Planning for Accessibility

Planning for equitable engagement is not just about making people aware of engagement but also making sure that engagement is accessible.

Barriers to Access

Transportation & Location

The location of your engagement events is an important factor in their accessibility. You want your location to be easily accessible by whatever transportation methods your target audience may use. You want to meet the community where they are, literally. You should host engagement in the neighborhood where you’re working, or at the project site itself.

Sometimes hosting at the project site isn’t feasible. This could be due to logistical reasons like weather or social reasons such as your audience feeling uncomfortable at the site in its current state. If this is the case, you can look for other locations where your audience will feel comfortable. Think about places where they already gather; Is there a community center, church, school, or other space where your audience regularly meets? As you’re considering spaces, remember to keep thinking about who’s missing. Ask yourself if anyone, especially in your target audience, may feel unwelcome in the space you choose.

If you’re doing a neighborhood planning project, especially with multiple neighborhoods, there can be local political concerns to keep in mind when choosing a meeting location. If you host all of your meetings in one neighborhood, it can create a power imbalance. You might want to consider alternating meeting locations or choosing a more neutral space. If there’s already a power imbalance between neighborhoods, you might even consider redistributing that power by hosting meetings in the most disadvantaged neighborhood.

Of course, the location of meetings and events is something you should always determine with the partner. They are the experts on their communities and will have more knowledge of local spaces.

Timing & Capacity

The timing of engagement is also an important factor in accessibility. You want to consider both how much time you’re asking participants to commit to and when you’re asking them to participate.

Everybody is busy and their time is valuable. You want respect the community’s time when you’re planning engagement. Consider whether you can afford to compensate participants for their participants. Are there grants you can apply to to support compensation? If you can’t monetarily compensate participants, consider what other benefits you can offer them for participating such as food and childcare. You should make sure that the community is getting just as much out of participating as you are getting out of their participation. You can also think about how you can make events more fun for people to engage in. If engagement becomes a time for connecting, it can provide more benefits to the community than just influencing the design.

When thinking about what time of day and week to host engagement, you should consider the typical schedule of your participants. What days and times might they be busiest with work, kids, school, or other responsibilities? Parents may be busy getting dinner together on weeknights but Sundays might be difficult for communities with large churchgoing populations. It’s often impossible to find one time that works for everyone’s schedule, so hosting multiple events can help you overcome this barrier. Also, alleviating some of your participants responsibilities, like childcare and providing meals, can also make it easier for them to participate.

Specific Barriers to Participation

Certain demographic groups may face additional barriers to participating in engagement. If you know that your target audience may face barriers due to ability, language, age, or other reasons, it’s important to plan how you can make engagement more accessible for them. Those who face the most challenges participating in engagement are likely the ones whose voices are most important, because they have been historically marginalized. Equitable engagement requires that you disrupt these cycles of exclusion and injustice by making engagement accessible.

Below are a few guidelines for engaging specific demographic groups. These guides come from the Queensland Government’s Community Engagement Toolkit. These and other resources on accessibility can also be found in the Engagement Database.

Engaging People with Disabilities

1. Identify and work with local groups: Have you identified and contacted representatives of local groups that are led by or support people with disabilities? Contacting these groups will allow you to test your engagement approach, and confirm the engagement methods and communication channels that people with disability, their families and carers, access.

2. 1. These groups may also be able to help to promote your engagement process and events through their networks.

3. Timing and location of meetings: Have you considered whether the timing and location of meetings will encourage people with disability to attend? People with disabilities sometimes need extra time to get ready in the mornings, so consider starting your meetings after 9.30 am and finishing by 4.00 pm. Make sure any breaks in the meeting are long enough so that people with disabilities have adequate time to use the bathroom or eat. Let people know where the accessible toilet is located and always check it is working before your event.

4. 1. Venue choice is important when making events and meetings accessible to people with disabilities. Consider issues such as mobility (e.g. wheelchair access), hearing impairment (e.g. the need for an ASL interpreter or captioning), and vision impairment.

   2. Sharing an Access Guide before the meeting can help people with disabilities know if their accessibility needs will be met before they decide whether or not to attend the event.

5. Communicate effectively: Have you considered the particular communication needs of people with disabilities attending your meeting? Always make sure the information is clear and concise, and in an easy-English format so that everyone can understand. You may need to provide presentations and other information in alternative formats, such as rtf or pdf for people with visual impairment, or you may need to provide an ASL interpreter for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. You may need to provide support workers, or encourage support workers to attend events, to help translate information and support any dialogue. It is also important to allow enough time for people with communication and cognitive difficulties to contribute.

6. 1. Be particularly mindful of using respectful language at all times. Be careful not to make assumptions about people’s abilities or skills – when in doubt, ask the person if they need support.

7. Choice of engagement techniques: Have you considered the range of techniques that could be necessary to engage with people with disability? Small or individual meetings are preferred to large meetings, so that people can contribute.

8. Catering: Have you thought about the food and drinks that you provide at your meeting? You might need to offer to help some people with disabilities to get their tea or coffee and provide some drinking straws and taller glasses for water. When you are working out food for your catering, try to provide smaller items, like slices or fruit that can be easily picked up and eaten.

Engaging People from Culturally or Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds

1. Identify and work with local groups: Have you identified and contacted community organizations and representatives that are led by or support those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds? Engaging with multicultural organizations and community leaders will allow you to seek advice and identify which approach is most appropriate when planning your engagement and communication strategies.

2. 1. These groups may also be able to help to promote your engagement process and events through their networks.

3. Timing and location of meetings: Have you considered whether the timing and location of meetings will encourage people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to attend? Make sure that you have chosen venues that will not exclude particular communities (e.g. licensed premises). And have not timed events to coincide with festivals, holy days, or prayer times.

4. Communicate effectively: Have you considered the communication needs of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds? You need to:

5. 1. Use appropriate distribution channels (e.g. multicultural media)

   2. Use multilingual resources and interpreters where required

   3. Consider whether people would be more comfortable speaking with someone of a particular gender or from a particular cultural group

   4. Consider literacy levels

   5. Provide culturally appropriate refreshments

   6. Consider cultural patterns of communication (e.g. the order in which people speak at meetings)

   7. Avoid jargon and acronyms, and explain technical terms

   8. Consider whether there are trust issues in particular communities that could cause some information to be deemed too sensitive to share. (e.g. information that might expose immigration status)

Timing: Have you provided enough time in your program for written materials to be translated, and for this translation to be verified by a third party? Translating materials is only part of the task. You also need to make sure that the translation is accurate and culturally appropriate. Have you allowed enough time at meetings for interpreters to ensure all participants understand key messages and can express their views?

Engaging Young People

1. Identify and work with local groups: Have you identified and contacted representatives of local groups that work with, or support, young people? Contacting these groups will allow you to test your engagement approach, and confirm the engagement methods and communication channels that young people in a particular community access.

2. 1. These groups may also be able to help to promote your engagement events and process through their networks.

3. Legislative requirements: Have you considered if there are any legislative requirements to address as part of your engagement process with young people? Where engagement activities and events are designed to encourage people under the age of 18 to participate there may be requirements that will ensure that these environments are safe

4. Timing and location of meetings: Have you considered whether the timing and location of meetings will encourage young people to attend? Make sure that young people can access the venue (e.g. avoid venues that serve alcohol or have gambling activities). Also, make sure that meetings or events are held at times when young people can attend and when there are transport options available (e.g. public transport, or private transport provided by parents or guardians).

5. Build capacity to participate: Have you considered if young people need support to build their capacity to participate? Helping young people to develop the skills to participate in your engagement process could help to maximise their participation. This could include learning about planning concepts or learning how to facilitate conversations with their peers. Young people can also be employed to facilitate engagement activities, and may be more approachable for young participants.

6. Choice of engagement techniques: Have you considered the range of techniques that could appeal to young people as part of an engagement process? It is important to offer a range of informal events to encourage young people to participate. It is also important to use a range of techniques that are accessible for young people.

7. 1. Also, be aware that young people come from a diverse range of backgrounds. This diversity needs to be embraced using techniques that are useful to those people from diverse backgrounds. Particular engagement techniques that could appeal to young people are:

   2. 1. Arts workshops

      2. Citizens’ juries

      3. Focus groups, forums and interviews

      4. Online engagement platforms

      5. Text messaging

      6. Peer-led conversations

      7. Surveys

      8. Games (e.g. Minecraft).

8. Communicate effectively: Have you considered the particular communication needs of young people? Generally, to communicate well with young people, you need to:

9. 1. Have a clear and genuine purpose that is meaningful to young people and captures their interest

   2. Provide interesting and clear background information and presentations

   3. Create informal events that are also social, fun, and have frequent breaks

   4. Avoid jargon and acronyms and explain technical terms

   5. Build an understanding of their language or slang, but do not presume to use it as these words can quickly become dated.

10. Provide feedback: Have you considered how you will demonstrate to young people that their contribution has been useful? While feedback mechanisms are important in all engagement processes, they are particularly important for young people that may be participating for the first time. Being able to demonstrate to young people how their contribution influenced the outcome may help to encourage them to become or remain engaged in future planning processes.

Engaging Older People

1. Identify and work with local groups with older members: Have you identified and contacted representatives of local groups? Contacting these groups will allow you to test your engagement approach, and confirm the engagement methods and communication channels that older people in a particular community access.

2. 1. These groups may also to promote your engagement events and process through their networks.

3. Consider the timing and location of meetings: Have you considered whether the timing and location of meetings will encourage older people to attend? Some members of this group have safety, security and mobility concerns that would preclude them from attending engagement events at night, while others may still be active or working and prefer evening or weekend meetings. Meeting locations need to be conveniently located, well lit, with access to car parking and public transport. This information should be made available to older people when inviting them to attend meetings. Venues need to provide comfortable seating and temperature, and be accessible. They also need to cater for various abilities. Also, visiting where older people live or shop, or connecting with existing events or meetings attended by older people, could encourage participation in the engagement process.

4. Choice of engagement techniques: Have you considered whether the older people in your community use or have access to technology? Have you considered how mobility and accessibility could affect your choice of engagement technique? It may be necessary to provide a mix of online and mobile engagement methods with more traditional print methods. It may also be necessary to consider the mobility needs of the audience when choosing engagement techniques (e.g. a facilitation technique that requires participants to move frequently may not be useful in some circumstances). This group is also interested in attending events, so provide opportunities for individual or group discussion.

5. 1. Other techniques to consider are:

   2. 1. Using local radio, local newspapers or newsletters distributed by organizations that support older people (e.g. Seniors Peak Service and other seniors organizations)

      2. Attending or distributing information through social clubs and seniors’ clubs.

      3. Surveys (in-person and online)

      4. Peer-led conversations or engagement events.

6. Communicate effectively: Have you considered if this audience has any particular communication needs? Generally, to communicate well with older people, you need to

7. 1. Listen well

   2. Be respectful

   3. Use plain language, large fonts and color that is easy to read

   4. Consider whether a support person (e.g. a family member) should also be part of the discussion

   5. Be hospitable and, where appropriate, provide refreshments

   6. Make sure that electronic equipment, such as mobile phones, radios, televisions and ticket machines have large buttons and large lettering

   7. Share status updates or outcomes with older people after the event

   8. Not be patronizing

Engaging Unhoused or Disadvantaged People

1. Identify and work with local groups: Have you identified and contacted representatives of local groups that work with, or support, disadvantaged and homeless people? Contacting these groups will allow you to test your engagement approach, and confirm the engagement methods and communication channels that disadvantaged and homeless people in your community access.

2. 1. These groups may also be able help to promote your engagement events and processes through their networks. They will also have access to facilities, meetings and events that will allow you to take your engagement process to disadvantaged and homeless people.

3. Communicate effectively: Have you considered the communication needs of disadvantaged and homeless people? Generally, to communicate well with disadvantaged and homeless people you need to:

4. 1. Be aware of literacy and numeracy levels and provide both written, visual, and oral information, as well as written, visual, and oral ways to participate

   2. Provide ways for disadvantaged and homeless people to participate for free (e.g. free internet access to access online materials or engagement techniques, or free transport to events)

   3. Provide opportunities to meet during a meal time, and provide a light meal or refreshments

   4. Avoid jargon and unfamiliar acronyms and explain technical terms

   5. Consider whether there are trust issues for some individuals

   6. Be careful not to use language that stigmatizes or alienates individuals.

Accessibility Tools