Lack of training and support for committee members

Host onboarding meetings before committee work begins

Co-chairs should meet with new members individually to:

• Introduce the structure and goals of the committee
• Clarify roles, expectations, and responsibilities
• Explain workflows, working culture and norms, and decision-making processes
• Identify any initial access needs and come up with a plan to meet them

• Difficulty receiving and communicating information
• Dominant “expert” culture
• Lack of clear and accessible onboarding process
• Lack of training and support for committee members
• Lack of training and support for chairs and facilitators
• People don’t start at the same place
• Unclear participation information

Provide guidance and ongoing support to new members

• Pair members with a mentor or buddy so they can provide contextualized advice as well as help with navigating the committee work:
  • Match new members with more experienced or returning members
  • Consider matching members with someone who has similar lived experiences
• Offer one-on-one walkthroughs
• Provide visual aids or diagrams to explain complex processes or workflows.
• Hold an initial practice session for new members or those unfamiliar with the tools, technologies and procedures.

• Encourage a culture of shared learning and open questions.
• Set up a dedicated help contact (staff or advisor) for quick questions about accessibility or committee work.

• Lack of training and support for committee members
• No clear way to report problems or get help
• People don’t start at the same place
• Too much background information for new members

Provide ongoing accessibility and inclusion training

• Embed training into participation workflows. Training should be part of how committees operate, not a separate activity that people might not attend.
• Avoid generic training. Start with what people will actually do in the process.
• Provide training based on the skills and tasks associated with the roles and responsibilities
• Provide accessibility training regularly, not just once. Update it as best practices change.
• Offer regular training for staff and chairs on:
  • Accessibility and human rights laws
  • Disability inclusion
  • Different access needs (for example: D/deaf, blind, mobility, learning, fatigue)
  • How to speak and work respectfully with people from different backgrounds
  • How to arrange accommodations (like captions, interpreters, accessible documents, or extra time)
  • How to manage conflict during meetings
  • Using plain language during speaking

• Lack of training and support for chairs and facilitators
• Lack of training and support for committee members

Provide translation and interpretation for everyone

• Offer translation and sign language/interpretation support from the start and make it normal for everyone to use.
• Test whether transcripts are working in advance.
• Use the automated transcript feature in video conferencing applications and save transcripts to share after the meeting. Check the saved transcripts for any errors or discrepancies after every meeting has ended.
• Give extra time for discussions and allow follow-up later, especially in international groups.
• Rotate meeting languages based on members’ needs, and provide interpretation when needed.
• Support smaller working groups in members’ native languages so they can participate more fully.

• Inaccessible hybrid meetings
• Inaccessible in-person meetings
• Lack of training and support for chairs and facilitators
• Lack of training and support for committee members
• Difficulty receiving and communicating information