Booking equipment and professionals for accessibility
What you will learn in this chapter
- Examples of equipment you should provide.
- Professionals you might need to book.
You might need to book equipment and professionals. This should be done in advance.
Be clear about what is provided as standard and what is provided only when asked for.
Make sure you have enough time to book access requests. This might mean setting an earlier registration deadline.
Hearing loops
Hearing loops are also called induction loops. They help people who use hearing aids because they reduce background noise. Many venues have these fitted as standard. If your venue doesn’t have one, you can hire one.
Transcription
Speech to text reporters can transcribe events live. They are also called palantypists or stenographers. The captions can appear on a screen in the room.
If you’re livestreaming the event, they can also be available on the livestream. Speech to text reporters may be able to work remotely.
Sign language interpreters
British Sign Language to English interpreters make sure that events are accessible to people who use British Sign Language.
They should be either a:
- Registered Sign Language Interpreter (RSLI)
- Trainee Sign Language Interpreter (TSLI).
Interpreting is a demanding job. You will often need to book 2 or more interpreters. This depends on the length and type of event.
Audio description
You should provide audio description when sharing content that is mostly visual. This may mean asking speakers to describe something in the room, or adding voiceover to video content.