When the world went virtual last year, many events benefitted from an increased reach, wider audience, and more inclusive events. Attendees were no longer restricted based on geography or ability to travel, and virtual events were often more financially accessible as well.
However, the reality is that digital options present additional barriers to people with disabilities, and the events industry still has far to go when it comes to DEI, even if improvements are being made. Accessibility and inclusivity are big topics, but Samantha Evans, Certification Manager at the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP), offers the following 6 tips as a good starting point.
1. Determine the Accessibility of Your Event Platform
The first step when considering virtual event accessibility is to check whether the platform you’re using accessible. In this case, accessibility standards are defined by W3C, which has set forth international web content accessibility guidelines.
“That's the first question to ask so that you know what the playing ground is like,” explains Evans. “Can people who navigate with voice commands or keyboard only, or other input devices, navigate through the platform and engage?”
She also notes that planners should keep in mind that most platforms on the market do not in fact meet most accessibility standards, but there are still things that planners can do to make the event experience more accessible to people with disabilities.
Regardless of the tool you end up using, Evans suggests making the accessibility features (or lack thereof) clear on your website and marketing materials so people know what to expect going in and can request accommodations if need be.
2. Make It Easy For People to Request Accommodations
It’s always a good idea to provide an easy way for people to request accommodations for your event, and this is even more important if you know your platform is lacking in terms of accessible features. If people need help filling out the registration, for example, let them know what they can do to reach out to the event team “other than calling,” says Evans.
Providing an email or an online form are good options, but just make sure that someone on the other end is actively monitoring them. It’s also helpful to note what specific accommodations you’re able to offer upon request, and the date by which attendees must let you know in order to ensure they will be accommodated.
3. Know That Not All Captions Are Created Equal
Captioning is often considered a one-and-done solution to digital event accessibility, and many platforms market built-in captions for virtual sessions and event content. However, Evans emphasizes that not all captions are created equal.
Automated or AI-generated captions are not as accurate as human-generated captions, and they will not include speaker names, punctuation, or correct technical terms being used in sessions. It’s always a good idea to ask your tech provider if they support captions (which will likely be automated) and whether they offer the possibility of API connections with other captioning tools.
“Captions don't just serve people who are deaf or hard of hearing,” notes Evans. “Some people have mid-range hearing loss, and it can be especially hard to hear if there’s a lot of noise around. People who speak a different language as their primary language, people with the reading and learning disabilities, etc. can all benefit from having captions, along with what's being presented visually.”
Again, if you do go with automated captions, clearly state it so that attendees expect it.
4. Offer Sign Language Interpreters
Sign language interpreters also make your event more accessible, and Evans notes that interpreters and captions are not interchangeable — in other words, even if you’re offering captions, you should still provide sign language interpreters as a potential accommodation should attendees need and request it.
“Captions are a word for word transcription of the spoken word,” she says, while sign language entails translating into another language. Using interpreters is easier and more natural than reading captions for people who primarily communicate through sign language.
Another thing to keep in mind, and to speak with your provider about, is the ability to pin the interpreter or view them alongside the speaker in more or less the same size. If they are in a tiny box in the corner of the screen, for example, the interpretation will be too small to see and will not end up being very useful.
Interpreters aren’t necessarily something you need to provide by default, but it’s a reasonable request to be able to accommodate, as long as you know in advance and set aside the necessary budget.
5. Include Alt Text in Visual Marketing Materials
“Any time we present visuals or graphics, especially visuals that have a lot of text in them, we need to create what's called alt text, which is a text equivalent,” says Evans. “This is really important because it allows people, no matter where they are, to know what you're sharing visually so that there's some equity.”
Explaining visuals also goes for presentations during the event, which isn’t something that most speakers generally think about. Evans suggests creating more inclusive presentation practices, such as reminding speakers and moderatos to fully explain any visuals that they may refer to.
6. Budget Accordingly
Accessibility is not something that can easily be tacked onto an event at the last minute — it needs to be baked into the event strategy and budget from the beginning, whether you’re planning an in-person or digital event. “If you try to plug it into a budget at the end, that money just isn't going to be there,” says Evans.
Features like professional captioning and interpretation are expensive and must be considered from the get-go. These expense categories should ideally transfer over from in-person events for organizers that were already providing these services, but either way, they should be included in the event budget. Evans also notes that accessibility features can be a great opportunity for sponsorships, especially for organizations that have a commitment to DEI, which can provide another avenue to fund some more inclusive additions to the event.