Meet people’s accessibility needs
Make sure everyone can participate fully by asking people what they need. Be clear about what they can expect, what you can provide, and where to find accessibility supports.
Each activity is distinct and each activity should be accessible. To make sure people can participate easily:
- Don’t assume you know how your activity may be inaccessible for participants.
- Think about accessibility early and ask participants how you can ensure your activity is accessible for them.
- Be prepared to offer alternative formats.
- Be transparent about your decisions and limitations. Let participants make informed decisions about their participation.
- Take responsibility when you cannot provide an accessible activity.
How to ask about accessibility needs
To help you prepare, make sure you communicate with participants early and clearly regarding the type/s of accessibility needs they may have. This is important, as some accommodations may require additional planning, booking, and/or accessing external supports.
When you ask participants about their accessibility needs, make sure you:
- Do not ask participants to disclose personal or medical information.
- Introduce and explain the activity.
- Explain what will happen on the day.
- Provide a list of accommodations that will be available, as well as accommodations that can be available on request.
- Ask if there is anything they need that has not been included on your list of accommodations.
- Ask if they have any support requirements, such as people, tools, or technology that they would like you to integrate into the activity.
- Ask how you can support each person in the event of an emergency. For example, determine whether they have or could complete a personal emergency evacuation plan.
Relevant pages
Plan: Give participants clear information in advance
Tool: Expression of interest form template
If you cannot ask participants about their accessibility needs
You may not have the opportunity to ask participants about their needs or they may not be comfortable giving you this information. If this happens, you should:
- Think about design decisions that may make your activity more universally accessible to more people.
- Make all physical and digital material accessible by default.
- Provide information in multiple formats.
- Include many and flexible ways for people to take part in your event.
- Think about the different ways people can communicate with you and with each other during your activity.
- Choose accessible platforms and tools.
- Choose accessible venues.
Relevant pages
Design: Start by thinking about accessible design
Plan: Create accessible materials
Plan: Plan accessible in-person activities
How to include requested accommodations
You should always try to include requested accommodations. If your activity is specifically seeking the views or experience of people with disability, you must meet all participant needs.
How to source accessibility services
Accommodating some requests may require you to source accessibility services. Secure any required accessibility services as soon as possible. When looking for service providers, you should:
- Check for providers preferred by your organisation.
- Consult reputable sources for service providers, such as directories or newsletters, before using online search results. Use reviews and recommendations from people with disability who have used that service to guide your decisions.
- Ask participants if they have preferred or recommended providers.
Relevant pages
Design: Partner with disability specialists
Incorporating the accessibility service
To ensure participants can effectively use the service, you must support both the service provider and the participant as required. When using an accessibility service, you should:
- Secure the accessibility service(s) as soon as possible, which may incur a service charge.
- Tell participants that the service has been secured.
- Provide the service provider with information they require as it becomes available, such as the agenda and the location of your event.
- Connect the service provider with your team.
- If required, ask participants if they are comfortable sharing additional information with the service provider.
- If required, put the participant and service provider in touch with each other before the event.
Relevant pages
Design: Consider time and costs
If you cannot provide a requested accommodation
Communicate early if you cannot provide a requested accommodation. You should:
- Contact the participant as soon as possible using their preferred communication method.
- Explain why you could not provide what the participant requested.
- Suggest alternatives you know you can provide.
- Ask if there are alternative accommodations that would suit them.
- Ask if they would still like to attend, even if no accommodations can be provided.
- Offer the option to participate in future opportunities where you will be able to accommodate their needs.
- Ask if they would still like to be informed about the outcome of this activity.
If no alternatives are appropriate
Meeting all requests can be challenging for many reasons. If you cannot meet participants’ needs, you should:
- Thank them for their time and interest.
- Apologise and acknowledge the shortcomings of the activity.
- Offer future opportunities to participate in relevant activities (if available) when you can accommodate their needs.
- Ask if they would like to be kept informed and updated on future developments in the project.
- Consider how you can meet this accessibility need in the future.
- Reflect on this experience and change your work practice.
Relevant pages
Follow up: Use feedback to evaluate
Example
You are running an in-person focus group. You are going to send an email to all participants that describes the activity, lists accommodations you are prepared to provide, and asks them if there are any accommodations they would like you to provide.
The co-facilitator for your activity uses a wheelchair. Before booking a venue, you ask them if they have any preferred venues that are centrally located. During one of your planning meetings, you ask them what you should do to ensure the focus group is accessible for them on the day. They tell you to think about the floor plan and keeping aisles and walkways clear. You talk with the venue staff to ensure the furniture set up is wheelchair friendly. You prepare signs to remind participants to keep their bags and loose items out of aisles and walkways. You remind your team to put these signs up on the day of the activity.
You know you will have people who are deaf or hard of hearing attending your focus group, so you look up accommodations they may need. In your search, you discover that captions and transcription will work for some people, and other people may need an interpreter. You search for an interpreter service and make a provisional booking for the date of the focus group in case it’s needed. When you test the captioning, you see the automated captions are inaccurately transcribing the technical language. You know you will use these words in the focus group, so you make a booking for a live-transcription service instead. You talk to your technology support team about this and test the service. Your technology support team also tells you that the space has a hearing loop, so you ask them to show you how it works in the lead-up to the focus group.
You include all these options in the initial email you send to participants.