Holding an accessible meeting

Learn how to host and facilitate meetings where people can participate fully.

Meeting information

1. In your meeting invite, give participants an opportunity to identify any accessibility supports they may need. This gives you time to arrange for any requests. You could use something like: "To make this meeting as accessible as possible, please let me know if you require any accessibility supports to participate."
2. If needed, book the requested support. This may mean you need to shift your meeting date based on availability
3. Give as much advanced notice as possible for meetings. This allows people time to do things like: book an interpreter or schedule a ride in an accessible vehicle
4. If relevant: provide information on parking or transportation in your invitation. Such as: are there accessible parking spaces or drop-off areas close to an accessible entrance?
5. Provide this information in advance on where the meeting room is. Will someone meet participants to direct them? Will they have far to walk?
6. When possible, provide multiple ways for participants to attend, such as in-person or virtual.

Meeting materials

1. Make sure your meeting materials such as PowerPoint presentations, Word documents or PDFs are made as accessible as possible
2. Send electronic meeting agendas or PowerPoint slides in advance
3. Use plain language: simple words and short sentences
4. Use colours with a high enough contrast
5. Use at least a 12-point sans serif font such as BC Sans, Arial or Calibri

In-person meetings

1. Think about the space where you’re hosting the meeting. Are there any barriers that may cause difficulty for someone using a mobility device? Do not just focus on the room, consider the passage from the door to room. This may include: stairs, narrow or cluttered hallways, heavy doors or hard to reach key fob readers, how far away is someone going to have to go to reach the room?
2. Where are the accessible washrooms located? Is there a gender-neutral option available?
3. Leave spaces for those using mobility devices and or guide/service animals
4. If it’s a big meeting, consider reserving seating near the front for those who may have difficulty seeing or hearing the presenter
5. If a sign language interpreter is present, position them in an unobstructed and clearly visible location
6. Consider allergies such as those related to scents and food

Phone, Skype or Teams meetings

1. Have people introduce themselves before they speak, this helps people know who is talking
2. Make sure you position yourself close enough to the microphone to be heard clearly
3. Speak slowly and do not speak over other people
4. Describe images or words projected on the screen
5. Encourage people to mute their phones when not speaking to avoid distracting noises
6. Have one of the meeting leads monitor the chat and read out comments so everyone can hear them. If the comment is related to an earlier topic in the meeting, provide context
7. Avoid having unrelated conversations in the meeting chat, they can be confusing for people to follow
8. Be mindful of posting emojis in the meeting chat, they're disruptive to people using screen readers

Presentations

1. Check for shadows or glare which can make it difficult to see
2. Avoid turning the lights down completely during a PowerPoint presentation. Good lighting helps those who read lips or use sign language
3. Choose a meeting room without a considerable echo, especially for phone conferences
4. Speak slowly and describe images or words projected on the screen or written on white boards, chalk boards, flip charts etc.
5. Use white board markers that can easily be seen, and avoid light coloured markers
6. Use closed captioning options for presentation of videos