An event can be called inclusive when any participants, including those with special needs and developmental characteristics, can attend it. In addition, when there are such people among the organizers or suppliers of this event. If you want as many people as possible to enjoy, inspire or benefit from your event, take into account these simple recommendations.
Tell people about your event in detail
In the description of the event, it is important to answer as many questions as possible that visitors may have. Where will the event take place? Are there disabled parking spaces? Will it be possible to attend the event in a wheelchair? Etc. Such a description contributes to the provision of assistance to the disabled and ensures their integration into society. This will help your event be aimed at ensuring that people do not feel disadvantaged, do not feel barriers in accessing the event. This should be focused not only on those citizens who move in wheelchairs but also on those who have hearing and vision problems.
Choosing the right venue for the event
In order for a person in a wheelchair to get to your event, steps and thresholds mustn’t stand in their ways. If the room is not equipped with a ramp, you can rent a portable one. It is also important to evaluate all doorways. Then you should take care of the toilet. So, a toilet for people in a wheelchair also needs a special one, and toiletries should be placed in it at the appropriate level. A separate plus is gender-neutral toilets. In case you got a space with a binary bathroom, you can easily deal with it. All this is important to consider when choosing a venue.
Make sure the event’s content meets the guests’ expectations
Analyze the group of speakers. It is important to give the floor to the representatives of the group to which the event is mainly dedicated. Duplicate the speaker’s message in different languages. The ideal scenario is the presence of translation equipment at the event, such as interpreting booths. This will be a great place to create a cozy atmosphere and absorb extraneous noise. Also, use large screens. What is displayed on the screen should be well-read from different room angles. The presentation font must be legible. It is good if the speaker at least briefly voices what he shows: photographs, diagrams, graphs, etc. Also, add subtitles to your video. They help hearing-impaired viewers, as well as anyone who is distracted and misses the thread of the plot.
Take care of your snack
It is unfair if absolutely nothing can be eaten from the offered food. Make sure that snacks are varied and there is food for everyone: vegetarians, vegans, and people with lactose intolerance, those who eat halal or kosher food. Food should be placed for people in wheelchairs and people of small stature conveniently. If a self-service smorgasbord is offered, tables should still have a helper, otherwise, your event will have a hard time for a person with crutches. Make sure to equip the building with an RO water filter so your guests can easily access fresh and high-quality water.
Give a chance to get to your event for free
Events with free admission or free donation are ideal, but if your event is not about charity, you can at least provide discounts categories of visitors or give away a few tickets on social networks. This approach also gives some flexibility in making a decision and adjusting the number of participants, since if during the invitation process it turns out that the cost of participation is too high, or the audience does not have due interest in the event, the quota for free participation can be increased.
Conclusion
Hosting an event is no easy task. This requires experience and sufficient resources. The main thing is that the event should be interesting for all visitors. There must be medical professionals nearby to make you feel safe. In any case, the key to success is solid teamwork, the ability to properly allocate resources and share experience and knowledge promptly, then the event will be successful.
Inclusive events make our world kinder and more humane; educate a person in emotional intelligence, attentiveness to those who are weaker, compassion, willingness to help. Therefore, the inclusion of such inclusive events on the agenda is vital for the future of the whole world.