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Planning
Planning an event demonstrates MIT’s capacity for inclusion and is an opportunity to embrace two of the Institute’s shared values: belonging and community. Certain practices help bring varied perspectives to the planning and decision-making process and ensure that events are equitable and easily accessible to all.
When planning teams are more aware of the needs of a variety of guests—those who have disabilities (including emotional, cognitive, and sensory needs), parenting and dependent care responsibilities, religious observation commitments, financial constraints, and cultural and social preferences—the results support the overall experience and wellbeing of all who attend.
A first step is to create an event planning team with diverse perspectives and lived experiences (a diversity of genders and gender identities, cultures, races, access and accommodation needs, levels of authority, etc.)
When developing the event budget, anticipate the cost of providing accommodation services just as you would catering, AV, or other event needs. Many accommodation costs can be covered by the MIT Disabilities and Medical Leaves Office (for staff) and Disability and Access Services (students).
When selecting event dates and times, avoid conflicts with MIT’s academic enterprise, religious and cultural practices, and other days of observance. See MIT’s observed religious holidays calendar and its academic calendar for details.
Select venues that are accessible, with access to elevators, restrooms, ramps, entrances without stairs, and with wheelchair user seating.
Communication
For many events, you may be able to ascertain guests’ needs in advance by asking them in the invitation or via registration what accommodations will allow them to enjoy the program. Examples of requests include American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, inclusive restrooms, or a streamtext feed of remarks that can be viewed on mobile devices.
If your event will be catered, be sure to provide participants with an opportunity to describe any dietary restrictions during event registration and be sensitive to religious or cultural considerations (halal, kosher, etc.).
Designate one person to act as a single point of contact for access and accommodation requests. Be sure to always acknowledge receipt of accommodation requests.
Finally, communicate all details related to access and accommodations—including the MIT campus accessiblity map — on invitations, web pages, registration forms, flyers, and MIT Events Calendar submissions.
Request services
Once you have determined the needs of your guests, request assistive services, such as an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Transcription), through the HR Service Request form for staff events, or Disability and Access Services for student ones.
Virtual/Hybrid Event Considerations
- Set your default Zoom settings to allow for ASL and other language interpretation (this cannot be done during the meeting).
Day of the event
On event day, identify a person on the event team to ensure attendees are connected to accommodation support.
Have designated reserved seating available, being mindful of space and ease of accessibility for those in need (attendees who are pregnant, those with disabilities or service animals, older adults, etc.).
During the program, remind participants to state their name when speaking. Use microphones during non-presentation portions of speaker events so remote participants and interpreters can hear audience questions. Also, be sure to enable display of closed captions and audio descriptions for any presentation videos.
Virtual/Hybrid Event Considerations
- Enable sign language interpretation (or spoken language interpretation) and live captioning features on Zoom. (Note: enabling auto captions does not make a video accessible as these tend to be inconsistently accurate).
- Identify someone who will share verbally what is in the chat periodically as well as describe what is on slides; for smaller virtual group meetings, reserve an Owl so remote participants can see the faces of who is speaking. (Note: Rooms equipped with good AV for hybrid meetings—“Zoom rooms”—for the MIT community can be booked through Atlas.)
After the event
After your event, be sure to share any slides if possible and send a post-event survey.
Virtual/Hybrid Event Considerations
- If your event was virtual or recorded, share the event recording with attendees if possible, noting that all publicly posted MIT videos are required to be captioned.
Finally, be sure to hold an after-action review meeting with your planning team.
Additional resources
Specific accessibility and inclusivity considerations have been integrated into the event planning tips on this website. However, Institute Events strongly recommends reviewing the following resources created for MIT event planners to maximize the accessibility and inclusiveness of your event:
- Accessibility for Staff Events (Human Resources)
- DEI Event Planning Checklist (MIT Sloan Student Life Office)
- FAQ for Religious Accommodations (MIT Division of Student Life)