Making your activism accessible
This page was created to support activists in making their spaces more accessible, to ensure everyone is welcome and encouraged to join the climate movement in whatever way they can! The information included comes from existing organizer databases and resources by movement thinkers. We've included resources from blogs written by people living with accessibility needs, as they are experts on this topic. Each personal experience is distinct, thus we encourage further insight from different positionalities on this topic. Several of the topics found in this guide are based on questions asked by activists in the HUB's community (i.e. how to make in-person events more accessible, how to make promotional materials more engaging etc.). This guide includes definitions of accessibility, considerations for accessible event and action planning, communication and content, creating an accessible culture and other suggestions related to creating a space that is inviting to all.
Defining accessibility
"Universal accessibility is the character of a product, process, service, information or environment which, with a view to fairness and an inclusive approach, allows anyone to carry out activities independently and to obtain equivalent results." - Groupe DÉFI Accessibilité (GDA) [1] & Ex Aequo
Ex Aequo distinguish accessibility from adaptation: "Adaptation would consist of changes made in order to accommodate people in relation to “an environment, a communication, a program, or an already existing service. We adapt when we build a subway with only stairs, then add elevators several years later. We make it universally accessible when we provide access ramps to the buses."
Why is accessibility critical to climate justice?
Access Culture expands on definitions of accessibility, explaining:
"For people who live on the margins, who have to fight to prove their existence, who are excluded from movements, who are subject to abuse in the form of isolation, having access to spaces means having access to community, to connection, to existence.When we make spaces accessible, when we build movements based on inclusion, we recognize that each person has an intrinsic value, that our existence is beautiful and necessary. Creating accessible spaces is about recognizing that connection is necessary, that community is necessary, that our culture is built on the myth of separation, the lie of disconnection. We must move from independence to interdependence in order to transform society."
Ableism is a form of oppression that denies people with disabilities (or persons with a physical or mental impairment) and/or chronic illness opportunities to care for themselves.
We must meet everyone’s needs so they can access our collective fight. Using care as our source of strength, we can better confront and disband systems of oppression. Disabled people live through some of the most challenging consequences of capitalism and the climate crisis. Disabled people, and anyone else with an identity that renders them disposable, are leaders in describing what is wrong with how we're operating our society and how we get it right.
Do we reward certain people in our organizing spaces because they can contribute the most time and effort? Do we favour their voices over those who have to care for their health? Sometimes approaches to climate work can reinforce ableism, and this is represented by the term eco-ableism. See our page on ableism for examples of eco-ableism.
Meeting accessibility needs is an essential part of achieving justice to ensure those most affected by systems of oppression are both included in, and lead the charge towards, building a more just world.
Holding Accessible Events and Meetings
As described by Aerik Woodams at the People's Hub, individual access is often framed as extra work; that there are 'more important things to address'. Disabled and otherwise marginalized people ask us to do things differently. This might feel like work at first, but these efforts benefit all of us by giving us more strength, understanding and tools to build a better world.
Disability and able-bodies exist on a spectrum. Most of us have experience with ableism and the pressures of capitalism, and/or experience being excluded by other systems of oppression that limit our access. We invite you to reflect on how making a space accessible goes beyond ensuring people can physically access a space, but also that they can show up as fully as others in the room. If helpful, we suggest checking out our wiki on incorporating space watchers and holders for further considerations.
Quick tips:
- Pause frequently during events and meetings to ask if anyone has any access needs that need to be addressed!
- UK Mutual Aid has an example of an accessibility checklist that you can use as a blueprint to creating a checklist for your team.
Childcare |
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Wheelchair accessibility |
Doors must be 800mm minimum.
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Food and water |
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Accessibility support |
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Transportation |
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Ways to participate |
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Timing and barriers to participation |
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Language |
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Timing |
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Allergies and sensitivities |
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Photography |
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Bathrooms |
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Neurodivergent and/or introverted inclusion
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Neurodivergent: describes how developmental disorders are normal variations in the brain. [4] The neurodiverse umbrella [5] includes but is not limited to ADHD, dyslexia, autism, and other learning disabilities. Many people also include mental illnesses under the umbrella of neurodiversity, such as anxiety, bipolar, PTSD, schizophrenia etc.
Meeting neurodivergent and introverted needs:
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BIPOC inclusion [6] |
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Gender identity inclusion [7] |
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Low-income inclusion [8] |
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Pandemic Safety Measures
If you do not have safety measures in place during a pandemic, higher-risk individuals in particular are unlikely to attend your event. It also sends the message that people at high-risk of becoming very ill are disposable. Safety measures prevent people from becoming seriously ill, long-term disability and death.
Thomas A. Russo, professor of Infectious disease at the University of Buffalo, suggests that safety measures to put in place when planning an in-person event include:
- Advertising that attendees wear masks for the duration of the event, even for events held outdoors. Have extra masks available for those who come without one, ideally N95 or KN95’s which are one of the best available options to protect against COVID-19.
- Have a few volunteers who can provide hand sanitizer every so often, and especially before distributing food if this is included in your event.
- State that those who are feeling ill, have come in contact with someone who has tested positive OR have come in contact with someone who has tested negative but is showing symptoms of illness, should not attend.
- Encourage attendees to keep their distance from one another as often as possible.
The People’s CDC has further recommendations for planning safe gatherings during a pandemic:
- Provide universal pre and post event testing.
- Stay in small, consistent groups.
- Perform contact tracing.
- Ensure the meeting space has adequate ventilation and air quality (open windows/doors, ensure HVAC systems are functional, use HEPA filters if possible).
- Perform high filtration universal masking. Provide certified N95/KN94 masks if possible.
- Provide a place for folks to eat outside.
- Reduce high-risk activities 5 days prior to the event (i.e. unmasked, indoor activities outside of the household)
- Gather outdoors when possible. The risk of catching an airborne virus from an outdoor gathering is lower than from an indoor one. There is still a risk of contracting a virus, especially at crowded protests or gatherings.
Suggestions for Virtual Events [9]
Internet access |
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Invite and include disabled people and their needs |
Live descriptions, captions and good audio are key for live streamed events.
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Share the format of the event and how long it plans to run |
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Provide any written or visual materials ahead of time. |
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Allow attendees to send questions and comments in advance. |
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Build time for reflection/breaks into your event, as well as time for questions. |
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Offer channels to provide feedback about the event |
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Suggestions for Hybrid and Virtual Meetings
Virtual and hybrid virtual/in person meetings require stable internet connections, access to hardware (i.e. cell phones and computers) and some technology literacy.
If you’re working with participants who don’t have access to the internet or hardware, these tips may be hard to implement. However, there are other tools and techniques you can use such as conference call services, message groups, photos of call lists, etc. that can be used. The following are tips for holding hybrid (in-person and virtual) meetings, and general meeting tips.
Blueprints for Change offers an extensive guide filled with tips on hosting effective hybrid meetings. The following compiles some of the tips found in their hosting virtual/hybrid meetings guide, and from the write up developed by Training for Change.
Considerations for Planning a Hybrid Meeting
Things you'll need to do this successfully |
Those who join a meeting using their phone do not have the same functions available as those using a desktop. Consider sending important links ahead of the meeting, or in your workspace during, so people on the phone can access them.
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Prepare ahead of time |
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Roles you might consider when hosting hybrid meetings |
-Lead facilitator -Co-facilitator(s) -Bridge facilitator; to bridge the digital and IRL spaces and who can support the IRL facilitator to make sure the digital folks are supported. This person could also be assigned to keep track of participants who have asked for a speaking turn so that both in person and digital voices are included. -Visuals, Slides & Notes lead -Tech lead; to manage your session slides, doing things like screen sharing, watching the chat box, setting up and doing sound checks at the beginning of your session, and troubleshooting if problems come up along the way. -Vibes & Energizers lead -Stack keeper (monitor order of speakers, chat and Q&A functions) -Buddies for virtual participants (for hybrid meetings) |
Plan for shifts in power dynamics, because some people are in groups vs others are on their own. |
-People connecting in groups may have an easier time connecting with others in the same room. -People connecting on their own may have an easier time connecting with others who also connected on their own. -Those who connected the same way as the facilitator may have an easier time communicating with the facilitator. -When you use the chat box, those on their own device have easier access to participate. -When people are in a room together, those controlling the screen, who are on camera and/or closer to the microphone are advantaged. |
Preparing Participants Before the Meeting
Provide and seek information |
Information to provide/seek to prepare participants include:
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Offer a training on how to use the platform |
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Holding the Hybrid/Virtual Meetings
Start with introductions and a check-in. |
Let folks introduce themselves, their pronouns and make time for relationship building by letting people share how they are doing or something about them.
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Try to take notes and video recordings for those who can't attend. |
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Provide a person or place where attendees can seek support |
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It might be relevant to share participation guidelines and/or the group's mission statement to ground the group before beginning. |
Examples of participation guidelines, inspired by Aspiration Tech [21] , might include...
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Get participants to engage with one another! |
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Use a circle up tool to keep participation equal | 1. Put all participants around one big virtual circle.
2. Mark a little check next to someone whenever they speak. You can also use a star or other symbol to track when each person shares during a specific activity. Have one person assigned to do this, and to let the facilitator know who deserves speaking time. See the example from Training for Change |
Be mindful of participants who may not be able to see or hear or otherwise fully participate in virtual meetings. | *If an attendee is blind, you should use more descriptive language that paints a picture of what others are seeing and provides richer context.
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Closing Meetings
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Creating Accessible Group Cultures
The following section drew from the writings of:
- Liz Kessler, a person who describes themselves as disabled and who is involved in struggles for justice [10]
- Lee, a disabled, queer, trans and autistic activist. [11]
Suggestions for fostering accessible group cultures:
Finally, accept that building accessible group cultures is a process. There is no set finish line. We have to stay tuned and pay attention to the people around us.
Work with different abilities and limits |
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Incorporate regular discussions about personal and group boundaries |
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Plan break times |
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Focus on content, rather than how something is said |
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Uplift intersectional perspectives. |
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Accessibility in Communications
There are many things to consider when it comes to accessible communication, from formatting to the language used. Accessible communication is extremely important. According to statistics from 2012, nearly half, about 49%, of people in what's colonially called Canada do not have sufficient literacy skills, and 55% do not have sufficient numeracy proficiency. Thus, it is important to ensure our written material is easy to read, easy to understand, easy to find the information you need and the information is easy to use the first time you read it.
General Guidelines for Accessible Written materials [12]
Write for your audience |
the following resource which can be used to reduce the reading level of your writing. |
Order and bolding |
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Use as few words as possible |
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Use lists, tables etc. |
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Add blank space |
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Avoid jargon, abbreviations and technical terms |
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Illustrate text with images when possible |
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Use gender-neutral language |
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Writing Image Descriptions [13]
Most important elements to describe:
Basic process for writing a description:
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Accessible Audio and Video
Check out Accessible Social's step-by-step guide for adding captions/subtitles to videos!
Audio descriptions
An audio description is a form of narration to support blind and low vision users. An option for making accessible videos with audio descriptions to create two versions of your video, one with an audio description integrated with the rest of your video’s audio and one without.Below is an example of an audio description.
If audio descriptions are not available, written descriptions can be used. They are typically presented as written text that can be reviewed along with the video.See this example presenting the trailer for The Wheel of Time.
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Further resources
People's hub offers trainings organizers on creating culture of access if folks are interested in further learning on this topic, and also a peer support space for people with chronic illness/disability to meet online.
If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.
- ↑ Groupe DEFI Accessibilite (GDA) - Research report for associations in Montreal - Universal Accessibility and contributing designs (version 5.3), Langevin, Rocque, Chalghoumi & Ghorayeb, University of Montreal
- ↑ https://collectifau.ca/
- ↑ https://www.sinsinvalid.org/blog/access-suggestions-for-a-public-event
- ↑ https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/features/what-is-neurodiversity
- ↑ https://instagram.com/p/CYBl-miPcCL/
- ↑ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bt6SVDG3DhqfCs0TDihFYdWK5Fc3TmsAVG4dqIZTueA/edit
- ↑ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bt6SVDG3DhqfCs0TDihFYdWK5Fc3TmsAVG4dqIZTueA/edit
- ↑ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bt6SVDG3DhqfCs0TDihFYdWK5Fc3TmsAVG4dqIZTueA/edit
- ↑ https://rootedinrights.org/how-to-make-your-virtual-meetings-and-events-accessible-to-the-disability-community/
- ↑ https://data.over-blog-kiwi.com/1/85/65/14/20180525/ob_91a56c_milieu-militant-inclusif-neurodivergen.pdf
- ↑ https://accessculture.wordpress.com/2012/07/06/how-to-be-an-ally-to-disabled-neurodiverse-folks-in-activist-academic-communities/
- ↑ https://www.plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/
- ↑ https://antimonarchy.tumblr.com/post/635980711208386560/how-to-create-image-descriptions
- ↑ https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/advice/employers/creating-a-dyslexia-friendly-workplace/dyslexia-friendly-style-guide
- ↑ https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/