Other Related Documents

Acknowledgements

The Guide to Planning Inclusive Meetings and Conferences has been developed through the joint collaboration and commitment of the Office for Disability Issues, Human Resources Development Canada, the Federal Public Service Job Accommodation Network, and the Employment Equity Positive Measures Program, Employment Equity Division, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

A special thank you to the partners of the Federal Public Service Job Accommodation Network comprised of representatives from various federal departments and agencies that work in both the human resource and information technology disciplines, for their advice and support in the consultation stages of developing this guide.

1.     Introduction

Meetings and conferences bring people together to share information, develop strategies, work toward common goals and celebrate successes. Participation is a key element in the success of these events. Given the time, effort and resources committed to planning events, it makes good business sense to ensure that all attendees can participate fully.

Although unintentional, the accommodation and inclusion needs of people with disabilities are often overlooked when meetings and conferences are organized.

This guide will provide meeting and conference organizers with practical tips and advice to ensure the full participation of persons with disabilities.

The guide provides information on:

• Planning, organizing and conducting accessible and inclusive events
• Products and services to maximize participation

The guide also provides the following tools:

• An accessibility checklist for planners
• Participant's registration forms
• The reference sheets on the role of event organizers, chairpersons and presenters

The duty to accommodate is entrenched in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Human Rights Act. This is further reinforced through evolving jurisprudence and federal government legislation and policies, such as the Employment Equity Act and the Policy on the duty to accommodate persons with disabilities in the Federal Public Service. While this guide focuses on the accommodation of persons with disabilities, official languages as well as religious and cultural differences should also be considered when planning a meeting. For example, participants should be encouraged to exercise their right to use the official language of their choice, and simultaneous interpretation services should be provided to ensure all participants benefit from the dialogue and exchange.

In addition, when selecting a date for the event, planners should verify whether the event date conflicts with days of religious observance that could affect participation. An accommodation can include rescheduling the meeting to respect dates of religious observance, as well as providing flexibility with the meeting agenda to allow for prayer breaks. Consult Canadian Heritage's Web site for the calendar of statutory holidays, theme days, weeks and months of national and international heritage at: http://www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/pc-ch/calen/

2.     Putting a Plan in Place

2.1    Budgeting

Accessibility and inclusion are integral parts of hosting successful meetings and conferences. To ensure a truly inclusive and accessible event, allocations must be made in the budget to procure any accommodation services or products. Considering all potential accommodation requirements in the early planning stages is essential to the budgetary exercise.

Participants may request one or more products and/or services to accommodate particular needs. Here are some examples of products and services that should be considered when developing the budget:

• Conversion of print material to alternative formats
• Dietary accommodation
• Equipment to support simultaneous interpretation
• Real time captioning
• Note-taker services
• Audio systems and assistive listening devices

Local service providers can provide quotes to facilitate the budget planning exercise.

2.2    Knowing your participants

When planning an event, ask participants to identify any accommodation requirements they may have. Early planning can help ensure that expenses incurred reflect only services required.

Individual's accommodation needs may change over time. Rather than making assumptions about participants' needs, give them the opportunity to identify their accommodation requirements before each event.

Appendix B contains a sample registration form and a sample invitation that can be used to request accommodation information from participants.

2.3    Selecting Accessible Facilities

Facility owners or managers often promote their sites to be accessible or at least "partially accessible." However, interpretations of accessibility vary. An accessible entrance does not necessarily mean access throughout the facility. A site visit is the most accurate way to assess whether a facility will meet the needs of all participants and minimize potential surprises on the day of the event.

The Accessibility Checklist for planners in Appendix A should be used in the initial planning stages to conduct site assessments. The checklist is not exhaustive, but rather a reference point that can be expanded upon according to needs.

An accessibility assessment should include the meeting space and the facility in general. Hotel rooms should also be assessed if the event includes an overnight stay.

Examples of physical features of an accessible facility include:

• Automatic doors and obstacle-free pathways for people using mobility aids
• Tactile signage for persons who are visually impaired
• Access to the outdoors to allow persons to walk their guide/service dogs during health breaks
• Meeting room layout that allows ample space for participants to move around freely without running into obstacles or requiring the removal of objects during the event
• Meeting rooms that are large enough to accommodate assistive listening systems, translation booths and seating for sign language interpreters
• Doorways to meeting rooms that are approximately one metre (three feet) in width to allow easy access

Accessible hotel rooms should include:

• Door handles, sinks, faucets and other accessories that are easy to use for participants with limited dexterity
• Easy access and exit to the bedroom and washroom for persons using wheelchairs
• Flashing alarm system to ensure safety, as well as access to a TTY to ensure telephony service for persons who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing

Building access standards are usually minimal standards and may not necessarily reflect the degree of access required to accommodate individual needs. Therefore, innovative solutions may be required. When a barrier is identified within a facility, advise the facilities manager. The manager may be in a position to remove the barrier.

When in doubt, consult the person with a disability in the initial planning stages to ensure the access standard meets the individual's accommodation requirements. Consultation with persons with disabilities can sometimes lead to creative solutions, based on past experiences with similar situations. For example:

• Noises from ventilation systems can make it difficult for persons using assistive listening devices to participate in dialogue. Verify sound quality in the meeting room before the event and ask the facilities manager to turn down the ventilation fan during the meeting. Ask the participants if this accommodation is satisfactory and invite suggestions
• Persons who are blind or visually impaired may have difficulty navigating in unfamiliar environments. Audio floor level indicators in public elevators and tactile signage to help find amenities such as restrooms, meeting rooms and hotel rooms may not always be available. Such barriers may require volunteer assistance. Again, ask the participants if this accommodation is satisfactory and invite suggestions

2.4    Safety and Evacuation Procedures

To ensure the safety of all participants, discuss evacuation plans and procedures with the facilities manager in the early planning stages.

Invite meeting participants to identify their particular evacuation needs when they confirm attendance at the event. Provide the facilities manager with a list of participants who need assistance in the event of an emergency evacuation.

At the beginning of the event, advise participants of the emergency exits located near the meeting rooms and washrooms. At this time, invite participants to identify their requirement for assistance in the event of an emergency, and notify the facilities manager of any updates to the list.

To facilitate a co-ordinated and expeditious evacuation, request volunteers to assist persons who have identified a need for assistance.

2.5    Scheduling Considerations

It is important to allow as much time as possible to address the accommodation needs of all participants.

For example, several days to a week's notice may be required to make arrangements for the following:

• Participants to schedule their accessible transportation
• Request sign language interpreters for persons who are deaf or deafened and amplification systems for persons who are hard of hearing, as these services are often in demand and require advance notice
• Request conversion of conventional print material to Braille, large print or plain language, as this process could take several days to a few weeks to complete, depending on the size and complexity of the document

3.     Conducting the Event 

Communication is key to sharing ideas, developing strategies and working toward common goals at meetings, conferences and social gatherings.

Event organizers, chairpersons and presenters help set the tone of the meeting and are positioned to influence the success of accessible and inclusive communication.

Appendices C, D & E contains reference sheets that outline some rules of accessible communication that can be shared with event organizers, chairpersons and presenters. The reference sheets are intended to help key players plan and prepare their event within a framework that respects the accessibility and inclusion needs of all participants.

4.     Products and Services that Maximize Participation

A variety of products and services are available to help facilitate communication and ensure individual needs are accommodated in meetings and conferences. Participants with the same disability may require different accommodations. The accommodations requested are generally based on the individuals' experiences and knowledge of the products and services. For example:

• Some individuals who are blind or visually impaired may request materials in Braille, while others may request audiocassettes or diskettes
• Some persons who are hard of hearing may request an infrared system, while others may request the services of a note-taker or real time captionist
• Persons with learning disabilities may have different needs depending on the nature and severity of their disability. For example, some persons with learning disabilities may have difficulty learning a second language, and may therefore have difficulty participating in a bilingual event. An appropriate accommodation may be simultaneous interpretation to ensure full participation and inclusion
• Persons with developmental disabilities might require documents in plain language

4.1    Interpreter and Intervener Services

The Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) Translation Bureau offers the following services:

• American Sign Language (ASL)
• Langage des signes du Québec (LSQ)
• Deaf blind intervener services
• Simultaneous interpretation

See the glossary for definitions of sign language interpreters, oral interpreters and interveners.

The Translation Bureau provides services for:

• Participants attending federal government conferences, public hearings or other public meetings
• Public Service employees who require assistance communicating with a person who is deaf
• Public Service employees who are deaf who need assistance communicating with persons who do not communicate using sign language

Requests for services that do not fit the criteria mentioned above can be arranged for a fee through local organizations for persons who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing. A list of organizations that offer these services can be obtained through the Translation Bureau.

Sign language interpreter assignments often require two interpreters to allow them a break every 15 to 20 minute intervals. If sign language interpretation is required in both official languages (ASL and LSQ), allow for minimum seating of four interpreters. Schedule interpreters to facilitate information sharing during health breaks, mealtimes and receptions.

Interpreters, interveners, captionists and/or note-takers will require hands-free earphones to process the information in their language of work when simultaneous interpretation services are provided.

For additional information, contact the PWGSC Translation Bureau at
(819) 997-3300 or at bureau@pwgsc.gc.ca

4.2    Real Time Captioning and Note-Taker Services

Real time captioning can enhance communications for people who have experienced hearing loss, people who have certain types of learning disabilities and people whose first language is neither English nor French. It also has the added benefit of providing an electronic record of the event's proceedings.

The delay between the speech and the appearance of the written text is typically less than two seconds, allowing readers to participate fully in the proceedings. Two separate captionists along with their related equipment will be required if both Anglophone and Francophone participants who require real time captioning are present.

The captionist's text output may be transferred to a monitor or projected onto a screen. The size of the monitor or projection screen will be determined by the size of the room and, occasionally, by the number of people requiring the service. A laptop computer may suffice for one-on-one meetings, while larger gatherings may require a projection screen.

Consult local associations for persons who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing for contact names of real time captionists and note-takers.

4.3    Alternatives to Print Formats

Persons who are blind and persons who are visually impaired may rely on alternative formats such as Braille, large print, audiocassette and diskette. Persons with learning disabilities may also rely on alternative formats such as audiocassette or large print to ensure ease of access to printed material through an alternative medium.

Written materials are most accessible when printed using upper and lower case, Arial or Times New Roman fonts and high contrasts (black on white and white on black).

If alternative formats cannot be made available in a timely manner, other means of conveying the information to participants should be sought. For example, sending printed material to persons who are visually impaired before the event gives them the opportunity to review the materials.

4.4    Captioned Material

Videos and film clips used during meetings and conferences should be captioned to ensure participants who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing can access the information presented. Captioned material is available in open captioning and closed captioning.

Open-captioned products can be viewed with a standard television. However, viewing closed-captioned material requires a television with a captioning microchip to decode the captioned material. Usually, televisions manufactured after 1993 that have monitors 13 inches (32.5 cm) or largerhave built-in captioning microchips. The television menu or closed caption (CC) button on the remote control provides access to the captioning.

Older televisions require a decoder to view closed captioning. Contact local associations for persons who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing for information on renting or purchasing decoders.

4.5    Assistive Listening Devices

People who use hearing aids may need an assistive listening device to amplify sound. For these systems to work effectively, amplification systems need to be utilized. During roundtable discussions and meetings that have been set up with table seating, microphones should be located at each table. Larger gatherings require hands-free microphones in addition to the traditional podium microphone.

The permanent installation of an amplification system in boardrooms can benefit both employees who are hard of hearing and clients who may attend meetings on site.

Local associations for persons who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing can provide information on where clients can rent or purchase amplification systems. Some telecommunications or audiovisual companies can also advise meeting planners on the specific auditory requirements of an event.

5.     Resources

Employment Equity Division, Treasury Board Secretariat at http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/hrpubs/TB_852/ee_e.asp

Office for Disability Issues, Human Resources Development Canada at http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/gateways/nav/top_nav/program/odi.shtml

Disability WebLinks at http://www.pwd-online.ca/pwdhome.jsp?lang=en

Appendix A - Accessibility Checklist for Planners

The accessibility checklist should not be used as a prescriptive or exhaustive list, but rather as a reference point to help eliminate barriers that may exist.

Keeping in mind the evolving accommodation needs of persons with disabilities, blank rows appear in each section of the checklist to allow customization according to client needs.

Appendix B - Sample Event Registration Form

The following registration form can be used to acquire accommodation information from the participants:

Please indicate your requirements to help us plan an event that meets your accommodation and inclusion needs

An alternative to consider when requesting accommodation information in the planning stages is to forward an invitation to participants, containing the following text:

If you require alternative formats to ensure access to materials prepared in conventional print, or have any accommodation or dietary needs to ensure your full participation, please inform us of your specific requirements so we can make any necessary arrangements in advance. In addition, please identify any assistance you may require in the event of an emergency evacuation. For more detailed information, contact ________________ by telephone at ____________.

Appendix C - Role of Event Organizers

The following are suggestions to help organize events within a framework that respects accessibility and inclusion:

• Design agendas to include regular breaks for participants, service providers and guide/service dogs (approximately 20 to 30 minute health break and a 90 minute lunch break).
• Promote a scent-free environment by providing advance notice to presenters and participants to refrain from using perfumes, colognes and strong scented toiletries.
• Provide a copy of Appendix D to the chairperson and copies of Appendix E to the presenters to help these players plan and prepare communications that reflect access and inclusion.
• Keep in mind the needs of various participants and their service providers, such as seat allocation nearest to the sign language interpreters for persons who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing.
• Request advance copies of presentation materials from presenters to forward copies to service providers (e.g. sign and simultaneous language interpreters, note-takers and captionists) before the meeting.
• Prepare event signage using large print and contrasting colours (e.g. directions to meeting rooms and washrooms, scent-free environment poster, emergency exits, participant nameplates and name tags).
• Ensure the presence of interpreters to allow inclusion and participation during networking events that take place during and after hours, such as receptions, dinners or other activities.
• Find participants to volunteer to help persons with disabilities who require assistance in the event of an emergency evacuation.

Appendix D - Role of Chairperson

The following are suggestions to help chair events within a framework that respects accessibility and inclusion:

• Ask participants, interpreters, interveners, captionists and note-takers to introduce themselves at the outset of the meeting and to identify themselves before speaking throughout the meeting for the benefit of participants who are visually impaired.
• Inform participants of the nearest emergency exits and accessible washroom facilities.
• Remind participants to use microphones.
• Encourage clear speech at a moderate pace by all attendees to help interpreters, interveners, note-takers and captionists communicate with persons who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing.
• Briefly describe the content of the agenda and handout materials.
• Clearly indicate changes in topics, health breaks and adjournments during the course of the event.
• Advise participants to minimize interruptions; interpreters, interveners, captionists and note-takers are providing services that require concentration.
• Advise participants that interpreters will say everything that is signed, and sign everything that is said. In other words, interpreters will not add words, edit or censor a conversation.
• Remind participants that the event is scent-free.

Appendix E - Role of Presenters

The following are suggestions to help present information at events within a framework that respects accessibility and inclusion:

• Advise presenters of the need to adhere to a planned schedule.
• Make arrangements to convert conventional handout materials to alternative formats (Braille, large print, audiocassette and diskette) requested by participants. If alternative formats are not available, refrain from providing conventional handouts to participants.
• Send alternative formats upon request to participants when distributing conventional print handouts before the event.
• Prepare audiovisual aids using at least 18-point fonts in Arial or Times New Roman with high contrast backgrounds (black on white or white on black).
• Ensure video material is captioned to provide access for participants who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing in descriptive narration format for people who are blind or visually impaired.
• Speak clearly and face the audience during the presentation.
• Periodically verify with the audience if the message and presentation material is being understood and rephrase to clarify as needed.
• Allow adequate time for persons who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing to process onscreen messages in addition to adequate time for the interpreters to communicate the spoken word through sign language interpretation.
• Use plain language and presentation materials that are crisp, to the point and not too lengthy. Slide presentations that are too busy can create information overload.

Appendix F - Glossary

Audiocassette - Publications are read aloud and recorded on cassette.

Braille - Publications are produced in a code of raised dots that are read by touch.

Closed Captioning - Text hidden within the lines used to create the television picture and cannot be seen unless decoded. Just like subtitles, the decoded text appears at the bottom of the screen.

Descriptive narration - Is a video with a described narrative woven into the original sound track that meets the viewing needs of a blended audience - meaningful for the vision - restricted viewer and unobtrusive for the sighted viewer.

Diskette - Publications recorded onto a computer diskette using text or ASCII format to facilitate computer access to the information by users.

FM system - Use of radio frequencies to transmit signals to amplify sounds.

Guide dog / service dog - Guide dog can often be used by persons who are visually impaired. Service dog can be used by persons who have different disabilities ex.: a person with reduce mobility.

Infrared system - Use of infrared light to transmit signals to amplify sounds.

Intervener - A professional service provider who communicates auditory and visual information to a deaf/blind person using a variety of methods, depending on what works best for the individual. These include visual sign language, tactile sign language, tactile finger spelling, Braille and large-print notes.

Large print -Publications printed in a font size that is not less than 14 point.

Note-taker - A person that provides a text (written or transcribed using a keyboard) of the key messages communicated through presentations and discussions.

Open captioning - Text that appears on the television screen at all times, without decoding.

Oral interpreters - In some cases, a person who is hearing impaired may not use sign language and may rely on speech (lip) reading. At larger meetings and conferences it is difficult to be positioned in front of all speakers in order to speech read. As such, the services of an oral interpreter, whose speech is read, may be requested.

Real time captioning - A highly trained captionist records speech on a shorthand transcription machine, similar to court reporting.

Sign language interpreters - An interpreter is used to facilitate communication between people who do not share a common language, and typical of this is the interaction between hearing impaired and hearing persons. In Canada, sign language interpreters communicate in both American Sign Language (ASL) for Anglophones and Langage des signes du Québec (LSQ) for Francophones.

TTY teletypewriter - A telecommunication device that enables conversation over the telephone. It consists of a keyboard, an acoustic coupler and a printer or electronic screen or both.

For other definition you may want to consult :

http://www.translationbureau.gc.ca/pwgsc_internet/fr/publications/gratuit_free/lex_handi_disabl_e.htm