Planning Events & Meetings

So you're hosting an event for Suffolk DSA, great! Here's a check list of things you should do. First, a few rules of thumb. Don't expect people to show up without doing any of the below outreach steps! People need to be told when and where to show up. Secondly, we discourage having events that overlap with other Suffolk DSA events, and we try our best to not overlap with events held by other chapters like Nassau DSA events (though we also acknowledge that sometimes that just cannot be helped).

An easy way to ensure you know when and where Suffolk DSA events are happening is to check Suffolk DSA Events page on our website and/or add the (Google) calendar to your own.

Lastly, please make sure whenever possible to choose accessible spaces for IN-PERSON events that are inclusive to the disabled community and also folks who rely on public transport.

Read the New Orleans DSA Accessibility Guide to make sure you're planning the event in an inclusive way.

How to Plan A Successful Event or Meeting

Step 1: Read through this guide including the Accessibility Guide from DSA New Orleans (you can also check out the Plain Language PDF from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network's Community Living Summit on how to make your meetings more accessible!)

Step 2: Your event is set. Start advertising it!

Create an Action Network RSVP page containing the event description and meeting location information.

• Reach out to the #cm-communications Slack channel for any social media posts to be created after you have used the Comms Request Form. If you are not an Admin on Action Network reach out to the Secretary to create the event in AN. (If you would like to be an Admin on AN reach out the Secretary or anyone on the Comms Cm to see how you can become one!)

• To invite every member to the event, consider doing one or more of the following outreach methods:

  • A Spoke campaign. Get in touch with a member of Steering Committee about how to set up a Spoke campaign for your event.

  • A mass email using Action Network (to either our general list or just to SCDSA member list).

  • Post(s) on one or all of the Suffolk DSA social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram [IG requires you have an image of some kind for your event]

Hosting A Video Call

DSA Zoom Account

• • Please do not book any event in Zoom with less than 2 hours of another event

  • If the Zoom is booked during that time, there is an option to use Google Meet.

Google Meet (strict 1 hr time limit for group call more than 3 people)

Google Meet video calls can be set up by making a calendar event on our chapter email account and adding the calendar event. WG/Cm co-chairs can create calendar events on their email account(s) as long as they notify/share the event with Suffolk DSA website calendar (speak to Webmaster).

*If your WG/Cm has a specific SCDSA gmail please make sure it is linked to the Suffolk DSA Calendar (please also ensure both Co-chairs as well as the master SCDSA Password Database have log-in information for that email should one/both chairs need to step back suddenly from organizing work)

Jitsi (limited to less than 20 or it gets VERY buggy/crashes)

Jitsi video calls should be set up as close to the meeting time as possible (the longer a room is "active" the more likely it is to be compromised). Use Jitsi for meetings about sensitive topics and planning and only share the Jitsi link in the specific signal or with other trusted comrades.

General Accessibility Guidelines

Read the New Orleans DSA Accessibility Guide to make sure you're planning the event in an inclusive way.

• Mobility: Can a person navigating with a wheelchair, walker, cane, or other mobility aid attend this event? This goes beyond considering whether a building is ADA-compliant.

• Sensory overload: Is any aspect of this event overstimulating? Ambient noise, conversational chatter, crowded or cluttered spaces, bright and/or strobing lights, overlapping activities, strong aromas, and other stimuli can result in sensory overload. Is there a rest area comrades can use to take a break? Is that publicized?

• Fatigue: How much exertion or energy will be required at this event? Do we have places for people to sit, waters, and snacks if necessary?

• Sensitivity: Will there be common allergens present? Can we ask participants to avoid wearing fragrance and/or smoking near entrances/exits?

• Sight and hearing: Are we unconsciously relying on ableism? Can a person with a visual impairment or d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing people participate?

Planning for Physical Accessibility (in physical spaces)

• Meetings and events are to be held in ADA-compliant, wheelchair-accessible venues. Every effort will be made to assess this prior to securing a space. Any accessibility notes or directions should be prominently featured in meeting description, along with contact info in case of further questions.

• Regardless of physical accessibility, meeting organizers should ensure a call-in option for meetings.

• All promotional materials for the meeting should include information about how to call-in to the meeting, with a request for potential meeting attendees to inform organizers if they intend to call-in. Meeting organizers should be prepared to facilitate a call-in option for the meeting, either by speaker phone or via a laptop, via the committee or chapter’s Zoom or Google Meet account if they receive such a request. If you wish to directly participate via conference call or web meeting, please let meeting organizers know at least 24 hours in advance to aid technological/logistic preparation.

• A chapter or committee public-facing event should, barring emergency circumstances, never be planned at an inaccessible venue.

• Membership should avoid the use of perfumes or other airborne allergens at DSA events (to include smoking near entrances/exits).

• We should provide content warnings on publicity materials for any gatherings that might involve sensitive or triggering material, as accessibility is fundamentally about inclusion.

• Membership should be aware that individuals may have varying sensory needs, and we will be welcoming and affirming with regard to those needs (e.g., stimming, wearing noise cancelling headphones).

• MATERIALS should be prepared in easily read large print (at least 14 point font, double spaced) of any important information at meetings (e.g., agenda, anything being voted on, anything publishing a future event’s date and time). Avoid color-coding as a primary means of differentiation.

• There may be types of accommodation a particular event inherently cannot offer (e.g., a canvass more or less requires a certain level of stamina, someone with chronic fatigue might not be able to comfortably participate). That is generally OK, but it’s important that we actively consider these things beforehand and put as much information as possible in publication materials.

Planning for Digital Accessibility

• On all social media platforms, the chapter accounts should complete image descriptions/ALT texts on any picture posted to allow people using screen readers to fully engage with our content. (Note: Some sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have an actual mechanism for this; other sites may require us to caption our image in the post’s body.)

• For longer posts, writers should break up the text with line breaks as much as possible to make it more accessible for individuals with reading comprehension disorders.

• Any video media created by the chapter should be captioned and/or have a transcript available.