inclusive events

Some tips for making professional events (from small meetings to large conferences) inclusive of all potential attendees:

• Have a remote option for folks who aren’t able to travel, and invest in things like sound and video quality for their sake.
• Avoid greeting crowds with “Ladies and gentlemen”—not everyone is one of those! (Same with “Guys” —there are great alternatives like “Everyone” and “Y’all”)
• Avoid last-minute schedule/location changes: these are potentially confusing for everybody, but especially a burden on people with disabilities who often depend on advance planning to navigate spaces/cities that aren’t always designed with them in mind.
• If offering wearable swag like T-shirts, be sure to offer sizes up to 4X to be inclusive of all body sizes. And offer true women’s sizes instead of expecting women to wear smaller versions of shirts designed for male bodies.
  • Make sure this information isn’t accidentally shared publicly 😬
  • Size charts are especially helpful for women, for whom clothing sizes are particularly unreliable
• Encourage putting pronouns on name badges (set the example by having organizers do so). Having stickers available can make it easy and fun.
• For panels and webinars, have speakers introduce themselves by describing themselves (and, if remote, maybe where they are). How people describe themselves tells you a bit about them so it works as an icebreaker, and what’s more, will enrich the experience of participants who can’t see what’s happening, whether due to a disability or just calling in on their phone.

Social Events

• For official social events, try to start them in the afternoon (e.g. 4pm, even if they go into the evening) so people with evening caregiving responsibilities can still participate).
• Similarly, avoid centering social activities around drinking: not everyone drinks, so going to a bar effectively excludes them. If you’d still like to have alcohol, consider things like bowling or a “barcade” where there are things to do besides drinking.
• For catered events, consider having options (e.g. vegetarian, gluten-free) or at least solicit dietary requirements from attendees to know what options will be necessary.

Many of these come from the excellent Better Allies newsletter. Other are things I’ve appreciated about the events my team at Lessonly has put on.