{"id":3288,"date":"2023-01-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siteglobal.com\/5-tips-for-improving-meeting-accessibility\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T14:17:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T14:17:08","slug":"5-tips-improving-meeting-accessibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siteglobal.com\/blog\/5-tips-improving-meeting-accessibility\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips for Improving Meeting Accessibility"},"content":{"rendered":"

The silver lining of Covid may have been that all those virtual events delivered content to attendees who previously may not have been able to attend in-person events. Now that everyone is rushing back to the ballroom, Smart Meetings magazine is examining best practices for producing events that make everyone feel welcome. We recently talked to Keely Cat-Wells, founder and president of C-Talent, to create an inclusive list that proactively removes barriers to attendance. Cat-Wells should know. She once arrived to speak at an event about the importance of diversity and accessibility with her colleague, who was in a wheelchair, and the two were met with a startling realization. The room that was booked for the event was entirely inaccessible. The event space was up three flights of stairs and had no available elevator. There was also no video captioning and no sign language interpreter.<\/p>

Organizers eventually moved the event to a coffee house across the street. The experience was disappointing, but after the event, Cat-Wells remained in contact with event organizers, and after some discussion, they were open to putting accessibility on their list of to-dos for future events.<\/p>

Here are some more simple items to add to the list that could sideswipe similar event fails in the future.<\/strong><\/h2>

1. Include Disability in the Diversity Conversation<\/span><\/h3>

\u201cDisability is chronically left out of diversity conversations,\u201d Cat-Wells said. In 1990, the disability community won a major victory against discrimination with the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). But Cat-Wells believes the industry can do much more than the baseline. \u201cAccess is so much more than that basic compliance. We have to go beyond compliance,\u201d she said.<\/p>

2. Budget for Accessibility from the Beginning<\/span><\/h3>

From the inception of the event, access has to be included as a line item on the marketing and production budget. Cat-Wells shared that accessibility typically gets the short end of the stick during budget prep when meeting professionals try to cut corners by using AI-generated captions, for instance, that are not as accurate as human transcriptions. \u201cCutting costs won\u2019t pay off in the long run,\u201d said Cat-Wells. \u201cPeople have to take this seriously now.\u201d<\/p>

3. Be Open to Change<\/span><\/h3>

One free adjustment is to be open to dialog and ideas around how to improve.<\/p>

\u201cIt is an education process. Accessibility is a journey, and it\u2019s new to many people, but when you are met with resistance when you do educate, that\u2019s the most frustrating thing,\u201d Cat-Wells said.<\/p>

4. Put Disability Advocates in Leadership Positions<\/span><\/h3>

One big factor that could improve awareness of accessibility at events is placing those with disabilities and disabilities advocates in leadership positions.<\/p>

\u201cA lot of people are just so scared to talk about disability,\u201d Cat-Wells offered. Giving representation to those who understand the importance of accommodation is the best way to practice diversity and disability with integrity.<\/p>

5. Universal Design Is Good for Everyone<\/span><\/h3>

The benefits of creating accessible spaces go beyond access for the disabled. Cat-Wells pointed out that accessibility helps everyone because it preserves humanity.<\/p>

\u201cAll opinions and people\u2019s life experiences are valuable and will benefit the event. Universal design is going to make your event smoother, more efficient and better for everyone. It\u2019s not just a disability issue\u2014it\u2019s an everybody issue.\u201d Read more about easy ways to welcome everyone on Smartmeetings.com.<\/p>

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