Zoetermeer hosts annual events that attract thousands of visitors. That could be even higher if the events were more accessible to the disabled.

Event organizers can take steps to make their event as accessible as possible. Municipality of Zoetermeer wants to promote that and provides tips on how to make your event accessible to everyone. The reason is simple: everyone should be able to participate.

Tips accessible events

With a few measures, you can ensure that your event is easily accessible to people with disabilities. Municipality of Zoetermeer has prepared a checklist of tips.

Invitation

Your event begins with an invitation or announcement. The information can be accessible to everyone by following the tips below.

  • Also make informational materials available in Braille or in a leaflet with a larger font. For example, if you know that many elderly people are coming, you can have invitations or leaflets already printed in larger type.
  • In your informational materials, mention what facilities are available for the disabled.
  • If you are easily accessible by phone, people can call to inquire about it.
  • Make sure your website is easy to read by, for example, setting a sharp color contrast and giving the reader the choice to change the font size. For more information on making websites accessible, visit the Thresholds Away website: www.drempelvrij.nl
  • It is customer friendly if your employees are well informed about disability options.

Checklist for an accessible location

Make sure the location where your event will be held is easily accessible to everyone from public roads.

Outside

  • Make the route to the entrance obstacle-free.
  • If there is a threshold, stairs or step, make sure there is a ramp or threshold plate (movable) near it if there is no other wheelchair access. The ramp should not be too steep.
  • The ramp should have a handrail or fence so that people can hold on and children cannot fall off.
  • Outdoor walking routes are best when they are paved. You can use planking, decking or rubber mats for this purpose.

Inside

  • Provide a clearly identifiable walking route from the entrance to the information desk and to the event. You can mark it with arrows on the floor or signposts.
  • Signs should be easy to read: large letters in a color that contrasts well with the background. Keep in mind that color-blind people have difficulty with certain color combinations, such as red and green.
  • You can create a guide line for the blind and visually impaired. This can be done, for example, with rubber mats on which you can attach directional arrows, if necessary.
  • There should be no loose cords on the walkway. You can get rid of them by covering them with tape, for example.
  • If there are obstacles in the walkway, make sure they are higher than sixty centimeters and that they stand out because of a different color.
  • Height differences of more than two centimeters pose a problem for many people. You can bridge them with a threshold plate.
  • Two percent of the seating at the venue where the event is held must be wheelchair accessible. You may choose to put down "loose" chairs that can be easily removed.
  • Make sure there is also a handicapped toilet.
  • Many counters or points of sale, such as market stalls, are often too high for small people or people in wheelchairs. Therefore, make sure that counters and stalls also have a low area.
  • If you are using a sound system in the room where the event is being held, make sure that a loop or infrared system is available for the deaf and hard of hearing.
  • For deaf people, it is nice if a sign language interpreter is present or if the spoken information is also displayed visually.
  • Provide good lighting so that visually impaired people are not hindered by backlighting or shadows.

Additional

  • You provide additional service by allowing people to rent/loan a wheelchair.
  • Make sure your staff and any speakers are aware of the needs of people with disabilities. For example, hearing-impaired people can only lip-read if they can look straight at the speaker. Visually impaired people benefit from being able to touch things.
  • Have your employees lend a hand when people with wheelchairs or walkers have difficulty with a particular obstacle.
  • Address disabled people directly and do not talk over their heads to their supervisor.
  • Make sure employees are easily identifiable to everyone.

Learn more

We have taken you a long way with this information toward making your event more accessible. If you would like more information, please contact various disability advocacy groups or other organizations for that.