Even in a time where public gatherings are still approached with caution in light of COVID-19, hosting an ADA30 event can still be a powerful way to honor the Americans with Disabilities Act and bring awareness to the challenges individuals with disabilities face. If a real-life event is not feasible, move it online! Plenty of conferences and gatherings have been transformed into virtual events in the past several months, and with a little planning you can make your digital event a success.
Outdoor events add festivity
The 30th anniversary of the ADA is on July 26. Take advantage of the warm weather and long days to plan a socially distanced outdoor event. People will feel more comfortable mingling in an open space and have more room to spread out. With more space, you can even host a guide-dog centric rally!
Take advantage of the post-8pm sunset and plan an after-work get together. As the sun goes down and the temperature drops, being outside becomes infinitely preferable to being confined in a stuffy auditorium or conference center.
Tools to use for virtual events
If an in-person gathering doesn’t appeal to you, host an online gathering. Tools like Zoom or Go-to-Webinar allow participants to connect with speakers, and, if the gathering is small enough, to see the other attendees. If you prefer social media, get people excited and engaged with a real-time Facebook Live event or live-stream directly from YouTube. Just be sure to check the accessibility of the platform you use for the event beforehand to avoid any unwelcome surprises during the event.
Bring in a speaker
Choose a subject matter expert (SME) who can provide content that will resonate with your audience. Make sure to align your audience’s level of knowledge with the expert’s content, though! Those just learning about accessibility will be overwhelmed by a presentation on the nitty-gritty details of remediation.
If you’re interested in presenting on behalf of your company but you’re not sure where to start, our blog post on training your staff to support people with disabilities has a variety of ideas that you can use to build up your knowledge.
Events happening on July 26
There are plenty of options for attending an event if you don’t have the time or resources to host one yourself. The New England ADA lists a few state-specific events, but here are some virtual options as well:
July 21 from 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm: ADA 30: “Let the Shameful Wall of Exclusion Come Down”
July 22 at 1:00 pm – 2:30 PM ET: ADA 30: a call for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion
July 24 at 10:00 am CT: ADA 30th Moving Forward
July 26 at 12:00 pm CT: Americans With Disabilities Act Virtual Rally
This year, make it a priority to honor the ADA in any way that you can. Whether that’s hosting your own event, evaluating your website for accessibility, or even writing to your elected representative to tell them how you feel about accessibility, there is no act that is too small to matter. For help in improving your organization’s digital accessibility contact TPGi today.