Venue

Things to consider when choosing venues for your camp. This goes for your conference, after party, or even suggested local attractions.

Accessibility

When choosing venues, try to ensure buildings meet ADA compliance standards. Be especially stringent for event locations.

Mobility

• Have few stairs, and have alternatives to support all potential attendees.
• Doors or entrances that are easy to opened (think wide, automatic). * Consider:
  • Those who do not walk (wheelchairs).
  • Those with difficulty walking.
  • Those who have pain while walking or standing. Remember, not all disabilities are visible.

Sight

• Have signs with braille.
• Have volunteers at intersections to give directions.
• Have clear, high-contrast signage in large font.

Moving lanes

• Keep moving lanes clear of people standing and blocking the way. It can be tiring or emotionally and physically painful to be blocked from moving. It is also tiring to ask for special treatment, and often say "Excuse me."
• Use painters tape (easy to remove) to mark travel lanes through hallways and seating areas. This will help remind people to step out of the way to stop and chat. On website, at opening, and in the program, explain the tape and moving lane purpose.

During a walk through, check travel times.

• Make sure you know how long it takes to get from parking areas to registration and sessions. Communicate this to your attendees before tickets go on sale. This is important accessibility information. Is there an available shuttle if parking is not close?
• Communicate the travel times from points of arrival (plane, bus, train) to the venue. Make this information available before tickets go on sale. This helps people know if they will be able to navigate the venue at the same time they need to invest money in a ticket.
• Do not assume that people will buy a ticket without this information. During planning and after, publish information related to accessibility. This will increase the turnout for the next event.
• Ensure attendees can travel easily within the event venue. Many conference centers are large.
  • Can those with limited mobility navigate it?
  • How far are sessions from one another?
  • Can someone who cannot walk easily get from the farthest point at each end within the session break time?

Bathrooms

• Inquire with venue, or note during walk through:
  • Where the bathrooms are.
  • Which are wheelchair accessible.
  • Which are gendered.
  • Which are not gendered.
• Publish this information early with other venue info, before or at the time tickets become available.
• AdaCamp Gender Neutral Restroom guide

Cost

• Though not usually thought of as a method of exclusion, the overall cost of the venue can be a method of exclusion.
• Consider:
  • Parking fees
  • Hotel costs. What time of year is it? What area?
  • Airfare.
  • Charges at after parties.
  • Are all meals included in the event cost? Try corporate sponsorship if costs may affect diversity.

Services and Amenities

Food

• Label everything. Include ingredients.

• Try to provide food that can be assembled. Each ingredient must be labelled, and people pick which to combine. Example: baked potato and toppings, tacos, salads.

  Quiet room

• A stimulation-free zone with low lighting, no talking. People can relax, meditate, do yoga, color, read, etc.

  Speaker prep room

• A room set aside for speakers to prep for their sessions. A fairly quiet room, with power and tables to sit.

• Provide water, coffee, snacks.

  Prayer room

• This should be a separate space from a general quiet room, only for those who need it for prayer.

  Loud room (like for kids or game playing)

• A place for those who need to relax in a different way.
• Provide some board games.

• Ideally where folks who bring their kids by to visit go hang out so they don't disturb others.

  Childcare

• A lack of childcare is a huge barrier for many who want to attend events. It can be expensive, but it makes a huge difference. Do everything you can to provide it. Look into finding a corporate sponsor specifically for childcare. Be aware of any legal issues around on-site childcare.

  Private space with refrigeration for pumping breastmilk or storing medication

  Translation

• Verbal
• ASL
• Live captioning

======= When choosing Venues, especially for Event locations, try and ensure buildings meet ADA Compliance Standards.

• Mobility

  • Have few stairs, and have alternatives to support all potential Attendees. Doors or entrances that are easily opened (maybe wide, maybe automatic). Consider those that can't walk (wheelchairs), those with difficulty walking, those who have pain while walking or standing. Not all disabilities are visible.

• Sight

  • Signs with braille. Have volunteers at intersections to give directions.

• Moving lanes

  • Keep moving lanes clear of people standing and blocking the way. It can be tiring or painful (emotionally and physically) to be blocked from moving, to ask for special treatment, and to often say "Excuse me".
  • Painters tape (low adhesive tape easily removed) to mark travel lanes through hallways and seating areas help remind people to step out of the way to stop and chat. On website, at opening, in program, explain the tape and moving lane purpose.

• Time moving during a walk through

  • Communicate before or when tickets are available what the travel times are from arrival (train, bus, parking) to registration and the first session. This helps people know if they will be able to navigate the venue at the same time they need to invest money in a ticket.
  • Do not assume that people will buy a ticket without this information. During planning and after, publish information related to acessibility. This will increase the turnout for the next event.

• Bathrooms

  • Inquire with venue, or note during walk through where the bathrooms are, which are wheelchair accessible, which are gendered, which are not gendered. Publish this information early with other venue info, before or at the time tickets become available.
• Cost
  • Though not commonly thought of as a method of exclusion, the overall Cost of the Venue (Parking Fees, Hotel Costs, Airfare, Cover Charges at After Parties, etc.) can be an unintentional method of exclusion. Try Corporate Sponsorship if costs may affect Diversity.

Services and Amenities

• Food
  • Label everything. Include ingredients.
  • Prefer assemblable food (where each ingredient is labeled, and people pick which to combine). Example: baked potato and toppings, tacos, salads
• Quiet room
• Speaker room
• Loud room (like for kids or game playing)
• Childcare
• Private space with refrigeration for pumping breastmilk or dealing with medication
• Translation and interpreting
  • Verbal
  • ASL
• Live captioning