Accessibility and Inclusivity Introduction

Understanding Disability

Disability occurs across every racial, ethnic, language, gender and social group. The intersection of these complex identities can create unique experiences of discrimination and oppression. Taking time to educate yourself about the disability community helps foster understanding and empathy, breaking down stereotypes and misconceptions. In addition to helping you approach interactions with greater confidence, respect, and sensitivity, it will also allow you to recognize and adapt to specific needs, creating more inclusive and meaningful connections.

Click here to view tool: Understanding Disability

Universal Design

Based on your landscape analysis, you should have a good idea of the different community group perspectives that need to be represented in your workgroup. Next you must consider how to create a space where everyone can participate. Planning for inclusion means intentionally creating welcoming meetings where information can be easily received, understood, and used by everyone, regardless of background, language or ability. Accessibility is often thought a way to include a small number of people with specific disabilities, but this misses the larger truth. Accessibility benefits everyone – this is the principle of Universal Design.

“Curb Cut Effect”

The phrase “curb cut effect” refers to the ways that accessibility benefits the larger population. For example, curb cuts, sloped cuts in sidewalks on street corners, originally created to improve access for wheelchair users, are helpful for cyclists, people with bad knees, parents with strollers, and delivery workers. 

The curb cut effect can be experienced when creating accessible meetings too. Enabling captions on videos and in meetings benefits- not only people who are deaf or hard of hearing, but also people who are stressed, who have difficulty focusing, are participating from noisy locations, have a headache, or are English language learners. Planning and hosting universally designed meetings ensures that all people, including people with disabilities, can engage with information and share their thoughts with as well.  

Use the tools below to understand how implement the Principles of Universal Design and how to Plan Inclusive Meetings.

Click here to view tool: Principles of Universal Design

Click view tool: Planning Inclusive Meetings

Click to view tool: Creating Accessible Documents

Anticipating Specific Accommodations

Accessibility should not be an afterthought, added after an event is planned or scrambled together at the last minute. Anticipating and asking about the needs of different participants and accommodating those needs within the structure of meetings is essential for creating meetings where everyone can participate. It is the workgroup manager’s responsibility to know in advance if any of the workgroup members, or meeting guests, require accommodation beyond what is already being provided. 

If there are individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, supports such as American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation or Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) services should be offered. If there are participants who are blind or low vision, all print materials should be accessible. IF there are participants who do not speak English fluently, language interpretation should be provided.

Click to view tool: How to provide ASL/CART

Click to view tool: Language Access and Plain Talk