A Guide to Planning Accessible Meetings

Personal Assistants and Service Animals

Both personal assistants and service animals may be used to assist with mobility, balance, navigation, communication, and other issues that result from a wide variety of conditions, such as post­traumatic stress, seizure disorders, short-­term memory loss, traumatic brain injury, and more. Collect information about personal assistants and service animals during the registration process so you can plan the physical space and attendee materials, as well as train event staff.

• Personal Assistants

  • Ensure seating plans include room for each assistant, both within meeting rooms and meal service areas.

  • In overnight accommodations, room blocks should be adequate to cover the addition of assistants.

  • While there are no regulatory requirements for accommodating assistants in the event, typically assistants are not charged any conference or meeting fees. However, if they will be assisting individuals with disabilities during meals and also will be eating, it is at the discretion of the conference planners whether to charge assistants for meals.

• Service Animals

  • Include the ADA Service Animal Factsheet(link is external) in your event team orientation and in the materials you share with your meeting facility staff.

  • Prepare and train your event staff about service animals, including proper etiquette. Canine Companions for Independence offers etiquette tips for interacting with service animals.(link is external) 

  • Point out in your materials any places that can be used as “relief areas” for service animals (hotels and conference center maps are increasingly including easily-accessed grassy areas).

  • Service animals may need space similar to mobility devices (plan for two seating spaces for each person bringing a service animal).

  • Ask that service dogs not be treated with pesticides for fleas or groomed using fragranced products right before a meeting or conference. This will help accommodate participants who may be sensitive to these kinds of chemicals.