The American Sociological Association has developed a comprehensive policy to ensure the highest level of inclusion for all members. They have 15 recommendations that could be a model for others to follow.
While the focus is on conferences, seminars and other events they hold, the list also includes: how to file a disability complaint regarding the association, processes for membership renewal to the association, orientation to conference venue or meeting site, and web content accessibility rules. The article is in the Association’s publication, Footnotes, and is titled, Implementing Professional Curb Cuts: Recommendations of the Status Committee on Persons with Disabilities.
ASA has on ongoing commitment to using universal design principles to make ASA events truly welcoming to all members.
The Status Committee’s 15 recommendations are:
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- Continue to support the Committee on the Status of Persons with Disabilities.
- Continue to collect disability related data during membership renewal process.
- Fully institute a system for recording disability concerns and their resolution.
- Provide accessible electronic copies of the Annual Meeting program upon request as a standard accessibility feature.
- Establish as standard ASA policy and practice the distribution of a letter regarding disability services to members who check the box requesting information during their membership renewal.
- As part of standard meeting policy, the hotel should complete an accessibility checklist, preferably before contracting or at least a year before the meeting, to enable the identification of accessibility problems. Based on this checklist, ASA staff can identify potential problems and negotiate their resolution. Completed checklists should be recorded and saved, and made available to the committee to the extent appropriate, along with reports on changes made to properties in response to them.
- As part of standard meeting policy, the ASA should conduct an on-site inspection following receipt of the checklist.
- Provide an orientation/walk-through of the Annual Meeting site upon request as a standard accessibility service (to be conducted by members of the Committee or members of the Section on Disabilities).
- Provide a gender-neutral restroom as a standard accessibility service.
- Provide captioning for all plenary sessions as standard practice (not simply upon request).
- Insert accessibility features/concerns onto the Annual Meeting program maps.
- Materials related to the Annual Meeting site more broadly should offer relevant accessibility information (e.g., the restaurant guide, tour descriptions, and location transportation information).
- A brief mention of disability services and how to file a concern/complaint should be in the Annual Meeting program, on the website, and emailed to any member who has requested information on these services when they renewed their membership.
- As a matter of policy, include a link to the 2008 Footnotes articles on universal design and accessible presentations in acceptance notices for Annual Meeting presentations.
- Provide continued support needed to gain a “Double-A Conformance to Web Content Accessibility” sticker for the ASA web site, awarded by the Website Accessibility Initiative (WAI).