A Guide to Planning Accessible Meetings By June Isaacson Kailes, Disability Policy Consultant

"A Guide to Planning Accessible Meetings"

INCREASE PROFITS while AVOIDING COSTLY MISTAKES!

Are you losing profits to competitors?

Are your meetings user friendly?

Do you comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990?

NOW ... FOR ONLY $30.00 ... you can save time, money, and legal hassles by learning to plan accessible meetings ... meetings which meet the standards and intent of the ADA. A new, complete, guide to accessible planning has been published by two of America's foremost experts on accessible meeting planning:

HELP IS HERE, if you act NOW! This practical and comprehensive guide helps you:

Comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Increase profits
Attract new customers
Avoid embarrassing and illegal mistakes
Create a meeting environment that is friendly and accessible to all users
Include people with disabilities in your meeting planning, whether or not you have worked with people with disabilities.

"No other book contains the depth and breadth of this new excellent resource, easy to read guide."

"An outstanding Guide which every meeting planner should own!"

"Crammed full of useful tips, details and sound practices."

"Buy several --give them to your meeting planners."

"User-friendly and cross referenced."

BENEFITS ABOUND! When you purchase the guide, you get:

A month-by-month activities planning chart adaptable for any time frame
Step-by-step advice and tools for conducting site surveys
Unique tips on negotiating contracts with meeting facilities
How to offer communication, physical and visual/print material access
Samples of accessibility policies and meeting set-up forms
A guide on accessibility for speakers
A comprehensive outline for conducting orientation meetings for facility personnel
How to get tax deductions or credits for making accessibility changes
How to communicate about disability issues without offending people with disabilities
How to use accessibility symbols and signs
How to assess a meeting environment for potential "triggers" of Environmental Illness
Resources for captioning, recording, duplicating, and Braille transcribing materials for accessibility to people with various types of disabilities
Descriptions of today's critical technology, such as emergency warning systems, notification devices, computer-assisted note taking, assistive listening systems
and much more

Order your copies today, before they are gone!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

USING THIS GUIDE

Purpose of the Guide
Two Ways to Use This Guide
Meeting Organizers
Time Lines
Activities Planning Chart

INTRODUCTION

The Goal of Accessible Meetings
Who Are People with Disabilities?
What Role Do Attitudes Play?
Why Is Planning Barrier-Free Meetings Important?
Who Benefits from Accessible Meeting Sites?

THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

Readily Achievable Provisions
Who Is Responsible for Ensuring Accessibility?
Removing Barriers
Setting Priorities for Readily Achievable Barrier Removal
ADA Significant Dates for Meeting Facilities

ACCESS

Locating an Independent Living Center
Accessibility Policy
Identifying Problem Attitudes in Removing Barriers
Suggested Policy

SITE SELECTION

Sample Request for Bid from Hotels
Choosing a Site
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
Site Inspection
Site Accessibility
Additions to the Access Checklist
Chart 1: Wheelchair Accessible Rooms
Chart 2: Rooms with Devices for Hearing Impaired Persons
Diagrams of Standard Sleeping Rooms
Example Description of Sleeping Rooms
Transportation
Amenities
Distances
Off-site Parking

NEGOTIATING A CONTRACT

Negotiating Temporary Access Remedies
Drawing Up Contracts

WORKING WITH FACILITY STAFF ON SPACE PLANNING

Other Facility Planning Issues
Facility Setup
Facility Setup Instructions Form

COMMUNICATION ACCESS

Telephones
Televisions
Assistive Listening Systems
Using Qualified Interpreters
Different Types of Interpreting
Access Station
Real-Time Captioning
Methods of Captioning Audiovisuals
Alternatives to Note Taking
Taping Meetings
Computer-Assisted Note Taking
Emergency Warning Systems and Notification Devices

ACCESS TO PRINTED OR VISUAL MATERIALS

Formatting Printed Materials
Producing Printed Materials in Large Print
Brailling Printed Materials
Using Audio Cassette Tapes
Computer Disks as an Alternative Format
On-site Readers
Formats for Announcements and Messages
Accessible Name Tags

PERSONAL ASSISTANCE SERVICES

Attendants/Personal Assistants
Service Animals/Guide Dogs

MEETING ROOMS

Meeting Room Setup
Theater Style
Classroom Style
Round Table Style
Circular Seating
Triangular Seating
Hollow or Closed Square or Rectangle
Speaker's Platform Design
Managing Use of Microphones

REGISTRATION FORMS

Sample Meeting Registration Form
Additional Meeting Information
Transportation
Personal Assistance Services
Other Hotels
Scented Personal Care Products
Sample Hotel Reservation Form

ORIENTING SPEAKERS

Accessibility Guidelines for Speakers

PARTICIPANT ORIENTATION TO THE MEETING SITE

MEETING FACILITY PERSONNEL ORIENTATION

Registration Desk Personnel
All Facility Personnel
Emergencies
Housekeeping
Catering Issues
Meeting Room Setup
Maintenance
Restaurants

MEETING PACKET AND MATERIALS TABLE

Access Information
Identification of Access Features of Meeting Facility
Alternative Formats for the Meeting Program
Schedule Changes
People who Experience Environmental Illness
Smoking
Seating Policy
Other Items

SUMMARY

REFERENCES

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READINGS

APPENDIX

Information on Captioning
Access Symbols
Checklists
Checklist for Existing Facilities
Readily Achievable Self-Evaluation Checklist
Assistive Listening Systems
Language Is More than a Trivial Concern
Recording/Duplicating Services
Individual Braille Transcription Services
Preferred Practices to Keep in Mind as You Encounter Guests Who Have Disabilities
Information about Environmental Illness (EI)
Tax Incentives for Improving Accessibility

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

ABOUT ILRU

USER FEEDBACK QUESTIONNAIRE USING THIS GUIDE