Easing Access

During a recent site inspection, Lana Smart paused in the hotel lobby to size up the height of the reception desk. To most meeting organizers, this might be an unimportant detail, but to Smart, director of the Albertson, N.Y.-based National Business & Disability Council, it’s absolutely critical.
    “Someone who uses a wheelchair can’t be seen by the person behind the desk,” Smart explains. “Occasionally, a property offers to accommodate the guest by sending someone from around the desk with a clipboard. But when you’re dealing with credit cards, that results in a lack of privacy. It’s like conducting your business in a department store window.”
    Smart, whose organization works to integrate people with disabilities into workplaces, says much progress has been made, particularly since the 1990 passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act. But while the hospitality industry has come a long way, she believes there are many things planners still can do to fully integrate people with disabilities into conferences and other events.

Determining needs
Planners can begin to create a barrier-free meeting by reviewing their registration forms. Smart recommends making sure to include a question asking attendees if they require special accommodations. In addition, the question should ask registrants to specify what they require.
    That is an important step, she says, because even people with similar disabilities often require different kinds of accommodations. Some people who are deaf, for example, ask for sign-language interpreters; others prefer video captioning. Similarly, only a small percentage of people who are blind can read braille, making alternate formats a popular choice. “You can’t assume,” says Smart. “Let people tell you what they need, and address their needs on a case-by-case basis.”
    Columbus, Ohio-based AXIS, an advocacy group for people with disabilities, suggests asking registrants whether they will be accompanied by an assistant. Doing so will ensure an accurate count for meals and attendance. AXIS also reminds planners to decide whether personal-care assistants will be required to pay registration fees. (Experts typically suggest charging for meals only.)

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

The U.S. Department of Justice publishes a list of common accessibility shortfalls at newly built lodging facilities around the country (www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/comhotel.htm). Some areas to look out for:

Doorways
If doorways are narrower than 32 inches, people who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids will have difficulty entering/exiting rooms. Check the width of guest room and meeting room doors.

Guest rooms
Hotels should, but often don’t, offer guests various classes of accessible rooms, such as smoking/nonsmoking, suites and those with varying views or other amenities.

Fire alarms
Accessible rooms often are not fitted with visual fire alarms, telephones or doorbells needed by guests who have hearing disabilities.

Parking spaces
Standard accessible parking spaces must be at least eight feet wide and have an access aisle that is at least five feet wide (or eight feet for vans). Accessible parking should be provided near the lobby as well as by other entrances close to guest rooms. - B.M.

Casing the layout
A good way to plan for attendees with disabilities is to walk through the property, following the same path the attendee would follow. Begin in the parking lot, checking that it has enough accessible parking spaces and that they are large enough to accommodate vans (see “Room for Improvement” at left).
    Smart also suggests inspecting the height of the reception desk; ideally, it should be less than 3 feet high. If the desk is too high to accommodate people who use wheelchairs, she says, ask the property to set up a separate registration desk for your entire group.
    Check that all public areas have wheelchair-accessible rest rooms, and be sure no obstructions block rest room doors. Smart recalls one posh hotel that placed a lounge chair in the foyer of a lavatory, rendering the entryway too narrow to accommodate a wheelchair. 
    Thomas Miller, executive director of  the Washington, D.C.-based Blind Veterans Association, says he prefers hotels with relatively simple floor plans. Miller, who is blind, recommends looking for properties with a basic square layout connecting to two wings and breakout rooms on the mezzanine level. He says such configurations make it easier for visually impaired attendees to find elevators and avoid getting lost.
    Service dogs are another factor to keep in mind. There should be an area near the property for dog walking.  
    “Like everything else, the more you work on it, the more familiar you become,” says Smart. “You might want to have a person with a disability examine the property to see what kinds of obstacles they encounter.” A representative of a local disability group might oblige.

Evaluating guest rooms
Even the plainest guest rooms can present a host of potential obstacles. When inspecting rooms for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, experts say to check if the fire alarms are fitted with strobes. Also, make sure telephones and doorbells have visual-notification devices.
    Televisions also can be problematic. With the 50-button remote control now the norm, Lana Smart observes some attendees have trouble activating the closed-captioning on their TVs. As a solution, send attendees a set of instructions or ask housekeeping to activate closed-captioning upon check-in.
    For wheelchair users, thick-pile carpeting can be difficult to navigate. Terry Moakley, a public affairs officer with the  New York City-based United Spinal Association, explains that although the ADA specifies guidelines for pile height and carpet padding, those details often are overlooked. A frequent business traveler and a wheelchair user, Moakley says carpeted hallways and ramps can be especially challenging. “Pushing up a ramp is a lot more difficult when the surface is carpeted,” he notes.
    Also, patio doors sometimes are built with a protruding lip running across the doorway a feature that can make it impossible to access the balcony.

Creating materials
Ensuring that program materials can be accessed by attendees who are visually impaired is one of the biggest challenges for Annette Mongelli, who serves as convention coordinator for the Blind Veterans Association.
    Mongelli makes materials available on audiotape, CD or in braille, depending on requests from attendees. For those with low vision, Mongelli makes sure printed materials appear in at least 14-point type. When it comes to typefaces, some experts recommend using either helvetica or new century schoolbook for their exceptional readability.
    Use boldface and highlighting to emphasize text, Smart suggests, rather than underlining or italicizing. Also,  bullets or numbers make information easier to read. Finally, for materials that are easier on the eyes, Smart avoids white or glossy paper, opting for cream- or lemon-hued pages instead.

Booking interpreters and captioning services
Presentations and seminars also require some adjusting to ensure they can be understood by everyone. One common accommodation for people who are deaf is the use of sign-language interpreters. Keep in mind, advises Smart, that interpreters normally work in pairs due to the exhausting nature of their jobs. Interpreters are in high demand, so be sure to make service arrangements at least two weeks in advance.
    Meeting planners might ask presenters to contact the interpreter service provider beforehand to find out how to best work with an interpreter. Recommended measures might include reading PowerPoint slides aloud for those who cannot see them, and making sure to repeat questions from audience members before responding. 
    Anita B. Farb, associate executive director of the Silver Spring, Md.-based National Association of the Deaf, concurs. She says in addition to interpreters, planners should be ready to arrange for computer-assisted real-time captioning (CART) a service that translates everything spoken during a meeting into typed text displayed on screens. 
    To help smooth the process, planners should send the interpreter service a copy of the agenda so they can determine how many staffers are required, says Mary Capaldi Carr, vice president of client services and operations at Silver Spring, Md.-based Sign Language Associates. Carr, whose company provides sign-language interpreters nationwide, also recommends sending advance copies of notes, PowerPoint presentations or website links so interpreters can prepare for any vocabulary specific to the event.
    Other suggestions:
" During plenary sessions, allow room on the dais for the interpreter to stand near the guest speaker.
" Make sure the interpreter is in good lighting and clearly visible to the audience.
" In breakout sessions, allow space for a team of interpreters to be working each room as needed.

Setting up a meeting room
A good rule of thumb, according to AXIS, is 20 to 30 percent of additional space should be factored in to a meeting room to accommodate people using mobility devices.
    AXIS also advises the following:
" Meeting room tables should have a 30-inch clearance between the floor and table apron.
" If presenters use wheelchairs, make sure speaker platforms have ramps and railings.
" Aisles of at least three feet wide are recommended.
" Do not limit seating for people with disabilities to only one area, as people should be able to sit where they choose. Consider reserving an aisle seat in every other row for people with mobility disabilities. When arranging banquets or rounds, Lana Smart also finds it helpful to leave a chair missing at tables throughout the room so that it is not necessary to move chairs out of the way.

Communicating with staff
Once on property, make sure everyone from the bellhops to the bartenders is informed of your needs. For example, employees at the front desk should know the locations of TTY public phones, dog-walking areas and accessible rest rooms. If a buffet is being offered, servers should be ready to help people who use wheelchairs or are blind. 
    Tom Miller with the Blind Veterans Association says room service trays can be treacherous if left sitting in hallways. “I’ve drop kicked more than one,” he notes. That kind of obstacle can be cleared up with a quick call to housekeeping. In addition, Miller normally asks housekeeping staff to refrain from moving objects around when cleaning rooms, so that guests who are blind can readily find their belongings.

Adding up the costs
Employing a third-party disability service does not always come cheap, but such companies frequently offer money-saving options.
    Chicago-based Caption First, which provides captioning and CART services to as many as 30 conventions a year, normally arranges captioning for general sessions and keynote speeches, while CART services usually are reserved for breakout sessions. The price tag: about $1,000 per day for up to eight hours of service over a 12-hour period. Alternatively, for $150 a day, Caption First offers a remote service where planners are sent the special equipment, and captioning is done over the phone. The option is popular among planners who need the service only for four or five hours over the course of a multiday event, says Philip Hyssong, the company’s vice president of marketing and administration.
    Rates for interpreters vary around the country. Interpreters in Seattle can run as high as $75 an hour, for example, while those in New Orleans might cost $40 an hour. “It is the industry standard to have a team of interpreters working together for most assignments over 90 minutes in length,” says Mary Capaldi Carr. “Plenary sessions, awards ceremonies and keynote sessions will require a team of interpreters.”
    For braille services, companies like Longmont, Colo.-based QuickScrybe  Inc. can translate written documents such as program materials, hotel directories, menus and daily agendas. For materials sent via the Internet, the company charges 50 cents per page and 35 cents for each additional copy. Keep in mind that one letter-size page normally translates into two or three braille pages.
    As a cost-saving measure, QuickScrybe president Sue Staley has noticed that some planners only partially translate materials into braille. She says planners sometimes whittle agendas down to only the time, date and meeting room, or they refrain from translating the drinks or desserts when it comes to menus.
    This might cut costs, but it’s not advisable, says Staley. “The problem is that if you don’t give the entire program, then you are singling out certain parts for certain people,” she says. “It’s a sensitivity issue.” Instead, translate program documents in their entirety so attendees with disabilities can more fully participate in the event the broad goal of all these efforts.

Aiming for improvement
During the event, approach any accessibility glitches as valuable learning opportunities, and make detailed notes of changes to make in the future.
    “People with disabilities know not everything is going to be perfect,” says Smart. “This is a work in progress, but hopefully we’re working toward a time when everything will be accessible.”