Planning an accessible conference

Abstract

This document contains information for organizers of academic conferences who wish to make their events as accessible as possible, so that people with disabilities can participate fully. It is not intended as an accessibility checklist or requirements document, but offers general ideas and information that conference planners may wish to consider. These ideas are based on experiences in running the ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS). ASSETS is a conference of around 130 people, consisting of technical paper presentations, posters and demonstrations. The conference proceedings are published in the ACM digital library. Most attendees are non-local, and stay in the conference hotel. ASSETS is often attended by people with disabilities. In a typical year, there might be attendees who are blind, have low vision, are deaf or hard of hearing, use a power wheelchair or an electric scooter, have limited dexterity, and limited mobility. ASSETS strives to create an environment in which all attendees can participate and socialize together.

Increasing participation: Using the principles of universal design to create accessible conferences

“…People with a disability are more likely to experience poverty as they are less likely to be employed, and, also, they may have to spend proportionally more of their income on healthcare and prescription drugs (Taylor, 2018). Conference planners should be aware of this disparity and consider how they might mitigate expenses for this population, e.g., by offering reduced conference fees, or waiving fees for a person with a disability who needs to attend with a companion (Callus, 2017;Darcy & Harris, 2003;De Picker, 2020;Frawley, Bigby, & Forsyth, 2006;Trewin, 2011). This is standard practice in, e.g., galleries or sporting events, where companions are not charged an entry fee to avoid what could be a form of indirect discrimination (Bigbey & Frawley, 2010).…”

“…The location of the conference and its proximity to accessible transport are important considerations for participants with a disability (Darcy & Harris, 2003;De Picker, 2020;Doshi, Furlan, Lopes, DeLisa, & Battistella, 2014;Ruby, 2017;Trewin, 2011). Many major conference centers are located near primary airports, and accessible transport links are required from the airport to the conference venue.…”

“…Another concern expressed in the literature is the need for accessible routes around the venue, e.g., from the car park and set-down area to the registration desk and conference accommodation (Doshi et al, 2014;Poria, Reichel, & Brandt, 2010;Trewin, 2011). Kim and Lehto (2012), writing about access to hotels in general, reported that poor design, such as ramps and accommodation, accounted for over 65% of online customer complaints.…”

“…In this article, this is described as booking, as opposed to registering, which is described as the signing in on arrival at the conference. The website format should be accessible to everyone (Trewin, 2011). The international standard for ensuring website accessibility is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, first issued in 1999 by the organization W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) (2018).…”

“…If the conference is to be held in a hotel, several authors outline the importance of ensuring there are accessible bedrooms available, which can be reserved for conference participants (Allen, 2000;Ruby, 2017;Trewin, 2011). Also, any negotiated special room rates should apply to these bedrooms.…”