Accessible and inclusive communications
We work to put the same care into the accessibility and inclusivity of our communications as we do with our event programming itself. Here are some of the things we consider.
We ask ourselves: who are we trying to engage? We work to craft specific messages, content and strategies that will connect with them and reach them directly. Not everyone is on social media, or has internet access. Instead, they may be better reached through postering in specific neighbourhoods, advertising in traditional media, or direct outreach.
Writing in plain language ensures that information is easily understandable to as many people as possible. It takes into consideration the needs of people whose first language is not English; older or younger people; people with different levels of reading ability; or people who may not be familiar with topic-specific terminology.
Plain language principles include keeping sentences and paragraphs short, avoiding jargon, and choosing simple and common words.
In general, keep in mind that your readers do not have all the context on your event or its topic that you do. Provide them with all the information they need, but keep it easy to understand by using plain language principles.
Resource
Person-first language means referring to a person before their disability or condition (e.g., “a person with autism”), while identity-first language leads with a person’s disability or condition (e.g. “an autistic person”).
Conversations have shifted over time over whether it is more respectful or inclusive to describe people using person-first or identity-first language—and there is no right answer, as some people may find one more empowering than the other for them personally.
Instead, what is most important is respecting people's autonomy and following their lead on how they choose to describe themselves and their identities. See what terms the people and organizations you are partnering with are using to describe themselves, and share your event communications with your partners and team members for feedback if you're unsure.
Here are some more details on the distinctions between person-first and identity-first language, and why some people might prefer one over the other.
Person-first language
- Person-first language refers to the person before the condition, disability or other identity they have—e.g., “a person has epilepsy/autism/an addiction” rather than “they are epileptic/autistic/an addict.”
- Some people may prefer person-first language because it avoids dehumanization (subconscious or otherwise) when discussing people with disabilities or who are otherwise marginalized.
- However, it can also imply that having a disability is like having a disease or an illness. It can also feel like an attempt to distance the person from their disability, reinforcing shame around being associated with it, when in reality they cannot and may not want to separate themselves from it.
Identity-first language
- Identity-first language leads with a person’s condition, disability or other identity—e.g., “a disabled person” or “a Deaf person” rather than “a person with a disability” or “a person who is Deaf”.
- This language can be empowering to some people because it conveys their disability as being a permanent and important part of their identity and experience.
- However, it may also lead people to think that someone’s disability or other aspect of their identity completely defines who they are.
Resource
- “Ask a Self-Advocate: The Pros and Cons of Person-First and Identity-First Language” by Jevon Okundaye. Massachusetts Advocate for Children. April 23, 2021.
Gender-inclusive language tries to avoid bias toward a particular sex or gender in any type of communication. It also means avoiding assumptions of anyone’s gender, and being inclusive of gender identities other than male or female (nonbinary, genderqueer, etc.).
Some best practices and strategies include:
- Using forms of address, pronouns, etc. that are consistent with people’s stated gender identity.
- Using gender-neutral forms of address, pronouns, etc. that do not assume people’s gender if they have not shared it.
- Being consistent in the forms of address used for people of all genders. If someone of one gender is addressed by their first name, surname, courtesy title, or profession, people of other genders should be as well. For example: addressing all speakers at an event as Dr./Professor/Mr./Ms./Mx. [surname], rather than referring to men by their title and surname but women by their first name.
- Avoiding gendered language when it is not relevant for communication. For example: using gender-neutral words like “humanity” rather than “mankind,” or “people” rather than “men and women,” and using third-person plural pronouns (“they, their, them”) rather than “his or hers”.
Sharing pronouns
We often share our pronouns in order to create a space where others feel comfortable doing the same if they choose, not assuming anyone else’s unless they have told us. We don’t make sharing pronouns mandatory as it could create the potential for outing someone or forcing them into a situation where they have to misgender themselves.
Resources
- Gender Inclusive Language — Trans Care BC
- Gender-Neutral Language Sheet — QMUNITY
- Queer Terminology from A to Q — QMUNITY
- A Few Pronoun Best [Preferred?] Practices — Sam Killermann
We incorporate alternative text (“alt text”) into the images we post on our website and social media so people with visual impairments can access the important information on them using screen-reading tools.
Whenever possible we offer text alternatives—such as transcripts and captions—on our website alongside audio or video content to ensure that visitors who are Deaf, deafened or hard of hearing can access all page content. These text alternatives are also appreciated by many other people as well!
Resource
- Alternative Text — WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind)
When setting up the registration process for your event, consider what information you need to gather from registrants (e.g., dietary requirements if you are providing food), and be mindful of how asking—or not asking—certain questions may exclude certain people. When creating registration forms, consider including the following:
- Preferences and sensitivities: this may include food, scents, chemicals, sound, lighting, etc.
- Ask what people need to fully participate in your event. This allows you to better cater your forms and events to your audiences in the future as you learn the types of support people need, as well as make adjustments, when possible, to meet individual participants' needs.
- For special requests that people may have, be sure to include a contact person for any questions, concerns or comments regarding the event’s accessibility and logistics, as well as a deadline for all requests to be made, if necessary.
You may also consider what not to include on your registration form. It may seem standard to ask certain demographic questions like age, gender or ethnicity, but is it necessary for your engagement? People may feel uncomfortable sharing this information without knowing why or how it will be used.
If you do include a question about gender, ethnicity or other demographics, allow people various options to select from, as well as the opportunity to self-describe. For example, options for a question about gender may include:
- Woman
- Man
- Non-binary
- Two-spirit
- Genderqueer
- Prefer to self-describe (provide open-ended comment box)
- Prefer not to say
It would be a real loss to make an event accessible only for people not to be aware of this and miss out.
We try to publish all the information people will need to feel welcome, comfortable and able to fully participate on our website, registration pages and other major communications materials.
Depending on the event format, this may include:
- Directions to the venue, with specifics for public transit, biking and parking
- How to access an online space and how we are protecting participants' online privacy
- Presence and location of gender-neutral and wheelchair-accessible washrooms
- If there are physical barriers for people with mobility concerns (e.g., stairs, narrow doorways) or accommodations (e.g., elevators, ramps)
- Information about interpretation, captioning and translation services
We also share this information directly with people who have registered to attend our events, because we cannot assume that everyone has read through all the information on our website and registration pages. Making information available in a variety of places supports the many different ways people intuitively access information.
Many event registration platforms, like Eventbrite, provide ways to send direct emails through the platform to registered attendees. We typically send event reminders two days in advance of an event, the morning of the event, and sometimes, for online events, an hour before the event starts. These reminders include all the above information about accessibility features and how to access the online or in-person event space.
Whenever possible, we ask people how we might support their full participation in an event by encouraging two-way communication, such as providing a staff email address to connect with on our event page and in the registration process.
Following up with your event participants is a way to make them feel even more included in the community engagement process, extending the impact beyond the start and end time of your event. It is also a way to make your event more accessible by giving people options for revisiting the content of the event later on, or catching up if they were unable to attend.
We typically send an email out to attendees shortly after our events, thanking them for participating and asking them to complete a short feedback survey.
Once we have compiled any additional resources (e.g., video recording, transcript, links to resources shared at the event), we send those along to all attendees too.
We also publish the video recordings and transcripts on our website, and we note that we will do this in the accessibility information on our event pages.