive and accessible events! 💜