On-Site Coordination For Conferences

You don’t stop being disabled when conference or event sessions end, so why do so many organisers forget about inclusion at conference dinners and networking events? It’s great to see more events offering sign language interpreters, quiet rooms, and accessible seating during the main agenda. But what about during the coffee breaks? The networking dinner? The drinks at the end? If those adjustments vanish the moment the keynote’s over, it’s not inclusion – it’s performance. Disabled people don’t just attend the content. We build relationships, grab lunch, join the side conversations. And if those moments aren’t accessible, we’re being excluded from the most valuable parts of the day. Having sign language interpreters available throughout all event elements; keeping quiet rooms open; offering seated areas during networking; telling people food and drink menus in advance; offering sighted assistance for intros; having portable hearing loops in place; or providing enetworking options. These are all things you can do to show you actually want to host an inclusive event in full, not just meet minimum requirements. Inclusion isn’t a scheduled item. It’s a commitment. #DisabilityInclusion #Disability #DisabilityEmployment #Adjustments #DiversityAndInclusion #Content

When planning events, be transparent about inaccessibility. What do I mean? In your pre-event communications, plainly share any known accessibility gaps so attendees can plan (maybe by bringing a companion or equipment). Some disabled folks might even decide not to attend your event, and this helps us save our limited energy and time. Examples of event accessibility gaps: - Steps / no ramp - No captions or a lack of captions for certain aspects of the event such as breakout rooms - A loud space without a quiet area - Flashing lights - Low and non-adjustable lighting - A caterer that cannot adequately adjust to certain dietary restrictions or allergies - Automatic captions instead of human CART captioners Honesty shows respect and accountability. Obviously, the best-case scenario is to design a truly accessible event, but accessibility is a journey and sometimes barriers are present. Does this resonate? What are other examples of possible accessibility gaps? P.S. I'm adding a new training to my offerings about event accessibility. The official announcement is coming soon but just wanted to give you the inside scoop! #EventPlanning #Accessibility #Disability

Want better participation? Tell people what to expect in advance. This is a simple and powerful accessibility practice. (and Free!) Some people need more time and information to prepare for meetings, events, or new situations. For example: Autistic people may have a hard time with uncertainty, and knowing what to expect ahead of time is important. Others with ADHD may need more time to organize their thoughts or plan their schedule. Knowing what to expect can help us prepare and reduce anxiety. This is not just for neurodivergent people. Clear information in advance helps most people focus and participate at their best.... including those who may be new to the company, the culture, or who simply prefer details ahead of time. Example: The Museum of Flight in Seattle practices this by sharing a "Social Narrative" on their website. It is a PDF guide that uses photos and short descriptions to show visitors what they will see, hear, and experience before they arrive. (available in English, Spanish and Chinese) Social Narratives are an accessibility tool developed to support Autistic visitors, but also benefit many others. Examples of how you can apply this at work: - Send a meeting agenda before the meeting - Tell people in advance if you want them to present - Share photos of a venue or check-in location before an event - Give new employees a written overview of their first day, including where to park, where to enter the building, who will meet them, and who to call if they get stuck. 💬 What examples would you add? When people know what to expect, they can show up more prepared to participate at their best. This is your Minds of All Kinds tip of the week. For more cognitive accessibility tips, read my chapter in "Digital Accessibility Ethics: Disability Inclusion in All Things Tech" edited by Lainey Feingold, Reginé Gilbert, MBA and Chancey Fleet. #Accessibility #CognitiveAccessibility #NeuroInclusion [Image description: A square black and white graphic. Headline: "Tell people what to expect in advance." Below the headline is an illustration of a map with a location pin and a dotted route. Three bullet points: "Send an agenda," "Share photos of the venue," and "Tell people if they will be asked to speak." Below the bullets in bold italic text: "What examples would you add?" The Minds of All Kinds TIPS logo]

The recent news on AWS center in the Middle East going down because of the war made me relive my experience decades ago! I once helped build what we proudly called a best-in-class disaster recovery architecture. We did everything right—on paper. ✔️ Business Impact Analysis done ✔️ RTO & RPO agreed with stakeholders ✔️ Sophisticated tools deployed ✔️ DR site fully provisioned We were confident. Almost too confident and then came the day that tested everything ! A dual power supply failure hit our primary data center. Within minutes, 300+ servers went down abruptly. What followed was worse than downtime: Critical application databases got corrupted AND THEN The DR site also got corrupted ! Real-time transactions came to a complete standstill. With every passing hour, we lost millions of dollars in revenue. In that moment, all our architecture diagrams, tools, and planning meant one thing: NOTHING —because the system didn’t recover !!! What this experience taught me: 1) Testing isn’t real until it’s brutal Table-top simulations give comfort. Full-scale failover drills expose truth. Test like it’s already failing: -Simulate real load -Introduce chaos scenarios -Assume components will fail unexpectedly 2) DR is not a technology problem—it’s a systems problem We focused heavily on tools. We underestimated dependencies. Ensure: -End-to-end recovery (infra + app + data integrity) -Isolation between primary and DR (to avoid cascade failures) -Backup validation, not just backup completion 3) Communication is your real recovery engine In crisis, confusion spreads faster than outages. Build: -Clear SOPs for business continuity -Pre-defined escalation paths -Regular cross-team drills (not just IT—include business teams) 4) Leadership presence changes outcomes War rooms are intense. Fatigue, panic, and noise creep in. As a tech leader: -Your presence brings calm -Your clarity drives prioritization -Your energy keeps teams going Sometimes, leadership is less about answers… and more about Stability 5) Assume your DR will fail—and design for that This was the hardest lesson. Build layers: - Immutable backups - Offline recovery options -“Last resort” recovery playbooks Because resilience is not about one backup plan. It’s about what happens when that backup plan fails... Have you ever seen a #DR plan fail in real life? How often do you run full-scale disaster recovery drills? What’s the one thing most organizations still get wrong about resilience? Curious to hear real experiences—those are always more valuable than frameworks. #DR #disasterrecovery #drill #test #BCP #leadership #technology #resilience

Your stomach drops. Slack is on fire. This isn’t just a crisis—it’s the moment that makes you. Handling high-stakes moments isn’t a bonus skill. It’s 𝘵𝘩𝘦 leadership skill. Here’s what separates those who bounce back stronger from those who don’t: 1. Own the outcome → Use active language: “We deployed a change that caused the outage,” not “The system failed.” → Show up. Be visible. → Skip the explanations initially — lead with acknowledgment → Own the full impact, not just your part → Roll up your sleeves alongside the team → Ask “How can I help?” — not just “When will it be fixed?” 2. You’re communicating even when you’re not → Send regular updates, even if there’s little new info → Set clear expectations for the next update (and meet them) → Differentiate clearly between what you know and don’t → Be transparent about severity and impact 3. Don't let a good crisis go to waste → Document lessons while the experience is fresh → Share learnings beyond your immediate team → Turn insights into system improvements → Use the crisis to upgrade your playbooks These actions build something more valuable than a crisis-free record: Unshakable trust. Teams trust the leaders who show up. Stakeholders remember the ones who stay steady under pressure. Your toughest moments are your biggest opportunities for leadership growth. What’s one crisis that changed how you lead?

Land the plane. If you’re in it right now, dealing with a missed goal, a major bug, a failed launch, or an angry keystone customer, this is for you. In a crisis, panic and confusion spread fast. Everyone wants answers. The team needs clarity and direction. Without it, morale drops and execution stalls. This is when great operators step up. They cut through noise, anchor to facts, find leverage, and get to work. Your job is to reduce ambiguity, direct energy, and focus the team. Create tangible progress while others spin. Goal #1: Bring the plane down safely. Here’s how to lead through it. Right now: 1. Identify the root cause. Fast. Don’t start without knowing what broke. Fixing symptoms won’t fix the problem. You don’t have time to be wrong twice. 2. Define success. Then get clear on what’s sufficient. What gets us out of the crisis? What’s the minimum viable outcome that counts as a win? This isn’t the time for nice-to-haves. Don’t confuse triage with polish. 3. Align the team. Confusion kills speed. Be explicit about how we’ll operate: Who decides what. What pace we’ll move at. How we’ll know when we’re done Set the system to direct energy. 4. Get moving. Pull the people closest to the problem. Clarify the root cause. Identify priority one. Then go. Get a quick win on the board. Build momentum. Goal one is to complete priority one. That’s it. 5. Communicate like a quarterback Lead the offense. Make the calls. Own the outcome. Give the team confidence to execute without hesitation. Reduce latency. Get everyone in one thread or room. Set fast check-ins. Cover off-hours. Keep signal ahead of chaos. 6. Shrink the loop. Move to 1-day execution cycles. What did we try? What happened? What’s next? Short loops create momentum. Fast learning is fast winning. 7. Unblock the team (and prep the company to help). You are not a status collector. You are a momentum engine. Clear paths. Push decisions. Put partner teams on alert for support. Crises expose systems. And leaders. Your job is to land the plane. Once it’s down, figure out what failed, what needs to change, and how we move forward. Land the plane. Learn fast. Move forward. That’s how successful operators lead through it.

✈️𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟑-𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 Geopolitical shifts, civil unrest, and sudden global events are making business and leisure travel more unpredictable than ever. You can't eliminate risk, but you can build resilience. My advice for navigating uncertainty isn't about avoiding travel—it’s about being an informed, prepared traveler who can pivot when the unexpected hits. 1️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐨-𝐁𝐚𝐠 (𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐆𝐨) 🛡️ You have a physical Go-Bag, but what about your digital one? 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Store digital copies of your passport, visa, insurance policy (especially the emergency medical evacuation number), and key contacts in a secure, offline folder (like Google Drive or a password manager). 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬: If there is an option, utilize a tool like ISOS or Global Rescue to ensure that you receive vital security alerts and are easily located in an emergency. 𝐕𝐏𝐍: Use a reliable VPN, especially when connecting to public Wi-Fi, to keep your business communications secure from potential monitoring. 2️⃣ 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 (𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐩) 🧭 Your best tool is not technology—it’s your instincts. 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬: Don't just rely on global news. Follow local, trusted media (in-language, translated if necessary) and sign up for official travel alerts. 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐬: In a high-risk area, avoid protests, political gatherings, and large crowds, no matter how peaceful they seem. If you find yourself near one, calmly and deliberately walk away in the opposite direction. During a recent trip to Istanbul, a group of men approached me when I was walking back to my hotel on a desolate street. After asking an initial harmless question, they started to get a bit pushy asking for local currency. I had to diplomatically get out of the situation and hastily walk back to my hotel before things escalated. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 "𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧": At your hotel, a meeting venue, or a restaurant, take 30 seconds to identify two distinct exit routes. Knowing your way out keeps you calm under pressure. 3️⃣ 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 & 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐭𝐬) ♟️ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐦, 𝐆𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐰-𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞: Panic clouds judgment. Breathe, assess, and move with purpose. Wear neutral, conservative clothing and avoid displaying expensive jewelry or electronics that draw attention. 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦-𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤: Keep your phone fully charged and have a physical power bank. A dead battery is a communication failure when you need to contact your travel security provider or family. In today's travel environment, 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥. Do you have any tips from your travels? Please share! #BusinessTravel #TravelSafety #RiskManagement #GlobalMobility #TravelTips

Neurodiversity 101: How to host neuroinclusive meetings/conferences Creating neuroinclusive environments in workplace meetings can significantly improve engagement and productivity, especially for those with neurodivergent traits. Here are some practical tips on how to make your meetings more accessible and comfortable for all participants. Alternative feedback methods Not everyone is comfortable with handwriting feedback due to difficulties such as dysgraphia. Offer alternatives like setting up a camera for verbal feedback or using digital tools like voice-to-text applications. This ensures that everyone has the opportunity to contribute in a way that suits them best. Could you use Post-IT for some....different ways on offer... Polling on phones? Warm up a cold room! Start meetings with some warm-up time to help attendees settle in if they are new to the event/place/meeting. Plan for regular breaks and be flexible with how time is spent to accommodate different needs. This flexibility can help maintain focus and reduce stress for those who might feel overwhelmed by long, uninterrupted sessions. Does every meeting need to be 60 minutes? Who needs to be 'in the room' and who could be attending just as well virtually? Who doesn't need to be there at all! Consider the environment Pay attention to the lighting, temperature, and surrounding noises in your meeting space. Adjustments in these areas can help prevent sensory overload and create a comfortable environment for all attendees. Accessibility of materials Provide transcripts of talks and make recordings available to attendees. For presentations that include a lot of information, avoid asking for immediate decisions. Instead, provide a written version of the details and allow time for consideration. This helps attendees process information at their own pace and contribute more effectively. Thoughtful seating arrangements Keep seats at the end of rows in conferences free so that attendees can easily get up and move without disruption. Also, consider arranging some seating around the edges of the room for those who are uncomfortable with movement behind them. Structured discussions In group discussions, keep the groups small and give everyone time to express their opinions without interruptions or unsolicited questions. This structure helps to ensure that all voices are heard and valued. Encouraging feedback post-event after a conference or training event Recognise that some individuals may feel uncomfortable voicing their ideas or questions during the event. Encourage feedback after the meeting via different channels, allowing for more thoughtful and inclusive participation. What else do you suggest?

“We’re fully accessible.” I see venues say this all the time, but accessibility is not that simple. There is not really any such thing as fully accessible, because the question is always: Fully accessible for who? A venue might work really well for me as a wheelchair user because it has step-free access but what if another wheelchair user has a larger powerchair and the doorways are not wide enough? What if someone needs a profiling bed and the venue only has standard beds? What if someone needs a ceiling track hoist? Is it still fully accessible? A theatre might offer captions, which is brilliant. But another Deaf person might need a BSL interpreted performance. Someone else might want to read the script beforehand. Is it fully accessible for all of them? A venue might have a quiet room, but no step-free access or it might be step-free, but use flashing lights that trigger migraines or seizures. Accessibility is not one thing. Even within the same disability community, people can have very different access needs. That is why disabled people often ask so many questions before booking somewhere. We are not trying to catch anyone out, we are trying to work out whether our access needs will be met. So instead of saying: “We’re fully accessible.” Tell us what you actually have: share your door widths, whether there is an accessible toilet, if you have a hearing loop, if there are captioned or BSL interpreted performances. Tell us about quiet spaces, accessible parking, bed options, changing facilities and anything else that might help someone decide whether they can visit. That information is so much more useful than a blanket claim of being “fully accessible.” Accessibility is not about ticking every possible box, it's about ticking as many as you can and then giving disabled people the information we need to decide whether your space is accessible for us. #Accessibility #DisabilityInclusion #InclusiveDesign

Accessibility looks very different depending on who you ask ♿ When many non-disabled people think about whether a venue is wheelchair accessible, the questions are: ➤ Is it step-free? 
➤ Is there a lift? And that’s often the entire checklist. But if you ask a wheelchair user to assess the same venue, the mental checklist looks very different. We’re thinking about things like: 🚪 Door width - can a wheelchair actually fit through? 🔁 Turning space – is there room to manoeuvre or is everything cramped? 🚻 Accessible loos - are they genuinely usable, or just labelled accessible? e.g. no grab rails, no turning space, being used as a supply closet 🪑 Table height and layout – can you sit at the table comfortably? Is it too low to roll a wheelchair under it? 🛗 Lift reliability – does it work consistently or break down every week? Is there more than one lift? (When moving house I only considered apartment blocks with multiple lifts) 🚧 Thresholds and “just one step” - the classic barrier businesses forget about. Not all wheelchairs can get over a 2 inch lip. 🅿️ Accessible parking nearby 📏 Counter height - can you actually interact with staff? 🧭 Clear routes through the space – or is it an obstacle course of furniture? Accessibility isn’t a single feature, it’s an entire user journey. And this is exactly why I’m passionate about: ✅ Disabled people being prioritised for accessibility roles
 ✅ Lived experience groups being embedded in strategy and design
 ✅ Accessibility being evaluated by the people who actually use it Because accessibility designed without disabled people often misses the most basic things. It’s also why I love platforms like Sociability: accessibility information about venues written by disabled people, for disabled people. Businesses still routinely: ➤ Misunderstand what “accessible” means ➤ Describe places with “just one step” as accessible ➤ Or fail to provide clear information at all And that uncertainty can be the difference between someone going out or staying home. Accessibility expertise isn’t theoretical. For many of us, it’s daily lived experience. Value it. #Accessibility #DisabilityInclusion #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #InclusiveDesign #LivedExperience #AccessibleSpaces