I work in education. I’m a teacher. I work in a state with a union, and participate in that union.
Within this union, I work on the Professional Learning Committee. This committee looks at professional developments being supplied by the state and the school district and supplements them. Educators have more voice and choice with what the union offers, and we often have union members present things that they are interested in or extra qualified for.
For the first time, my union wanted to make their yearly conference in-person. Everyone on the committee was so excited! Everyone except me.
I’m grateful that the chairperson saw my face and asked why I wasn’t excited. And it sparked an interesting conversation that I’m going to tell you about here.
I don’t like in-person professional developments or meetings. Why? Because I’m autistic.
Disclamer: Just because I am autistic does not mean I speak for all people with autism. Some people with autism love socializing. Some love being surrounded by people. Some love loud sounds and stimulation. I don’t. And that’s okay.
I explained to the committee that, in committing to an in-person conference, I’m asking myself a lot of questions. If I get overstimulated, what can I do there? If I suddenly need to leave a session, what will happen? Then, I start scripting, or planning out every small thing that’ll happen at the event. If you’ve done this in the past, you may know how emotionally alarming it is to plan everything out and one thing goes different from the plan and everything feels like it’s falling apart.
I disclosed my disability to my cohort (which I didn’t have to do, but I am comfortable and I felt it gave more oomph to what I was saying to them), and then told them my specific concerns. This conference is not accessible for me. Sure, I can physically get into the space, but the anxiety will overwhelm me and I won’t learn anything.
I was tasked with finding accommodations for this conference so that it is accessible to all, including disabled educators. I know my own experiences, but I took to TikTok for more diverse opinions. I compiled a list a week later and sent it off. Below are the accommodations I listed.
A Quiet Space – I explained that there should be a quiet space available. This could be a room adjacent to the conference (not too far away) where the lights might be off, it’s quiet and not busy. This space is intended to be a self-regulatory space for overstimulated people to go. With the crowd, the networking, the conferences, bright lights, I feel it is necessary. For someone like me, depending on how I feel, I may not need it. But knowing it’s available alleviates my anxiety. Unintendedly, this space can also be a quiet workspace where someone may step in to send an important email. If the crowd is too loud for you to hear yourself think, but you have this super important parent email, step in and send it. This makes this an accessible space for everyone.
Built-in Breaks – I explained that tight timelines can cause transition problems in people with neurodiversity. Providing 7-10 minutes between sessions instead of 5 will improve retention of the information, improve attention in the next session, and provide regulation breaks for those who need it without having to miss a session or arrive late.
Information Ahead of Time – If you can’t beat the scripting, at least provide enough information that the scripting can be more accurate. I told the team to provide information on parking, food, and event locations. In regards to parking, is it on-site? Is there enough parking for the projected attendance? If not, where should overflow go? For food, you don’t have to be specific. You can say “Lunch will be provided. There is an option for an Allergen Friendly Meal.” If there isn’t lunch, are any snacks provided and will they be allergen friendly? If you know lunch is provided, you know not to bring a lunch. Those with food allergies (like me – gluten), may assume they’re being accommodated, or they will pack their own lunch. In one situation, they are disappointed because they can’t eat. In the other, they may overeat or waste food. This doesn’t mean attendees should be notified that there will be Cheez-Its and pretzels, but rather simply whether or not common food allergies are accommodated. Lastly, about event locations, providing a floorplan or map with the session rooms highlighted or named alongside a schedule with room locations listed can be enough.
Handouts – I told the team that retention and application of the information learned will be better with handouts provided. This can also serve people who need to step out to regulate themselves. Those people will have the information.
Virtual Options – The team was very concerned that I was turning this into a hybrid conference. I did hybrid teaching, I understand how hard it is, and this is not my goal. I mentioned recordings. If someone is really interested in a session, but their body or brain told them they can’t go because of a regulation issue, family emergency, etc. do they just miss the information? The rebuttal I got was that people will sign up and no-show because they want the recordings. I responded with the idea of protecting the recordings. On the conference hand-outs, a QR code could be supplied linking to a folder where recordings will be stored. That way, those who don’t attend in-person can’t get the recordings.
The team wanted these to be on a sign-up basis. I argued that this shouldn’t be the case. People shouldn’t have to disclose their disability to receive these simple accommodations that benefit everyone. We created a list of accommodations that people can sign up for as they require planning ahead. These are Allegen Friendly Meals (if this is decided necessary), priority seating in sessions (including seating near the door to accommodate IBS or similar), and an interpreter or translater.
All of this was incredibly well received and I’m looking forward to how this conference turns out.
If you have any suggestions or want to share why conferences disable you, let me know if the comments below!
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