233 Broadway, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10279 212 334 1300 vera.org

Series: Designing accessible events for 
people with disabilities and Deaf people

Registration

Tip Sheet No. 1

August 2014

Registration is a critical part of any 
successful event. It provides an opportunity 
for you to collect information and 
payment, if appropriate, from individuals 
who will be attending your event, 
allowing you to proactively design an 
event that best meets the number, background, 
and needs of your attendees. 
Registration is essential to designing an 
event that is accessible to people with 
disabilities. It serves as the mechanism 
by which attendees can request the 
accommodations they need—such as 
materials in large font or American Sign 
Language (ASL) interpreters—to be 
able to fully access and participate in 
your event. With this information, you 
can create an event that is accessible 
for all attendees and meets your legal 
obligations as the event host under the 
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 

Is your registration 
form accessible?

Your registration form must be accessible 
to people with disabilities. If you 
are using an online registration form, 
make sure the service you are using 
is compliant with Section 508 of the 
Rehabilitation Act and the 21st Century 
and Video Accessibility Act. You will want 
to make sure that, among other things, 
it is accessible to individuals who are 
blind or have low vision and use a screen 
reader. It is best to contact your service 
provider and request information about 
the accessibility of their services. You 
can also check the accessibility of your 
online survey by using a free web accessibility 
tool, such as WAVE (www.wave.
webaim.org). You should also make your 
registration process available in alternate 
formats, such as in a paper version, and 
allow people to register by phone.



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Registration

Asking the right questions

Registration is your opportunity to 
collect as much information about your 
attendees and their needs as possible, 
so be thorough. In addition to asking for 
basic information—name, title, agency, 
contact information—be sure to ask 
about the full range of needs attendees 
with disabilities may have pertaining to 
lodging, meals, interpreting, personal 
care attendants, and other accommodations. 
The more specific your questions 
and answer choices, the better equipped 
you will be to successfully meet the needs 
of your attendees. In this section, we 
discuss a few areas that are important 
to address on your registration form and 
provide sample registration questions. 
The sample registration questions can be 
found in a box following each section.

> Personal Care Attendant (PCA): 
Some people with disabilities who need 
assistance with certain daily activities—
getting ready in the morning, 
toileting, eating, etc.—may have a 
personal care attendant or a personal 
assistant attend your event with them. 
While personal care attendants will 
not be participating in your event in 
the same way as other attendees, they 
will be present. If there are registration 
fees for your meeting, you will need 
to decide whether you will charge 
personal care attendants. Regardless, 
it is important to include them in your 

Federal legal requirements: the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The Americans with Disabilities Act 
prohibits discrimination of people 
with disabilities. Title III requires public 
accommodations, including meeting 
facilities, to provide accessible goods 
and services, and auxiliary aids, if 
necessary.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act 
requires federal agencies and private 
entities receiving federal funds to make 
electronic and information technology 
accessible to people with disabilities, 
including online registration forms.

The 21st Century Communications and 
Video Accessibility Act requires that 
all communications, video programming, 
and equipment providers provide 
services, including Internet-based services, 
and equipment equally accessible 
to people with disabilities.



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count for space and other considerations. 
Your registration should include 
a question about them and, possibly, 
require them to complete their own 
registration form.

> Lodging: If your event requires overnight 
lodging, your registration should 
ask attendees questions about their 
lodging needs. If you are paying for 
and/or making lodging reservations 
for individuals, you will need to know 
if an attendee requires an ADA room 
with a roll-in shower, an ADA room with 
a tub and chair, a room accessible for 
individuals who are Deaf or hard of 
hearing, or a chemical-free room. 

Even if your event attendees are making 
their own hotel reservations, it is helpful 
to collect information about their lodging 
needs. As the event organizer, you and 
the hotel are responsible for ensuring the 
accessibility of the accommodations. By 
having this information on hand, you will 

Option 1:

Please indicate which room type you 
require from the following list.

Option 2:

You are responsible for making your 
own hotel reservation. However, by 
providing us with information on the 
type of room you require, we will be 
able to check with the hotel to make 
sure they meet your needs. 

Please indicate which room type 
you require from the following list:

> no lodging required 

> standard room 

> ADA room with roll-in shower

> ADA room with tub 
and chair

> room accessible for 
Deaf/hard of hearing

> chemical-free room

> other (Please specify.) 

Are you traveling with a personal 
care attendant (PCA) or personal 
assistant (PA)?

— yes

— no

If yes, for planning purposes, please 
provide your PCA’s or PA’s contact 
information:

First name:

Last name:

Phone number:

E-mail address:



Registration

be able to check with the hotel to make 
sure attendees’ requests are met before 
they arrive.

> Meals: If you are serving food and 
beverages at your event, you will need 
to ask about attendees’ dietary needs. 
Some people with disabilities may have 
dietary restrictions related to their 
disability, such as diabetes, or food 
needs associated with their medication. 
In addition, some individuals with 
limited mobility may require a pre-cut 
meal. This is a good place to collect 
requests for other dietary needs such 
as a kosher, vegan, or vegetarian meal. 

> Accommodations: People with disabilities 
are as diverse as every other community 
and their accessibility needs 
are just as varied. Extra steps may need 
to be taken in order to address unique 
accessibility or accommodations 
needs. Your registration should include 
a question on attendees’ accommodation 
needs. Providing a list of options, 
along with an “other” choice, communicates 
your commitment to access and 
may increase attendees’ comfort levels 
when requesting an accommodation.

Please select any additional accommodations 
you require from the list 
below. If you require something that 
is not listed, please indicate your 
request by selecting “Other” and 
providing us with specific information 
about your request in the comments 
box. We may contact you for 
further information, if necessary. 

> none

> electronic copies of 
materials in advance

> electronic text file of 
materials on-site

> hard copies of 
materials on-site

> materials in Braille

> materials in a font over 
x pt (insert your standard 
font size)

> wheelchair access

> other (Please specify.)

Please note any dietary needs from 
the following list:

> no dietary needs

> kosher meal

> pre-cut meal

> vegan

> vegetarian

> other (Please specify.)



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> Interpreting: People who use a 
different language than the primary 
one used in your event, including 
Deaf individuals who use ASL, will 
need interpreters to fully participate 
in your event. A simple question can 
be included on your registration to 
capture whether someone needs an 
interpreter. In addition, it is best to 
follow up with anyone who requests an 
interpreter to learn more about their 
communication needs to ensure you 
hire interpreters who are the best fit for 
the person making the request.

If you know that a large number of Deaf 
or hard of hearing people are likely to 
attend your event, it makes sense to 
provide more detailed interpreting options 
in your answer choices. This will provide 
you with more information as you work to 
meet everyone’s requests and ensure the 
interpreters you select meet the unique 
communication needs of your attendees. 
Even with this detailed information, it 
is best to follow up with anyone who 
requests an interpreter to get more information 
to help you hire the best team 
of interpreters. 

> A catchall question: Given the diversity 
of disabilities and possible auxiliary 

Definitions

A roll-in shower has a floor that is flat 
and rimless, allowing a wheelchair to 
maneuver into the shower stall. 

A tub chair sits inside the tub or 
shower and allows the person to 
take a shower while in a seated position 
rather than standing on the slippery 
bottom of the tub or shower.

A room that is accessible for Deaf/
hard of hearing people either has 
permanently or temporarily installed 
equipment which makes auditory 
alerts—a fire alarm, knock at the door, 
or telephone ring—visual.

A chemical-free room is cleaned 
without the use of harsh chemicals 
prior to the guest’s arrival. 

Please indicate your interpreting 
needs from the list below:

> none required

> American Sign Language

> simultaneous spoken foreign 
language interpretation 
(please specify) 

> other (Please specify.)



Registration

aids people may need to fully participate 
in your event, it is important to 
provide registrants with an open-ended 
question designed for them to tell you 
about any other needs they may have. 

An important caveat

As the meeting host, you are responsible 
for meeting reasonable requests for 
accommodations that are made through 
the meeting registration process. While 
efforts should be made to meet requests 
that are made on-site, provided that you 
created an opportunity for attendees 
to make requests during your pre-event 
registration, you are not legally required 
to meet those on-site requests. Moreover, 
you are only required to provide auxiliary 
aids or modifications to event programming 
during the hours of the event. The 
attendee is responsible for securing 
auxiliary aids for after-hour engagements 
that are not part of your programming. It 
is important to notify attendees of these 
limitations during registration.

Timing is everything

Since attendees are making their accommodation 
requests through your registration 
process, you will need to make sure 
registration closes on a date that gives you 
ample time to meet any accommodation 
requests. For example, you typically need 
to secure ASL interpreters two to three 
months in advance to ensure qualified 
interpreters are obtained. Thus, you would 
need your registration to close two to three 
months before your event is scheduled 
to take place. As a general rule, we recommend 
that you close your registration 
three months before your event. 

Please tell us any additional needs 
you may have for this meeting. 
Please be as specific as possible:

Every effort will be made to accommodate 
advance requests; on-site 
requests cannot be guaranteed. 
Reasonable accommodations will be 
provided during meeting sessions. 
Referrals for assistance outside of 
the meeting can be made available. 

> Please contact: 
(insert staff person) 
at emailaddress@dot.org 
with any questions or for 
more assistance. 



Additional Resources

U.S. Department of Justice, ADA Home Page 

https://perma.cc/ST4R-H294 

The ADA website provides information and technical assistance on 
the ADA.

ADA National Network

https://perma.cc/ST4R-H294 

The ADA National Network provides information, guidance, and training 
on the ADA available through 10 regional centers.

Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs (ATAP)

https://perma.cc/Z25V-5DWD 

ATAP is a resource on and link to assistive technology programs in 
your state.

For more information

The Center on Victimization and Safety 
(CVS) at the Vera Institute of Justice works 
with communities around the country to 
fashion services that reach, appeal to, 
and benefit all victims. Our work focuses 
on communities of people who are at elevated 
risk of harm but often marginalized 
from victim services and the criminal justice 
system. We combine research, technical 
assistance, and training to equip 
policymakers and practitioners with the 
information, skills, and resources needed 
to effectively serve all victims. To learn 
more about CVS, contact cvs@vera.org.

This project was supported by Grant No. 
2011-TA-AX-K004 awarded by the Office on 
Violence Against Women, U.S. Department 
of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions 
and recommendations, expressed in 
this publication are those of the author(s) 
and do not necessarily reflect the views of 
the Department of Justice, Office on 
Violence Against Women.