Making your online events deaf accessible – GMCVO leads the way

We are pleased to share the news this month that the Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation (GMCVO) has launched its deaf accessible online events initiative. 

GMCVO staff have been working with us at Manchester Deaf Centre to ensure that their online events are fully accessible to deaf and hard of hearing individuals. The work has included:

• Deaf Awareness training for GMCVO staff
• Assessment of the accessibility of GMCVO’s event registration and bookings systems
• Creation of a bespoke BSL video to place on the events page of the GMCVO website, providing BSL accessible information about the event registration process
• Design of a dual booking system in partnership with MDC; this gives BSL users the option of registering for events through MDC where language barrier would otherwise prevent them from following the usual GMCVO website registration process
• Provision of a ‘communication requirements questionnaire’ for GMCVO staff to use as part of their booking procedure
• Creation of a ‘key points for deaf accessibility’ handout for event organisers and their speakers /presenters
• Ongoing advice from MDC regarding individual communication requirements in relation to the format of a particular event
• Access to MDC’s BSL interpreter and other communication professional booking service to provide live interpretation and note-taking during events
• Support from MDC to promote events within deaf and hard of hearing networks

GMCVO works with the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector of Greater Manchester, for the benefit of people and communities.

For more information about GMCVO please visit their website: https://www.gmcvo.org.uk/our-work

Are you interested in a similar package of support to make your organisation’s events deaf accessible? We’d be delighted to discuss this with you. Please email: sarahwarburton@manchesterdeafcentre.com