Club Accessibility Guidelines

With thanks to the Disabilities Student Association.

What is accessibility?

The design of products, devices, services or environments for people with a disability.
This could address accessibility when:
- “Specified users” includes people with a range of disabilities,
- “Specified context of use” includes accessibility considerations such as assistive technologies.
Accessible things are safe, usable and available - but not necessarily vice versa. E.g. all medicines are drugs, but not all drugs are medicine!
If accessibility is taken into account early in the planning stages the better the chances of making it genuinely accessible and significantly reducing the potential for future problems.
No matter how accessible your event is, always make sure that information about the level of accessibility is available so that people can make informed decisions about attending.

What is meant by the term ‘disability’ & who is counted under this term?

Disability is a really broad umbrella and encompasses more people than you’d probably think. Generally, best practice is to use the term ‘disabled person’ which is identity-first language – although some people will prefer to use the term ‘person with a disability’ (person-first language). Regardless, the use of euphemisms such as ‘handicapable’ or ‘differently-abled’ or ‘special needs’ or ‘living with disability’, should not be used.
‘Disabled’ includes anyone who may experience greater difficulty with any aspect of their university experience (social, academic, accessing buildings etc.) due to health reasons, even if they do not have a diagnosis. This includes, but is not limited to, physical, sensory, psychiatric, neurological, cognitive and intellectual. Many people with disability have multiple disabilities, such as people who develop anxiety and/or depression due to the difficulty of managing uni/a job/social life alongside their other disability. This may particularly be the case if they belong to another autonomous group such as being a person of colour or are gender diverse – the experience of disability is intersectional!

Why is it Important?

Around a third of students at the ANU have a disability, whether they are registered with Access & Inclusion or not – so making your events accessible will impact a lot more students than you think. Even if you don’t ‘see’ anyone who you think is disabled, you’re more likely than not to be helping someone by making your event accessible.
Efficiency – all accessible things are efficient, safe and well planned – e.g. multiple formats, easy directions and more transport options…
Learning to be inclusive is a learned process but everyone benefits when access is better.

Physical accessibility (venue):

Wheelchair accessible

Is there a ramp or lift? If there isn’t, say it’s not. Feel free to test this with a rolling chair.
If the event is catered: the height of tables being wheelchair accessible.
If outside: Is the ground uneven, will the ground be slippery if it rains? (e.g. unsafe for wheels and crutches?)
Check the corridors are wide enough for a wheelchair or mobility scooter to easily turn around in.
Do they have automatic doors? – or do you need to post someone at the doors to help let people in?

Parking

Where is the closest accessible parking?
Provide information about accessible parking, general parking, public transport and venue drop off points.

Bathrooms

Where is the closest accessible and gender-neutral bathroom?
Check that the accessible bathrooms are functioning, clear of clutter, and easily accessible.

Lighting

Try to avoid bright or flashing lights; if these will be present at your event, let people know they will be in the advertising.
Can you book a room nearby that is quiet & dark where people with sensory difficulties can take a break?

Sound

Does your event involve loud, sudden sound? Is the room you are in equipped with an audio loop? If it involves people speaking at the same time (discussion groups for example) can people who have trouble hearing go in a quieter area to talk? Do you have microphones for people speaking at the front of the room & people asking questions?
Ensure there are clear directions (physical signs) and extra chairs and water, even if your event doesn’t usually require sitting or exercise.
A lot of these things can and should be considered when you complete a RAMP – factor these things in as a RAMP should not just include what happens in the case of a fire etc, but if a person has a seizure/physically isn’t able to move/is too loud.

Other specific requirements

Provide masks at the entrance to the event.
Remember that blind and vision-impaired participants will not be able to see any PowerPoint presentations or images. Any PowerPoint presentations should be circulated to blind and vision-impaired attendees before the event. We advise you to provide physical copies of presentations.
Make written material available in plain English/Easy English alternatives.
The MC or event organiser should provide a verbal explanation of the layout of the venue at the start of the event.
- Include the layout of the room and directions to toilets, important areas and fire exits.

‘It is always best to check the venue out in-person, to personally verify accessibility conditions’.

Catering:

Allergen FREE vs Allergen FRIENDLY (e.g. may contain ____ vs contains ____)
Nut-free food is advisable
It’s best to always have signed Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan options
Ingredient labels - even if just listing main ingredients
Provide hand sanitiser

Safety:

Content warnings - these look like this ‘CW: depression’ on the event advertising and on the doors of the event to prewarn people, as well as saying it verbally at the start of the event. Preferably, signal when you are going to be talking about the potentially triggering topic, and have a break just beforehand, allowing people time to take a break & excuse themselves from that section in a way that doesn’t not draw attention to them.
Mental health first aid training/disclosure training is advised for at least some volunteers.
Where there is alcohol or drugs involved, have at least a few sober rep people, and identify them to the group beforehand.
“The DSA does not encourage the use of drugs or alcohol at events as it can have unexpected effects on people taking particular medications and exclude people from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. However, if there will be drugs and alcohol at the event, we suggest that you take steps to practice consumption safely and communicate these with attendees beforehand.”
Having a few sober reps that are non-male identifying is also advisable.
If you are running a large-scale event, you can contact the Disabilities Student Association to check if you should consider any other variables.

When advertising your event, use this statement to specify that your event is accessible and to what extent:

At [C&S name], we strive to make our events as inclusive as possible. Our event venue is accessible (via ramp/lift), with accessible parking available nearby at [insert location], and accessible unisex bathrooms available within the building/[nearby building]. We do/do not have GF/DF/NF/V food options available. If you have any accessibility requirements, don’t hesitate to email us at [insert email address], or call us at [insert phone number].

As well as:

Image descriptions! The convention is to describe every image (including FB event cover photos) in square brackets [like this], including a description of size, colour, image and style. This should happen on Facebook, Instagram and wherever else your club puts out information. Here is a good example:

[Image description: A pale yellow poster, with a stylised sunflower border. At the top is the Spoons Week Logo, which consists of the text "spoons week 2024", and a purple-handled spoon with the DSA logo on the scoop bit. Title reads "Spoons Week Special!" and text below reads "The wonderful Kay (@kaygan.forest) has designed beautiful colouring-in sheets for our Crafternoon. Hope to see you there!". Below the text, there is a stylised image of art supplies, including two crayons, a paintbrush, a set of watercolour pans, and a palette with paint on it. End description.]

DSA Example

Similarly, this should be done for emojis like this: 👋 [wave emoji]
Accessible hyperlinking! A hyperlink that is 3 lines long is not great for someone with a screen reader.
Remember to put trigger warnings on social media posts when needed.
Alt Text: Provide alternative text for social media – this allows screen reader users to understand the visual content.
- Alternative text or alt text is a visually hidden description of what appears in an image.
- View a guide on how to add alt text on social media here.
Give graphics visible colour contrasts, you can check the contrast ratio of colours here.
- You should strive for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 : 1.
Lecture or conference? Digital versions of your physical handouts and vice versa. Use word documents as well as PDFs.
Captions - Remember to add captions to videos! Auto-captions are easy to add; however, make sure to check their accuracy and if they aren’t accurate, make sure to edit them.
View a great guide to accessible social media here.
Communicate honestly about the accessibility of your event. If your event is not going to be accessible to particular needs (it will be very loud, there will be alcohol, there are stairs to the venue) make sure these aspects are communicated in the event description so that people are able to make informed choices about attending.
Always encourage contact by anonymous form, email or call for attendee’s further concerns.

What happens if things go wrong?

In your RAMP, make sure you have planned for if things go wrong. Have a plan for which volunteer will provide first aid, including mental health first aid, if needed. Have a plan for if someone with a disability arrives and the event, for whatever reason, is not accessible to them.
- For example, if your mics aren’t working on the day, acknowledge this to everyone and state that people who may have trouble hearing can move to sit at the front and be provided with a print-out copy of the transcript later.
It’s important to acknowledge that your events are never going to be fully accessible. Some events (such as Friday Night Party or pub crawls) are inherently inaccessible, so it’s more important to have a plan for what to do if things go wrong than to try and think of every single different accessibility requirement.
At the end of the day, you don’t want to be patronising or tokenistic in the way that you approach accessibility. Accessibility needs to be practical rather than to make yourself feel good.

How to talk to people respectfully:

Don’t talk down to people with disabilities, particularly those with neurological, cognitive and intellectual disabilities.
There is no need to single people out for having a disability and ask if they need help.
- For example, if a wheelchair user looks like they are struggling to get up a ramp, wait for them to ask for assistance rather than asking or touching their wheelchair.
Speak and act in the same manner as you would around an able-bodied person.
- For example, if you can see that someone has a hearing aid, there is no need to speak slower or over-annunciate your words to them.

Events held over Zoom or dual (in-person & zoom)

Recording the event so it can be made available later.
Events over zoom (including meetings) – enable captions, ensure sound is good, that those attending on zoom can fully participate, putting on a screen is preferable to a computer and if on a computer ensure that computer is not being used (ie. for minute taking).
How will online participants be incorporated into your event? Are they able to pose/ask questions, make comments, indicate their engagement?
Is a roving microphone needed to help ensure that online participants can hear the in-person participants and speaker.

Sign Language Interpreter/s

Sign language interpreter - depending on length and type of the event two interpreters may be needed.
For online events, Interpreter/s should be pinned.
Providing copies of presentations to AUSLAN interpreters or live captioners prior to the event to ensure they can correctly spell names, places and specific terminology.
Book Auslan interpreters as needed, and reserve seats in front to enable a clear view for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
Provide space at the front of the room for Auslan interpreters (if required). Ensure interpreters are positioned in a well-lit area and clearly visible to the audience.
Link to sign language interpreters and how to position them at events.

Who can help?

The Disabilities Officer/s whom you can email at sa.disabilities@anu.edu.au
The ANUSA Executive whom you can email at sa.exec@anu.edu.au
If you need extra funding to make your event more accessible you can contact the Disabilities Student Association which may be able to help your club or they may be able to point your club in the direction of external grants.