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Dear Colleagues, I am reviewing our draft guidelines for how we select venues for our conferences. Our audiences are usually students and academics presenting papers/ posters and workshops. Many but not all of our events take place within university conference facilities or at a departmental level. We've put together what we think is a reasonably comprehensive but practical list of questions but have been asked by our members (who would be organising events on our behalf) for which aspects should be considered essential and which should be considered desirable (I would be inclined to say all are essential to maximise inclusivity but I am not a specialist in disability support). I am more than happy to pick up the phone and chat off list if anyone is able to provide comment and happy to share the final document with the list if useful. Event booking Does the booking form allow for any additional services or support requirements to be communicated (or indicated?)? Accommodation If your event or course is residential, is adapted accommodation available? Is there ground floor accommodation or accessible lifts? Car Parking Is disabled parking available? Is the venue easily accessible from the disabled parking (for example how far away is it and are there any gradients or slopes)? Entrance point Is there a level entry point to the venue? If not, do any steps have handrails and ramps or are there ramps / slopes? Are the door widths sufficient for wheelchair access? Signage Is the signage to the rooms and facilities being used clear? Is there a nominated helper for anyone with a declared disability? Routes and access Are all routes easily negotiable and step free (to the conference room, to the catering, to WCs etc? Are doors easily opened? Is there a wheelchair accessible lift? Are the emergency instructions and signage to fire escapes clearly indicated and communicated? Is the stage/speaker area accessible (from the main seating area)? Facilities Does the venue have an accessible WC? Is this clearly signposted? Support Is there a microphone available for speakers? Is there an induction loop installed? Is it switched on and who is responsible for this? Can seats be reserved in advance (visually impaired people may request a seat at the front)? Are there procedures in place for evacuating disabled people, including wheelchair users, in an emergency? Will venue staff be available to help evacuate disabled delegates and facilitators, and have the staff had appropriate training? Are guide dogs or other assistance dogs accepted and provided for (i.e. water) in the building, including in the catering area? Is there a guide dog walking route identified? Many thanks in advance. Kind regards Karen Devine Head of External Affairs British Ecological Society Charles Darwin House. 12 Roger Street, London, WC1N 2JU Direct: Mob: 075 1592 3858 Direct line ( Mondays and Tuesday) 020 7685 2511 Twitter<https://twitter.com/BritishEcolSoc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw> / Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/BritishEcolSoc> / Instagram<https://www.instagram.com/britishecolsoc/> Become a member<https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/portal-register/becoming-bes-member/> Get involved<http://britishecologicalsociety.org/membership-community/> [BES_Annual_Meeting_2018_Landscape_Logo SMALL] Our vision: a world inspired, informed and influenced by ecology We are Europe's largest ecological society, in terms of membership, services and activities. Our members are central to our work in science and outreach; through them we represent not only ecologists, but the science of ecology as well. ------------------------------------- Think before you print! ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the DIS-FORUM list, click the following link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=DIS-FORUM&A=1