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10 ways to make virtual events more accessible
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 1 in 10 adults are living with a functional disability. These may include visual and hearing impairments, restricted mobility, or challenges related to neurodivergence that present difficulties when individuals try to access the event, engage with content, and participate in networking and other activities. As a result, those living with a disability may find it challenging to both receive and contribute value to a virtual event, which is a loss for all involved.
In fact, accessibility is such an imperative that many regions have regulations in place to mandate it, and non-compliance could have legal ramifications. In addition, many organizations, associations, and sponsors have a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy in place that extends beyond the protections and accommodations the legislation requires.
While there are well-established protocols and precedents for accommodating these challenges in a physical space, there is less guidance for accessibility within virtual events. As such, event organizers and venues need to invest in making information, activities, and environments sensible, meaningful, and usable for as many people as possible.
With a multitude of platforms and technology tools available, how do we ensure we’ve made our virtual event as accessible as possible?
A virtual event’s success is rooted in the preparedness of speakers and moderators, but training should go beyond virtual engagement to how to best accommodate different disabilities. For example, using large fonts can be beneficial to those with a visual impairment, and being conscientious of the pace of speech and clear annunciation can improve the effectiveness of AI captioning software for the hearing impaired.
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