On the day
What you will learn in this chapter
- Staff organisation and awareness
- Preparing seat reservations, printed materials and name badges
Staff
You can never have too many people to help. But do make sure if they don’t know the answer to something, they know who will. Being sent to multiple staff members when you need support can be frustrating and tiring.
Make sure staff can be easily identified. Wherever possible, they should be trained in disability equality and accessibility. If there are staff that can’t be trained because it’s not reasonable or practical, they should know who to contact.
Staff should be positive, friendly and helpful. But if someone says they don’t need help anymore, they should leave them as requested.
Seat reservations
Make sure there is clear signage for any reserved seating. People might need specific seating so they can:
- be at the front to see the interpreters
- make sure they will be next to their personal assistant
- easily leave their seat
Event materials
You should provide any printed materials in:
- a large print version, whether requested in advance or not
- a Braille version, if requested in advance.
Think about sustainability. Use digital versions and QR codes wherever possible.
Name badges
Name badges can be helpful in making people feel comfortable and confident at events.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach, so consider providing a range of options. These can include:
- lanyards
- clip-on badges
- place cards for seated events