Planning Accessible Events in Canberra

Choose the format to match the purpose

Decide what the event needs to do, then choose the format that serves it. Do not default to your organisation’s usual format.

Is the event for learning, networking, training, feedback, community building or celebration? The purpose should drive the format. A webinar, a workshop, a hybrid session and a recorded presentation are not the same thing. Choosing the wrong one creates barriers that cannot be fixed after the fact.

For larger, public, recurring or disability-focused events, involve disabled people before key decisions are made.

Ask people what they need

Include one open access question on every registration form, RSVP or sign-up.

Then assign someone to check the responses and act on them before the event.

Tell people what to expect

Tell people what access features are available before they sign up. Also tell people what is not available. Honest information lets people decide whether the event will work for them.

State specific access features: step-free access, accessible toilets, captions, Auslan interpreting, quiet space, parking, whether materials will be sent in advance, whether the event will be recorded.

Tell people what the event will involve: whether they will be expected to speak, move around, join activities, give feedback, or use a particular platform or tool.

Name one person responsible for access

Put their name, phone number and email on the event page, registration form and final reminder.

This person should be able to answer questions before the event and help resolve access issues on the day. It should not be a generic enquiries inbox.

Check the venue or platform before you commit

For in-person events, do not rely on the venue website. Check the exact room, entrance, path of travel, toilets, sound, lighting, seating, parking and emergency arrangements.

For online events, check that captions work, attendees can be muted by default for webinar-style sessions, chat and Q&A are available, and the platform does not require a download that some attendees cannot complete.

Neither a venue nor a platform can be fixed the week before.

Use microphones every time

At in-person events, every speaker should use a microphone even in a small room. At online events, presenters should use an external microphone and test it before the session.

Microphone use costs nothing if equipment is already in the room or on the platform, requires no specialist provider, and enables every other audio-based access provision to work: captions, Auslan interpretation and hearing loops all depend on clear audio.

It supports Deaf and hard of hearing attendees, people using hearing aids, people relying on captions, people with auditory processing needs and anyone trying to follow the event from a distance or in a noisy environment.

Provide more than one way to participate

Not everyone can or will speak verbally. Offer written options alongside spoken ones: chat, Q&A, written questions, index cards, post-event email, follow-up feedback form, or a recording people can watch afterwards.

This applies to every format. In-person events can have written question options. Online meetings can have chat. Hybrid events need both.

Send materials in advance

Send slides, agendas and documents before the event in formats people can open, resize and use with assistive technology. Do not rely on screen sharing as the only way for people to view content.

This benefits people who use screen readers, people who need to adjust text size, people processing information more slowly, and anyone who wants to prepare.

Build in enough time

Use realistic schedules with real breaks and genuine time for questions and feedback, not a rushed five minutes at the end. Avoid overruns where possible.

Rushed events exclude people with fatigue, chronic pain, support needs, accessible transport bookings, medication schedules and care responsibilities. If someone has arranged a wheelchair accessible taxi to collect them at a specific time, running 30 minutes over is not a small inconvenience.

If participation and feedback matter to your event, schedule them as if they do.

Use plain language

Short sentences. No jargon. Spell out acronyms on first use.

Plain language is not simplistic communication. It is clear communication. It supports people with cognitive disabilities, people for whom English is an additional language, and anyone reading quickly or under stress.