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A healthy and robust campus culture recognizes all our students, faculty, and staff no matter our differences.  When we proactively consider all our differences, we provide better experiences for everyone attending events on our campus. 

With this in mind, The Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, in partnership with the Division of Student Life, Student Disability Services unit, released the new Accessibility-Informed Events and Programming Guide providing event organizers and campus administrators a comprehensive toolkit to plan inclusive events accessible for all attendees proactively.

The guide was created to be a living document for planning events while reducing the need for accommodations by increasing accessibility.  The information is intersectional by including practices welcoming multiple and overlapping identities. 

“I applaud the cross-campus teamwork and the creation of our new guide,” stated Liz Tovar, executive officer, and associate vice president, of the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  “The adoption of these practices will strengthen our campus culture by supporting a more welcoming and inclusive environment as outlined in the UI strategic plan.  The Accessibility-Informed Events and Programming Guide contributes to the expansion and awareness of resources providing dedicated support for diverse students, faculty, and staff.”

The Accessibility-Informed Events and Programming Guide was authored collectively by the University of Iowa community.  Bailey Anderson led the effort, Division of Student Life, Student Disability Services; Abbie Beadle, College of Nursing; Brianna Marcelo, Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Inclusive Education and Strategic Initiatives; Erin Stresow, Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Inclusive Education and Strategic Initiatives (former).

“I want to thank our development team, as well as the 21 different organizations that contributed to the creation of this guide,” stated Brianna Marcelo, director of the Inclusive Events and Strategic Initiatives unit of the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. “We have produced a best practices tool that can adapt over time while guiding organizers and planners to welcome everyone into campus events.”