A Guide to Planning Accessible Meetings

Centers for Independent Living(link is external) (CILs) are widespread in the United States and many have staff with significant expertise in ensuring accessibility through an array of services. They also know the local community, so they can be a helpful resource. Note, however, that services available may vary from one CIL to another, depending on funding and program focus.

Meeting Planners: If you plan to engage the services of a professional meeting/event planner, make sure your planner has sufficient experience working with attendees with disabilities:

• Seek a meeting planner with the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) or Certified Meeting Manager (CMM) designation. These planners have demonstrated years of experience in the industry and have training in all aspects of planning events and meetings.

• Ask the planner for a list of meetings they have planned for people with disabilities. How recent are these meetings? What percentage of total attendees had disabilities?

• Ask the planner how they will ensure the meeting is fully accessible to people with the following disabilities: physical, hearing, vision, environmental, and dietary sensitivities. If some of your attendees might have other disabilities (such as intellectual, cognitive, or developmental), inquire about the planner’s experience with these attendees' needs as well.

• Make sure that meeting planners appreciate the need for healthy indoor environmental quality, the environmental barriers to access for people with chemical and electrical sensitivities, and the ways in which these barriers can be minimized or eliminated by careful selection of meeting site, attention to specific details with conference staff (such as a fragrance-­free meeting policy), and contractual language that precludes actions before or during the meeting that would deny access (such as remodeling activities or pesticide applications). Consider consulting an expert on environmental sensitivities who has experience in assessing meeting and hotel facilities. A facility that is accessible to people with environmental sensitivities is healthier for everyone.