Philippa writes about how feminist meetings and events can be made truly accessible to disabled women.

Despite it being illegal, and exclusionary, many feminist groups run events which are inaccessible to disabled women. There are arguments put forward about the expense of accessible meeting rooms, but they don’t stand up. If you are a feminist, it is just wrong to hold meetings or events which don’t allow a group of women who are part of a minority group to join in and contribute.

Unfortunately what I can’t give you here is an easy checklist of things to do to make your event accessible, although this one is a pretty good start. The thing about impairments is that they really vary from person to person. It is for this reason that you must be really open to hearing the access requests of people who contact your group, or who try to attend. It is also really important that non-disabled group members don’t assume their meetings are accessible, without checking with disabled people.

There are some basic requirements, of course. If there are steps, make sure there is also a ramp or a lift. Make sure that doorways are wide enough to accommodate different mobility aids, and that the rooms have sufficient space for mobility-impaired people to move around. Make sure that there are accessible toilets, that these toilets are not full of cleaning equipment, and that non-disabled people don’t use them. You need to be prepared to produce any handouts or leaflets in large print or on different coloured paper.

The next most important thing is that you educate yourself so that if you get queries or requests from disabled people, you can answer them. You might be amazed how many times I have emailed somebody to ask about disabled access and just never heard back. I assume that this is because they don’t know the answers to my questions. So, here are some questions you need to know the right answers to, or that you need to know how to find out the answers to, about the building you are meeting in.

Is there a hearing aid loop system?

Are the doors heavy to open?

Can I bring a male PA?

If the event is a demo or protest, is there a safe space within the march, or a shortened version of the march available?

Is there a handrail on any stairs?

Can you provide a BSL interpreter?

Are there regular breaks?

Are any materials you distribute available in an easy-read format?

Do you have the capability to produce materials in Braille?

Can a disabled person use the main entrance or do we need to use a different entrance?

Has the group had any disability awareness training or information?

If a potential new member is anxious about coming, could somebody meet them in advance?

If someone needs to sign in or out of the building, what is the height of the reception desk?

Is there a designated quiet room available?

If you are screening a film, will it have subtitles or audio description?

What is the lighting like?

Does the building have strobe lighting?

Is disablist language challenged in this group?

Are there disabled parking spaces nearby?

How close is the venue to public transport?

Is food provided? If so, what kinds of food, and how is it presented?

If you get a question you don’t know the answer to, or don’t understand, then do look it up, or find out the correct answer. None of us knows everything, and this is fine. Ignoring the question or giving misinformation is not ok. Earlier today I saw a blog comment asking whether an event would have a quiet space available for disabled participants, and the event promoter recommended a nearby Starbucks. This appears to be an example of guesswork, whereas looking up the concept of a quiet space in the context of disability access would have shown that suggesting Starbucks was really highly inappropriate.

If you are unsure what somebody means when they ask a question about accessibility, ask them to clarify. If you don’t know the answer to a question, find the person who does. Nobody expects you to be an expert, what they do expect and require is that you make an effort. Feminist groups who are still excluding disabled women need to seriously question their motivations, and the impact this has on individual women, on a whole group of excluded women, and on the messages they send out about their priorities, their principles and their consciousness and awareness.

If you have any more suggestions about how feminist meetings can be made accessible, please let us know in the comments below!

[The first image is a photograph of a sign outside a building. On the sign is an illustration of the well-known ‘wheelchair user’ symbol with a line through it, and underneath are the words “Accessible Entrance”, with arrows going to either side. It was taken by wintersoul1 and is used under a Creative Commons Licence. The second image is a collection of 4 pictograms. On the top left is the symbol for wheelchair accessibility; on the top right the symbol for sign language interpretation; on the bottom left is the symbol for low vision access; and on the bottom right the symbol for Braille. It is in the Public Domain]