Give participants clear information in advance

Make sure participants know what to expect in advance so they can plan and prepare before the event. Give clear guidance on how to use tools and share accessible materials.

Share planning information in advance

Let participants know the details of the activities before the event, so they have enough time to arrange logistics and any accommodations or alternatives they may require. Provide information about what to expect when they get to the session days before the activity.

Helpful logistical information could include:

details of the location and physical set up, including transport options
details of the technical set up
details about emergency protocols and safety
accommodations you will or could provide
who will be at the session, including who will be facilitating.

Relevant pages

Plan: Meet people’s accessibility needs

Plan: Plan accessible in-person activities

Deliver: Check remote tools

Factsheet: inclusive consultations – talking accessibly about your project (Inclusion Australia)

Readability guidelines (Content Design London)

Physical set up

Some of the physical places, people and aspects participants will need to know about include:

the location of the activity
how to get to the location and how to navigate to and within the building
nearby and accessible parking or public transport options, taxi ranks or websites/phone numbers for booking accessible taxis
the names of the people to contact before the event and on arrival
availability of accessible restrooms and changing places, including if toilets need a master locksmiths access key (MLAK)
the expected dress code
emergency and evacuation plans and procedures
facilities available, including accessible options
the type/s of food or refreshments available, if any
other food options nearby with accessible routes.

You should also let participants know about any assumptions you have made when planning the activities. These could include assumptions that participants will be able to:

talk or work in small groups
handwrite
move around the room
move between locations
speak aloud
use technology, for example computers or phones
not use technology, for example turning off their phones.

Relevant pages

Plan: Meet people’s accessibility needs

Plan: Plan accessible in-person activities

Master Locksmiths Access Key (Master Locksmiths)

Find a Changing Places toilet (Changing Places)

Technical set up

Tell participants about the technology you will use during the activity, and any technology you will expect them to use. When incorporating technology into activities:

Think about how participants will interact with the technology.
Make sure the technology works with participants’ accommodations or assistive technology.
Test the technology beforehand.
Be prepared to support people with disability to use the technology.
Consider offering an optional pre-activity workshop, where participants can get technical advice and test tools, equipment, logging in, and other features.

Send participants information about the technical set up, such as guidance or information on:

finding, getting to, or logging into the activity if it is remote
integrating with popular assistive technology, such as JAWS, Dragon, ZoomText, switches, and inbuilt screen readers
setting up any programs you and they will use
understanding the features of any technology you and they will use
accessing any online links
setting up any accessibility features they may use
getting help for any technology you and they will use, for example, troubleshooting common issues.

Relevant pages

Plan: Meet people’s accessibility needs

Deliver: Check remote tools

Share preparation information and materials in advance

Consider how you will send preparation information to participants accessibly and what you should include. This helps participants understand what will happen during the activity and how to prepare for it.

Helpful information to provide participants beforehand includes:

an agenda, so people know what to expect
consent or other legal documents they will be asked to sign
information about your organisation, your project, and the facilitator(s)
who to contact and how to contact them if they have questions
details of a formal complaints process participants can use if required that is outside of the project or activity – for example, managed at the facilitation team’s organisational level
copies of any documents or slides that will be discussed during the activity
links to the virtual meeting space or remote tools that may be used, such as online collaboration spaces
audio or visual instructions for the activity
materials in other formats and languages, including Easy Read, Auslan and languages other than English.

You should:

Provide materials in the most accessible format possible for your participants. This may require having multiple options for different people.
Use plain language, and only use jargon if you explain it. When required, provide materials in Easy Read and other accessible formats, such as a summary version.
Give people accessible copies of all materials you will show, talk about, or create during the activity. Make sure each presenter gives you their material in advance so you can share it with participants in an accessible format.
Give people access to any remote or online tools you will use so they can practise using them. For example, add instructions in an area that is used only for testing, or start the activity with a warmup that encourages participants to use the tool.

Ensure participants are made aware of:

information about the activity and project
information about you and your organisation
how their data will be collected and what it will be used for
who to contact and how to contact them if they have questions
how to participate
how to consent to the activity.

Example

Guest speakers at your conference will be presenting a report. You share the report with participants in advance so that participants who are blind and have low vision can use assistive technology ahead of the session to run through the report. On the day of the conference, participants follow along with the presentation and can quickly navigate through the report because they are familiar with it.

The best time to send pre-activity information depends on the needs of the participants and the nature of the information. You send mandatory pre-reading to participants 1-2 weeks before the activity, depending on the length of the materials. You send the agenda and all non-mandatory materials 3 business days before the activity.

You also re-send all materials 2 business days before the activity to remind participants of the content and ensure it is fresh in their minds on the day.

Relevant pages

Design: Follow ethical standards

Plan: Create accessible materials

Plan: Create accessible materials – print and digital documents

Plan: Create accessible materials – audio and video content

Deliver: Check remote tools

Deliver: Manage changing responsibility between team members

Tool: Consent form template

Tool: Expression of interest form template

Prepare participants for an unfacilitated engagement

For some unfacilitated activities, you cannot send pre-activity information to participants. You should:

Consider the assumptions you are making about potential participants’ digital capacity and access to digital resources. Think about how you might attract participants and deliver the activity without using the internet.
Make sure people can access key information before they participate.
Include information about the activity in your communication. This could include on the tools you use to identify and attract participants, or on a homepage, information pages, or landing pages.
Provide guiding information that is clear and understandable. Use plain language, explain complex or uncommon words, and/or add images with alternative text.
Provide multiple ways for people to ask for help to understand the information. These could include accessible videos, documents, CSS tooltips, and/or a helpline.

Provide multiple ways for participants to complete activities. For example, via text, audio, file uploads, by mail, and/or a facilitated option.

Ensure participants are made aware of:

information about the activity and project
information about you and your organisation
how their data will be collected what it is used for
who to contact and how to contact them if they have questions
how to participate
how to consent to the activity.

Example

You are running a consultation process where you are collecting experiences and case studies from participants. You provide detailed information about the objectives of the consultation and how you will use the information you gather. You provide guidance on how participants should approach their responses, and the various ways they can submit them to the consultation.

You make sure to introduce yourself and your organisation. You also explain how participants can contact you if they have questions, would like additional support, or want to retract their submission.