Accessible event guidelines
Over 14,000 people living in Bayside have a disability and over 4,000 people need assistance in their day-to-day lives.
Creating accessible events encourages people of all abilities to participate in community life and enjoy Bayside’s diverse events, festivities, and programs.
The accessible event guide below will support you to consider how to facilitate accessible events as much as possible.
What do I need to consider when planning my event?
Everybody involved in planning an event, including venue staff, performers, exhibitors, session chairs, booking staff, suppliers and speakers can contribute to making an event more accessible for people with disability.
Applying a disability lens to planning your event starts by considering the following:
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What is your event, and can everyone participate?
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What barriers might make it impossible or difficult for people with disability to access your event?
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What are the things you can do to ensure the best possible access?
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What are the things of relevance in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) and State/Territory anti-discrimination laws for you to think about?
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Where can I go for further information and assistance, including speaking to people with disability?
What events are included?
The inclusion needs of people with disability should be considered when planning the many different ways, we interact with each other and our community. These include:
Meetings
Meetings are generally small in size and for a short time.
Virtual meetings
A virtual meeting can take place using a variety of platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Webex and is a real-time interaction online.
Hybrid meetings
A hybrid meeting connects people that are remote and online and people who are face-to-face.
Events
An event can be a conference, organisational training, festival, fund-raiser, or a community event. These often require significant planning components.
The accessible events guide will support you to plan and deliver an inclusive event throughout the event planning stages: including before, during and after your event.
We acknowledge Bayside's Disability Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee for sharing their expertise and providing their lived experience in the development of this resource.