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SQLBits ; Danielle Bounds , sales director , ICC Wales ; and Megan Strahle , sustainability consultant , The Bulb , to find out more .
Seeing clearly The first step in inclusive event design is recognising what needs a community has and how to attend to them . This can be trickier than it sounds , across the spectrum of intersectionality , these needs are not only physically apparent , but can include hidden disabilities and neurodivergence .
Helen Moon , chief executive and founder , Eventwell ®, said : “ With people who need assistance , in terms of chairs , walking devices , that ’ s very easy to address , because we can see it . There ’ s also a very , very clear guidance in terms of what to do .
“ When it comes to invisible disabilities , just because something is hidden , just because it ’ s something that we haven ’ t experienced , doesn ’ t mean that it
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doesn ’ t exist , doesn ’ t mean that it ’ s not very , very real , for someone who has to live with those kinds of aspects on a day-to-day basis .”
This broadness in needs is a tough nut for organisers to crack , it ’ s not a case of installing a ramp and calling it job done , it ’ s about creating in-depth inclusion strategies that reach across the boundaries of people ’ s needs .
For SQLBits , an SQL Server and Microsoft Data Platform conference , meeting the needs of its community as standard does as much for those who identify in the ‘ typical ’ range . Simon Sabin , founder , SQLBits , said : “ Our fundamental belief is that if we deliver something that caters for everybody ’ s neurodiversity , everyone ’ s foible , then actually it ’ s beneficial for those people that think they ’ re typical .
“ Invariably they probably have some avoidable trigger that means that they will have a better experience without .”
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“ I think we ’ re at the point in our professional life where you need to have an inclusion and accessibility budget , I think that ’ s now nonnegotiable .” – Megan Strahle |
Road to change As with all things sustainable , driving change and demonstrating a need to create inclusive spaces will be a key roadblock for those organisers wanting to invest . While the moral reasons are becoming clear for more people , the financial incentives could be the catalyst for real-world action . Lou Kiwanuka , founder , The Ops Nest , said : “ I think there are new commercial drivers for increasing accessibility . Communities , especially those centred around disability , have much louder and stronger voices through social media . You don ’ t have to go far into social media to see somebody ’ s experience of inaccessibility in an event space .”
Agreeing with Kiwanuka , Sabin spoke about attracting a new segment of a community , simply by making his event open to all . He said : “ You don ’ t know the people that aren ’ t coming to your event , people don ’ t go and ask for
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