Ensuring your events are accessible to all is vital. After all, 16% of the world’s population experience significant disability (that’s 1.3 billion people according to the World Health Organisation) – a figure that will only grow as populations age.
In the US, more than one in four adults live with a disability. They are protected against discrimination in all areas of public life, including events, by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Meanwhile, in the UK, disability is one of nine ‘protected characteristics’ defined by the 2010 Equality Act, making it illegal for any business to discriminate against someone with a disability.
The biggest change to accessibility laws, however, will impact anyone staging events for EU audiences in 2025, with the European Accessibility Act (EAA) coming into force in June.
We sat down with disability campaigner and events industry inclusion and accessibility consultant, Shani Dhanda, and talked about her mission to spread a greater understanding of the global landscape of disability. She also explains the incoming European Accessibility Act and why event professionals mustn’t ignore the spending power of persons with disabilities.
💡Watch our interview with Shani Dhanda to hear her advice for ensuring accessibility at your events:
Living in a world not designed for you
Standing at three feet 10 inches, Shani has a genetic disorder called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a disease that results in bones breaking easily. At 16 years old, when searching unsuccessfully for a part-time job, she realised that without qualifications, people just saw her as unemployable, so she enrolled on an event management course.
“There was no grand plan,” she recalls. “I already organised the parties in my family, so I thought it would just be an extension of that. It wasn’t until after I graduated and started to work in the events industry that people started telling me I was good at it.
“I have a short stature, and I live in a world that isn’t designed for me,” she continues. “If you think of the skills required to be a good events manager, I was doing all those things daily just to navigate and interact with the world around me. I’d like to see more disabled people working in the events industry. We have special skill sets that are ideal for problem-solving, risk assessment and planning.”
How the European Accessibility Act will impact meetings and events
The EAA will benefit around 87 million people living with some form of disability, and enhance not just physical accessibility but also the digital components of events, such as websites, ticketing platforms, and mobile apps.
Shani believes that events and hospitality professionals don’t know enough about the forthcoming legislation. She urges everyone to do some independent research so that they’re better prepared for what’s coming down the track.
“For MICE venues and organisers, the EAA means ensuring that event websites, e-commerce, mobile apps, and virtual event technologies are fully accessible. Let’s say the software you’re using to sell event tickets to people from EU countries isn’t compatible with the screen reader required for someone with a visual impairment. That would be in breach of the EAA, and you could face a fine or worse. From June 2025, every digital touchpoint needs to be accessible otherwise, it must be withdrawn.”
She continues: “Organisations will require genuine expertise and advice to avoid falling for the lie that a quick fix will make your digital events or services compliant. Ultimately, ignoring the EAA or opting for accessibility website overlays that don’t do what they claim could be more reputationally damaging and expensive than investing in doing the right things now.
It’s good to have compliance, but if you only do the minimum to ensure you’re not breaking the law, you won’t get the best outcomes.”
💡Watch Shani Dhanda speak at Cvent CONNECT Europe 2024 alongside Cvent’s Senior Manager for Accessibility, Stephen Cutchins.
Top tips for improving accessibility at events
Shani also provided some top tips for improving accessibility at events:
“Invest in familiarisation videos that show the space or event design. They help disabled people plan their visit and know what requirements they may need.
“Also, never ask registrants to name their disability. Event planners don’t have the medical knowledge to interpret my requirements from knowing that I have Osteogenesis Imperfecta, for example. Instead, focus on reducing and removing all barriers to accessibility and on a level of customer service that will make disabled people feel welcome and heard.”
But Shani also acknowledges that making improvements or even getting started can be overwhelming: “There’s a lot of good intent in our industry, but it’s daunting, and people often don’t know what language to use or what questions to ask. My advice is always to reach out to experts who understand event management and the attendee experience.”
Overlook disability spending power at your peril
Recently, Shani was hoping to attend an event in Dubai, but after emailing the organiser a month before to ask about accessibility, she had received no response.
“I couldn’t book my ticket without the information. Everyone else was booking the early-bird rate. What if they had finally got back to me, and the only tickets left were the higher-priced ones? By not prioritising accessibility as part of their customer service, I wasn’t able to have the same experience as other attendees, that’s what needs to change. The longer I had to wait for a reply, the more I no longer wanted to give them my money.”
She’s not alone, either. Research by the Valuable 500, which was launched at the 2024 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, calculated that $13 trillion in annual disability spending power is overlooked, while 54% of disabled consumers are more likely to purchase from companies that adopt disability-inclusive values and represent disability authentically.
“By excluding anyone, you’re leaving money on the table that would otherwise contribute to hitting those all-important financial targets."
💡For more insights, check out our resources for improving accessibility at events, including our Big Book of Event Accessibility and our Venue Accessibility Checklist.
