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Disability &
Access Information |
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COLLEGE
EVENT/PROGRAM PLANNING GUIDELINES
The
purpose of this section is to assist planners in understanding the College's
obligation and commitment to take into account the needs of people with
disabilities in connection with events sponsored by the College. Ithaca
College is committed to facilitating the participation of people with
disabilities in all of its programs, including conferences, meetings,
lectures and other events. The College must also ensure that it fulfills
a number of legal obligations with respect to these events.
What
follows are policies, guidelines and suggestions about how to make events
accessible and accommodating to people with disabilities. This document
is not an exhaustive catalog of suggestions or obligations, although the
absolute minimum requirements are described.
WHAT
EVENTS
The
College's obligation to consider the needs of participants extends to
any public event sponsored by the College, whether held on or off campus
and whether or not members of the public are invited to attend. In very
few circumstances, such as a private social function or an employees only
meeting, where you know exactly who will attend and that no accommodations
will be required, it may not be necessary to plan for the needs of participants
with disabilities.
In
most situations, you will have to plan for the possibility that some one
will need accommodation. For example, services for people with disabilities
must be considered in connection with a week long arts festival, a speech
by a visiting scholar or celebrity, or a conference sponsored at one of
the schools. As the event planner, it is your responsibility to plan for
and provide the required services for participants with disabilities at
any event sponsored by the College or members of the College community.
A checklist of questions event planners should ask themselves is located
in Appendix
A.
There
are also obligations that extend to events that are sponsored by a person
or organization outside of the College but are held in Ithaca College
facilities. If you are involved in making Ithaca College facilities available
to outside groups, you should make sure to discuss accessibility and accommodation
obligations with the organization using the space. The arrangements should
clearly specify which party is responsible for these obligations at the
event. (Return to List)
WHAT
ARE THE GENERAL OBLIGATIONS
In
general, you must try to ensure that people with disabilities are able
to attend and participate in your event. There is no one correct way to
accommodate individuals with disabilities. Where outright access and full
accommodation cannot be accomplished, you will need to explore alternatives
for serving people with disabilities. Given the College's diverse resources,
this can be accomplished in almost all cases with a little expense, although
prior planning will be required. (Return
to List)
RESPONDING
TO REQUESTS FOR ACCOMMODATION
You
are encouraged to communicate as much and as early as possible with participants
and event presenters prior to the event. Individuals with disabilities
include those with mobility and sensory impairments (e.g. individuals
who use wheelchairs or those with hearing or vision impairments), and
"hidden" disabilities (e.g. those with learning disabilities, chronic
illnesses). When questions concerning accommodations and particular requests
come up, you will want to respond as soon as possible. However, certain
situations may require several communications between the event planner
and the person requesting the accommodation. It is possible that you may
encounter difficulties providing a requested accommodation or you may
be uncertain if the particular request must be met.
In
these cases, you are required to consult with the Affirmative Action Office
(extension 4-3909) before denying any requests related to access or accommodation.
(Return to List)
GUIDELINES
These
guidelines are intended to help event planners understand how to choose
a physically accessible location, provide accommodations, and use advance
communications to serve people with disabilities. The primary goal is
to ensure the participation of people with disabilities. While every situation
may not lend itself to a clear cut decision, the key is to remain flexible,
responsive and respectful. (Return
to List)
CHOOSING
A PHYSICALLY ACCESSIBLE LOCATION
Whenever
possible, you should hold your event in a wheelchair accessible facility.
Locating your event in a wheelchair accessible facility will facilitate
the participation of individuals with disabilities and others with mobility
impairments. Many of Ithaca College's buildings are wheelchair accessible.
Contact the Affirmative Action Office for a list of accessible buildings.
If you can not hold your activity in one of these buildings, you should
try to locate a building where the physical barriers are kept to a minimum
and/or consider rescheduling your event until an accessible location is
available. (Return to
List)
REMOVING
COMMUNICATIONS BARRIERS
In
most cases, the College will be responsible for providing some type of
auxiliary communication aids and services to enable people with visual
and sensory impairments to participate and enjoy our events. The cost
of providing these aids and services should be anticipated in the event
budget. Participants may not be charged for them.
1. Sign
language interpreters
Sign
language interpreters are usually booked weeks in advance. We suggest
that event planners use pre-event communications and publicity to invite
people who may need this service to notify the event planner as soon as
possible.
2. Assistive
listening devices:
FM
amplification and infrared hearing systems
3. Transcripts
of speeches:
For
events which include speakers, you might ask the speakers to prepare transcripts
of their speeches in advance and give their permission to make the transcripts
available to people with disabilities. Transcripts can be helpful both
to people with hearing impairments but also sign language interpreters,
especially when they are provided in advance.
4. Alternate
formats of meeting materials and other information:
Large
print, braille, audio tape and computer disc versions of speeches, lectures
and general emergency information, prepared in advance of the event, can
be useful for participants with visual impairments or learning disabilities.
On-site readers can also be a helpful accommodation.
In
the occasional instance when it is impossible to provide the most appropriate
aid or service to remove a communication barrier, you must still make
a reasonable accommodation that will enable the person to participate
in the event. If you are unclear as to how to make this accommodation,
contact the Affirmative Action Office. (Return
to List)
MODIFYING
POLICIES, PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES
Event
planners should also be aware that policies, practices and procedures
may need to be modified in order to accommodate a person with a disability.
For example, a policy prohibiting animals to an event would have to be
modified to allow a blind person to bring their guide dog. (Return
to List)
USING
PUBLICITY AND PRE-REGISTRATION FOR PLANNING
The
key to making events accessible and meeting legal requirements is communication
prior to the event.
Pre-event
publicity and pre-registration should invite potential participants to
request any disability related accommodation that they may need. However,
you must be mindful of the fact that as a "public accommodation" Ithaca
College is required to accommodate a person with disabilities whether
or not they contact us in advance. Asking potential participants to inform
us of their need enables the event planner to plan and organize the services
and accommodations in advance.
Pre-event
publicity should include the name and telephone number of a person to
contact for additional information. Use of the access symbol (see Appendix
B) is
helpful in highlighting accessibility information in the written publicity.
All Ithaca College pre-event publicity must contain the following language:
Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact
the Affirmative Action Office at (607) 274-3909, (607) 274-1767 TDD. We
ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.
All
College conference/event registration forms must include the location
of the event and allow the potential participant to list/identify any
accommodations required.
For
events requiring overnight lodging, the event planner may want to investigate
how the hotel/facility accommodates individuals with disabilities. Presenters
may also require accommodations. Accordingly, the event planner should
also communicate with all presenters concerning the possible need for
accommodations. (Return
to List)
STAFF
AWARENESS AND SENSITIVITY
Even
with the most diligent efforts to accommodate persons with disabilities,
there will be instances when unanticipated accommodations will be brought
to the attention of your staff. Sensitivity is an essential ingredient
to successfully respond to this situation.
On
site registration:
Registration
workers should be well-informed about how to provide accommodations and
where to obtain services. Staff should know the answers to the following
questions:
- Where
is an accessible bathroom?
- Is there
parking that is accessible to people who use wheelchairs?
- Is there
a TDD/amplified telephone nearby?
- Where
can I get a drink of water?
- Where
should I tell my driver to pick me up? (Return
to List)
DURING
THE EVENT
Event
staff and workers should be apprized of the general obligation to provide
accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Staff should be prepared
to offer assistance. (Return
to List)
