How to Plan a Wheelchair-Accessible Conference
In this day and age the buzz word for meeting planners is inclusion. With the recent emergence of minority groups and underserved communities, it’s more important than ever to make sure that meetings, conferences and events are accessible — and welcoming — to everyone. In some cases that means making sure the agenda includes previously ignored topics or allowing participants to select their preferred pronouns; however inclusion also requires physical access for wheelchair-users and slow walkers. And that means you have to do more than just add that blue wheelchair pictogram to your conference website. With that in mind, here’s how you can plan a wheelchair-accessible conference, convention or meeting, and make you event more welcoming to anybody with a mobility disability.
Conference Headquarters Selection
Site selection is an important part of planning a wheelchair-accessible conference. Many meetings and conferences include a main venue where most activities are held. It could be a convention center, a hotel or even a popular attraction. It’s vital that you check-out the proposed headquarters for wheelchair-access on your pre-meeting site visits. And more important, don’t select a venue that’s not accessible to everyone.
A wheelchair-accessible conference headquarters should have a barrier-free entrance without any steps, elevator access to upper floors, good pathway access and accessible restrooms. Walk around the meeting space to see if there are steps or raised thresholds to any of the meeting rooms. Imagine yourself in a wheelchair — could you navigate that space?
Go inside the accessible restroom. Is there room for a person in a scooter to roll in, shut the stall door and then walk over to the toilet? If not, then it won’t work for many people. Just because a stall has grab bars doesn’t mean that it is wheelchair-accessible. Adequate maneuvering space is also required.
If your meeting includes a presentation or formal program, make sure the stage is wheelchair-accessible. This is important even if none of your presenters require wheelchair access. One meeting planner was mortified when an attendee who received a prestigious award showed up in a wheelchair due to a recent skiing accident. The presenters were caught off-guard, and it was beyond awkward when the award winner was unable to get up on stage to accept his trophy. Don’t let that happen to you.
Additionally, make sure you have a point person for access at your registration desk, in case there are any questions; and always ask about access needs on conference registration forms. Finally, make sure you include access questions in your post-conference survey, so you can eliminate problems at future events.
Conference Hotels
Many conferences also include lodging at specific hotels that are close to headquarters. Information about accessible hotel accommodations is extremely important to many attendees, so you should ask to check out wheelchair-accessible hotel rooms on your site visits.
Take a lot of photos of these rooms. In rooms that have a roll-in shower make sure the photo includes the bottom of the unit, so people can see if there is a lip on it. Make these photos available to potential attendees, either on the convention website or by request. Don’t just say that the hotel room is wheelchair-accessible, as different people have different access needs. Describe the access and provide photos so people can determine if a specific property will meet their access needs.
Bed height is also important to many people. It’s a very controversial topic, and in the US it is not covered under the ADA. Generally speaking, wheelchair-users prefer lower beds, while people that use a walker or cane prefer higher ones (that’s why you see higher chairs in orthopedic offices). Measure the bed height and provide this information on your convention website. Additionally, ask if the bed can be taken off the frame to lower it upon request.
Day Tours
Many conventions and meetings have a day tour component for attendees or family members. These can be held during the core convention or before or after the event. It’s important to make sure that some of these offerings are wheelchair-accessible — including accessible transportation — as these events provide important networking and socialization time for attendees.
It’s also important to include access information about days tours on the meeting website. Don’t just say that a tour is wheelchair-accessible — describe the access. Important things to include are if there are any stairs to climb on the tour, the availability of accessible restrooms, if trails are level without any obstructions, and the amount of walking that will be required on the tour.
Not all of the tours need to be wheelchair-accessible, but information about accessibility should be available for all tours. It is also acceptable to state that a specific tour is not suitable for wheelchair-users, but also list the obstacles that make it inaccessible. The end goal is to get everyone on a tour that will work for their specific abilities.
Conferences at Sea
Many meeting planners are turning to cruise ships for their conference sites. Most cruise ships have lots of on-board activities and shore options for leisure time, and the at-sea days are excellent for business meetings. Most cruise ships offer good access, but there are a few issues to be aware of when you plan a a wheelchair-accessible conference at sea.
Choose a newer larger cruise ship for the best access. As with hotel rooms, it’s important to post photos and access information about the wheelchair-accessible cabins on the conference website.
It’s also important to remember that slow walkers who use a scooter for distance will also need an accessible cabin. This is because standard cruise ship cabins do not have doorways wide enough to accommodate a scooter, and the cruise lines will not allow scooters to be stored in the hallways. Make sure your attendees understand this, so they can choose an appropriate cabin.
Most major cruise lines also have an access department, so be sure and contact them if you need more information or assistance. You also need to find out about the availability of accessible shore excursions, so you can add that information to your conference website. Not all shore excursions are wheelchair-accessible, and attendees should have information about what they can and can’t do before they register for the conference.
You should also find out if any of the ports are tender ports. At tender ports the ships anchor offshore and smaller tender boats ferry passengers ashore. Many tender boats are not wheelchair-accessible. Most cruise lines will not let people in power wheelchairs aboard the tenders, so they are stuck on the ship at many tender ports. Knowing about this in advance can help attendees avoid disappointment and make an informed choice about conference attendance.
Accessible Transportation
Last but not least, let’s talk about wheelchair-accessible transportation. This is perhaps the single most important element of a truly inclusive event. Most convention attendees arrive by airplane, and if there is no accessible transportation available, wheelchair-users will not be able to get from the airport to the convention venue. And don’t fall into the trap of thinking that every city in the US has wheelchair-accessible transportation, because that’s not always the case.
To be specific, wheelchair-accessible transportation includes either a ramp or a lift and securements (tie downs). In some countries it is common for people to lift wheelchair-users into a vehicle, because of the lack of accessible vehicles. This is not considered accessible and it should not be done. Not only is it dangerous, but it’s also quite undignified. People should not be carried up stairs at inaccessible venues either.
Will the lack of accessible transportation rule out some destinations? Unfortunately, yes. In some cases you may have to choose between holding your meeting at an exotic locale that lacks accessible transportation, and making the event truly accessible to everyone. Make the right choice for all attendees. Even better, make the availability of accessible transportation a requirement for any host city. Don’t leave your attendees stranded at the airport or excluded from the event entirely.
