UCSF Resources

• Toolkit for Planning Accessible Events at UCSF
  • Policy Requirements
  • Consultation and Guidance
• Planning Accessible Events
  • Hybrid Event Accessibility
• Responding to Requests for Accommodations
  • Potential Accommodation Requests and Definitions
• How to Schedule Accessibility Vendors
  • Non-exhaustive possible list of third-party vendors
• Accessible Publicity Materials
  • Accessible Documents and Presentations
• Preparing for ASL/CART Captioners at Your Event
  • Accessibility Considerations for Break-out Rooms
  • Final Accessibility Check: Day of Event Considerations
• After your event: Captioning and Audio Describing Videos
  • Non-exhaustive list of vendors
• UCSF Resources
  • Glossary of Terms
  • Acknowledgements
  • Works Cited

Reserved seating for people with a wide range of disabilities including wheelchair or mobility-device users. Accessible seating may also include seating for people who are D/deaf, hard of hearing, to provide a line of sight to an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter or to CART real-time captioning or meet other seating needs.

In all publicity and pre-registration materials, it is essential to include an Accommodation statement that invites participants with disabilities to request accommodations. An Accommodation statement includes the following details: person to contact to request an accommodation as soon as possible (i.e., Event Accessibility Contact), email/phone number of the accessibility contact).

Alt text is an essential part of web accessibility. Alt text is a short (150 characters or less) written description that describes the visual content of an image for people who use screen-reader software.

Assistive Technology (AT) refers to the materials, equipment, tools, objects, devices, and strategies that allow individuals to live with greater independence. Specific examples of assistive technology include screen readers, hearing aids, specialized mice and keyboards, and Braille notetakers.

Audio description (AD) refers to a secondary audio track that will give people who are blind and low-vision access to visual content on the screen. When available, visual description should be included in any transcript of a video. Audio description is required when important information is visually shown on the screen that cannot be observed by low vision or blind individual.

CART is an acronym for Communication Access Real-time Transcription. CART is a service in which a human captioner listens to speech and other sounds and translates all speech and relevant sounds to text in real-time, which is usually projected onto a screen or available via an internet link.

In Deaf culture, people use two different spellings of the word deaf: Big "D" Deaf, in which a person identifies as a member of the Deaf community. Small "d" deaf, for a person who is deaf but doesn't identify as part of the Deaf community. This toolkit includes both spellings to acknowledge the diversity of preferences and identities.

A person on your event planning team designated to address accessibility questions before, during, and after the event. The Accessibility contact is responsible for responding to requests for accommodations and facilitating accessibility logistics for the event.

Plain language writing is an essential aspect of accessibility. Its purpose is to make important information and ideas more accessible to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and those with disabilities that affect reading, comprehension, and cognition. It also helps people for whom English is a second language.

A category of typefaces that do not use serifs, which are small lines at the ends of characters. Examples of sans serif fonts include Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Trebuchet MS, Calibri or Tahoma.

A screen reader is a form of assistive technology that renders text and image content as speech or Braille output. Screen readers are used by a wide range of people including those who are blind, low vision, have learning disabilities, brain injuries, and more. JAWS and NVDA are examples of screen readers.

Sensory-inclusive spaces are spaces designed to make the environment accessible to as many people as possible from a sensory standpoint. Sensory-inclusive spaces encompass spaces that are calming to the senses and spaces that allow for the regulation of exposure to lighting, sounds, visual, and other stimuli to meet various needs. These spaces can empower people with cognitive and other disabilities and those who are neurodivergent to fully participate and engage with physical spaces.

A sign language interpreter is a highly skilled professional who facilitates communication between hearing individuals and Deaf/deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals. Sign language interpreters often work in pairs or small groups for long events to allow for periods of rest and to support the other interpreter in case something is missed.

• Cecile Puretz, Assistant Director, Disability Access and Inclusion, Office of Disability Access and Inclusion (ODAI).
• Elise Armstrong, Assistant Clinical Professor UCSF Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, Co-chair of Committee on Disability Inclusion.
• Jill Wolters, Digital Accessibility Program Manager (IT).
• Judy Daniel, Content Program Manager for UCSF Web Services.
• Kristin Amlie, Manager, Ergonomics & Human Factors Program, member of Committee on Disability Inclusion.
• Kyle Van Aucker, Senior Video Producer/Director in Educational Technology Services (ETS).
• Maggie Beers, Associate Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Education, Information, Technology Services.
• Michelle Heckle, Division Commander Homeland Security for UC Police Department (UCPD), member of Committee on Disability Inclusion.
• Tim Montgomery, Director of Student Disability Services (SDS), member of Committee on Disability Inclusion.
• Wendy Tobias, Chief Accessibility and Inclusion Officer, member of Committee on Disability Inclusion

Finally, we wish to extend gratitude to Dr. Renée Navarro, Vice Chancellor of Diversity and Outreach and Chief Diversity Officer in the Office of Diversity and Outreach (ODO), and Dr. Wendy Tobias, Chief Accessibility and Inclusion Officer and ADA Coordinator, for their unwavering commitment to advancing disability access and inclusion at University of California, San Francisco.