Forming the accessibility committee

Alright, let’s get the accessibility committee going. We can talk so much more about structure, funding, lifecycle, challenges, etc. But before you get bored reading about the details, let’s get one going, and we can talk more about details later.

The structure

For now, just briefly, hopefully you are clear about the following:

• Who is leading it

• Who is funding it

• Where will it live in the organization

• Who is opposing it

For now, make sure that you have the authority to start it and the resources you need it, in a bottom-up organization it could be as little as the willingness and some free time.

If we have a very small committee, probably it was organized organically and you are ready to move to the next step. However, if you are looking into organizing a larger group, it is time to start recruiting members.

At this point it is very important to specify who are you looking for. People with disabilities, of course, people with accessibility experience, people with knowledge about the organization, etc. For more information read about who is in the accessibility committeev.

When I form a committee, I always let anybody to join. Some will come to contribute, some will come to show support, and others will join because they want to learn how it works. And that is all ok, my take on it is, if somebody will contribute absolutely nothing and they will just be there to observe that is equally important. Maybe at another time, in another position, they will be the ones starting an accessibility committee. We all started somewhere.

However, always make sure that you find people with experience, otherwise it will just end up being a social club, and that also has a place, but it is not an accessibility committee.

Another thing I like to do is to ask people to write a few sentences about why they want to join, or even send a resume. Even though I know anybody who applies will be accepted, I like to make sure that they put some effort into it, and it is more than just a checkbox: yes, I want to join. Even if it really is. If nothing else, I like to make sure that people will make a commitment to be there and participate on a regular basis.

In certain cases, when the committee has a strict purpose, you expect to get a particular task done and you have a deadline, it may make sense to start with a strong team, though still there isn’t a reason not to include anybody who has any level of interest.

Let’s promote it

Now we are ready to write up a recruitment notice, in whatever shape or form best fits your organization, group email, internal social media, bulleting post, whatever works best for you.

Be clear about who you are looking for, what are your expectations, what type of commitment you are looking for, what is the deadline to apply, when does the work begin. You will figure out much of the detail during the first few meetings.

The applications

Once you start evaluating the applications, in your responses let people know again what to expect, when you will meet for the first time, or if the group is small enough it helps to survey people about the best meeting time. Sometimes the first one just needs to be arbitrary.

Prepare for the first meeting

Make sure you have a regular meeting place that can support your work. It is helpful if you have organizational support so that you can use a meeting room, but sometimes you will have to start much smaller, maybe at a nearby coffee place or in the park, though it is not an ideal start. You can change it later as you grow, for now it is important to get started.

If you pick a place where you are expected to order something, make sure it is not too expensive, people should feel comfortable to order just a tea, coffee or a soda. Or, for lack of better, bring some cookies for the meeting.