Guide to Planning Inclusive Meetings

Well-planned meetings are an essential communication tool for any organization. Meetings in the workplace and in volunteer and community groups regularly bring people together to share information, develop strategies, work toward common goals and celebrate successes.

The success of any meeting depends on the active participation of all invited participants. Given the amount of time, effort and resources spent on planning meetings, it makes good business sense to think of and organize meetings in a way that supports full participation.

An area often overlooked by meeting planners, or dismissed as too difficult, is how to make the meeting accessible for people with disabilities. By considering accessibility as part of the planning process, you ensure that everyone can participate and be involved, which means a successful meeting.

This guide is based on a valued, inclusive approach to every individual. We have chosen to highlight points of importance for people with disabilities to address specific planning considerations, but these principles of inclusion can apply to a broader range of the population.

The goal of this guide is to help planners learn to organize meetings that are inclusive and for this to become a permanent part of all meetings, no matter who attends.

The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) has a general duty to accommodate guideline that outlines the obligation to meaningfully incorporate diversity into the workplace. This duty involves eliminating or changing rules, policies, practices and behaviours that discriminate based on a group characteristic, including disability. You can learn more about the duty to accommodate at the CHRC Web site. For links to the CHRC and other resources, see Web page of Chapter 5 – Resources.

Users of this guide from public institutions should note that the duty to accommodate is further reinforced through legislation and policies such as the Employment Equity Act and the Policy on the Duty to Accommodate Persons with Disabilities in the Federal Public Service. For links to more information on these, see Web page of Chapter 5 – Resources.

This new version of the guide updates information from the 2002 edition, and includes practical tips and advice on planning meetings in a way that allows people with disabilities to actively engage and participate.

In updating this guide, the Office for Disability Issues held focus groups to consult with people with disabilities and experts in the disability community and government. As a result of these consultations, the guide has been updated and content has been added. This version of the guide focuses exclusively on planning meetings. For information on hotel accommodation and transportation, please consult a professional event planner.