Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

www.hrsdc.gc.ca

Breadcrumb

  1. Home >
  2. Disability Issues >
  3. Resources

Guide to Planning Inclusive Meetings

Chapter 4 – Providing Accessible Services and Materials

The most successful meeting is one in which everyone can participate fully and includes the clear communication of ideas, strategies and common goals. It is important when you are organizing a meeting to remember to provide materials in a format that allows everyone to participate.

A variety of products and services exist to help ensure that individual needs are accommodated in meetings. Although some participants may have the same or similar disability, do not assume that they will request the same accommodation. Accommodations are unique to each person and dependent on a variety of factors.

Written materials are easiest to read when printed using a sans serif font in high-contrast colours. Sans serif fonts are types that do not have serifs, which are the little extra strokes that often look like tails found at the start and end of the letter. The most widely used serif font is Times New Roman. Examples of sans serif fonts are Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Futura, Univers and Franklin Gothic. The CNIB has developed an accessible design standard for printed material, called the Clear Print Guideline, which you can access on the CNIB Web site. For a link, see chapter 5.

Some people may have disabilities that make it difficult or impossible for them to read printed material. This includes people who are blind or have a visual impairment; it also includes people with learning disabilities and may include some people with mobility disabilities. These participants may require materials in alternative formats and may identify themselves as having a print disability.

A person who is blind or has a visual impairment may ask for materials in Braille, while others may request material on diskette, CD, DVD, flash drive, digital talking books (often DAISY), audio or other alternative formats.

Some people who are hard of hearing may request an infrared system, while others may ask for the services of a note taker or real-time captionist.

People with intellectual disabilities may require documents in plain language. Plain language means the words are direct and straightforward, and the material in documents is organized logically and the sentences are constructed clearly and simply. Use only words that are necessary, and avoid long sentences with complex construction. It is important to remember that it is not “baby talk,” nor is it a simplified version of language. A good organization to consult about plain language is Clear Language and Design (CLAD). For more information about CLAD, see chapter 5.


Top of Page

4.1 Interpreter and intervenor services

Note: See the glossary for definitions of sign language interpreters, oral interpreters, intervenors and advisors.

The simplest way to begin planning interpreter services for your meeting is to contact the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) or the Association of Visual Language Interpreters of Canada (AVLIC) and have them direct you to local service providers. The Web addresses for these organizations are in chapter 5.

If you have people in attendance who require the services of an intervenor, the CHS can direct you to services offered in your area. You can also contact the Canadian Deafblind and Rubella Association (CDRA), which has local chapters throughout the country. The Web address for the CDRA’s national office is in chapter 5.

Translation Bureau: For those who work in the federal public service, the Translation Bureau at Public Works and Government Services Canada offers the following services:

  • American Sign Language (ASL)
  • Langue des signes du Québec (LSQ)
  • Deaf-blind intervenor services
  • Simultaneous interpretation

The Translation Bureau provides these services for:

  • participants at federal government conferences, public hearings or other public meetings
  • federal public service employees who need help communicating with a person who is deaf
  • federal public service employees who are deaf who need help communicating with people who do not use sign language

Requests by federal public servants for other services not mentioned above can be arranged for a fee through local organizations for people who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing. A list of organizations that offer these services is available from the Translation Bureau.

For the Web address of the Translation Bureau, see chapter 5.

Depending on how long the meeting will be, you should ask the service providers how many interpreters will be needed. Interpreters need a break every 15 to 20 minutes, so if your meeting is longer than 20 minutes you should plan on hiring two sign language interpreters.

Note: Interpreters, interveners, captionists and note takers may require hands-free earphones to process the information in their language of work when simultaneous interpretation services are provided.


Top of Page

4.2 Real-time captioning and note taking services

Real-time captioning can enhance communication for people who have a hearing loss, people who have certain types of learning disabilities and people whose first language is neither English nor French. It also has the added benefit of providing an electronic record of the meeting’s proceedings.

The delay between the speech and the appearance of the written text is typically less than two seconds, allowing readers to participate fully in the proceedings. If both anglophone and francophone participants require real-time captioning, plan on having two captionists, along with their related equipment, at the meeting.

The captionist’s text output may be transferred to a monitor or projected onto a screen. Where they are available, a laptop computer may be used for one-on-one meetings, while larger gatherings may require a projection screen.

Consult local associations for people who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing for contact names of real-time captionists and note takers. Examples of these associations are listed in chapter 5.


Top of Page

4.3 Alternatives to print formats

People who have print disabilities may rely on alternative formats such as Braille, large print, DAISY, audio, diskette, flash or jump drives, CD, DVD, or a format that can be downloaded. Converting materials may require some time, so you need to consider these requests in your overall planning.

Producing material in alternative formats could be as simple as removing specialized formatting; saving as a text file (.txt) rather than a Word format (.doc); or saving the document in a separate file to be transferred to CD, DVD, or downloaded from the Web. However, the process can be more complicated, depending on the format. Always check with the person who made the request about the format needed.

4.4 Captioned material

Videos and film clips used during meetings should be captioned to ensure participants who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing can access the information presented.

Captioned products can be viewed with a standard television. Television sets manufactured after 1993 have built-in captioning microchips. The television menu or closed caption (CC) button on the remote control provides access to the captioning.

4.5 Assistive listening devices

People who use hearing aids may need an assistive listening device, which requires an amplification system. If participants are seated at tables, make sure each table has microphone(s). Larger meetings may require hands-free microphones in addition to the traditional podium microphone.

Local associations for people who are deaf, deafened and hard of hearing can provide information on where you can rent or purchase amplification systems. Some telecommunications or audiovisual companies can also advise you on the specific auditory requirements of a meeting.

Footer

Date Modified:
2011-12-15