We recently hosted an online meeting about how funders can support improving accessibility in media and film. Throughout the planning process, our team learned a lot about what it takes to produce a virtual event that is inclusive and accessible to all participants. Dig into the steps we took below—we hope this will serve as a blueprint for you when planning virtual events that foster meaningful engagement in the future.

Costs Associated with Improving Accessibility in Media

Excluding staff time and honoraria for speakers from non-member, non-grantmaking organizations, the costs for this session aimed at improving accessibility in media and film was $400.

  • CART Services – $180.00 per hour of service
  • ASL Interpretation – $140.00 per hour of service

Pre-Production

  1. Ensuring Disability Representation: We prioritized disability representation among panelists to ensure diverse perspectives and lived experiences informed the session, improving accessibility in media and film.
  2. Timeline For most of our programs, we typically follow a 4–8 week timeline for organizing an online session. However, for this program, we chose to postpone it several times to ensure we had the necessary time and space to execute it thoughtfully. Following best practices, we prioritized a deliberate pace of four months to ensure all elements were properly addressed, no one felt rushed, and both panelists and attendees had ample time to understand and prepare for the session’s details.
  3. Training and Preparation A planning call was held three weeks prior to the event for panelists and the moderator to review accessibility guidelines, session content and logistical details.
  4. Debated between Zoom Meetings Vs. Webinar Initially, we planned to host the session as a Zoom Webinar, considering best practices for accessibility. However, during the planning call, one panelist emphasized the importance of fostering engagement and connection with the audience, which led us to reconsider. After thoughtful discussions with panelists, we decided to revert to a Zoom Meeting format to prioritize engagement while incorporating strategies to address accessibility, such as clear guidelines for managing the chat and Q&A sections.

Read the full article about improving accessibility in media and film by Roshni Melia at Media Impact Funders.