About the event

An internal university conference for postgraduate students.

Date

2018

Location

Civic centre, Newcastle upon Tyne

Organising committee

Postgraduate students

Questions and Answers

What aspects of accessibility did you focus on at this conference, and why?

We focussed on childcare and carers. We also asked attendees what accessibility requirements they may have so that we could try and make the conference as accessible as possible

How did you ensure that the conference venue was physically accessible?

We selected a venue with physical disability access (e.g. ramps, lifts)

What communication about accessibility did you provide leading up to and during the conference? Were any changes made to the online registration process (inc. asking about accessibility needs)?

We provided information about the venue on the conference website and added a section on accessibility. Within this section we described the venue, physical accessibility and loop systems for those with hearing aids. We also described the spaces we had available for breast feeding/feeding babies and children, highchair availability, we explained we would have a sling rental system on the day, and had a separate booking page for anyone wanting to make use of the creche which was available for the whole time, including covering the drinks reception after the conference (it was made clear from the point of abstract submission that this was available so that people could plan accordingly).

We highlighted a room we had available for anyone who may need some quiet time during the conference and asked people to highlight if they needed any other support in attending.

The conference and creche were free.

What adjustments did you make when arranging catering, to aid inclusion and accessibility?

We had an open question to ask for any dietary requirements

Did you provide any additional signage during the conference?

We provided maps with all the spaces highlighted on the website marked (quiet space, breastfeeding space, creche etc)

Were any accessibility adjustments made during sessions?

We offered to make adjustments but as far as I am aware nobody requested any

Was the conference online, in person, or hybrid?

In person (this was pre-COVID!)

Did you provide any additional accessibility support, such as a sensory room or childcare, or by signposting to central NU services like prayer rooms, quiet rooms, nursing rooms?

Yes – Childcare and quiet room

Were there any barriers to accessibility that arose during the conference?

Not sure of anything, we had good feedback, but people had been a little anxious to use the creche at first, but many visited it and were really impressed with the set-up and said would use it again. We used a professional creche service as they had appropriately qualified staff and insurance in place.

Final reflections: Is there anything you would do different next time?

Advertise the creche more, so people were aware, some people just assume that this won’t be available so don’t bother searching any further.

What is your message for other conference organisers about accessibility?

Some things aren’t as hard to organise as you might anticipate!