Inclusion and Accessibility Guidelines for Planning Events and Programs

Jump to: Background and commitment Planning events at Beth El Accommodations and accessibility for events at Beth El Setup for hybrid events Food at Beth El events

This document is intended to guide and enable committee chairs and their committee members, Beth El staff and other groups to make use of Beth El’s inclusion and accessibility resources when planning events for members and the larger community. These guidelines have been developed over the past several years in order to create a space that enables all members and guests to fully participate in every aspect of Jewish communal life. Also, these guidelines should be made available to those groups and persons renting space at Beth El for planning their events.

Members of the Inclusion Committee are available for consultation and should be contacted early in the planning process:

• Maxine Haron (co-chair) —  maxineharon@gmail.com
• Carrie Fuchs (co-chair) — seafox40@gmail.com
• Roberta Unger — tortoiseshell2622@gmail.com
• Cat Kaner — mkanercat@gmail.com

Background and Commitment

Beth El of the Sudbury River Valley has been at the forefront of inclusion and accessibility policies and initiatives. Beth El was a founding member of the Sudbury Valley Jewish Special Education Initiative, which allowed students with disabilities and a wide spectrum of neurodiversity to engage in after-school Jewish education. This initiative emphasized multisensory learning, best practices in the field of special education, teacher training through seminars, an annual conference and consultation to its member congregations. It received annual funding initially from the Bureau of Jewish Education followed by Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, an international model for Jewish education in after school Hebrew schools and Jewish day schools. Gateways stopped funding the Initiative a couple of years ago, and brought those services into their organization.

From 2016-2023, Beth El was recognized by the Ruderman Foundation Synagogue Inclusion Project program, along with approximately 40 other synagogues, for its disability and inclusion efforts. This recognition continued through the life of the grant program. Through participation in annual disability-focused gatherings, members of Beth El learned with and from other synagogues, and received funding for implementation of disability awareness and accessibility strategies, through programming and physical structures.

Members of the present-day Inclusion Committee were part of all of these efforts. For a full listing of these accomplishments and our current accessibility accommodations, see Beth El’s Inclusion, Diversity and Accessibility web page.

Planning Events at Beth El

Planning for all events at Beth El begin with completing the Event Planning Form. It is recommended that you read through the entire form before filling it out. Fill it out, then connect with the Beth El administrator for clarification, direction, and final clearance to proceed with planning. The form will be reviewed and approved by the administrator.

If an individual or groups outside of the temple rent space and have programs, they should be aware of the inclusion and accessibility guidelines contained in this document.

The following questions should be considered as new events and programs are planned. Each item has implications for accessibility of all program activities.

Who is the intended audience?

• What format(s) will be used? (large lecture/workshops/media presentation, etc.)
• How can the event/program be made accessible to people who cannot attend in person?
  (e.g. Zoom, livestreaming, captioning, ASL interpreter).
• How will activities flow into one another (including breakout groups/use of multiple rooms)?
• What types of materials will be distributed before/during/after the event? How will materials be made accessible to people online, with vision/hearing augmentation needs? (e.g. hearing devices, large print/legible font, handouts to be distributed/shared on line).
• Always be mindful of language when addressing an audience. Our audiences include everyone under the Inclusion Umbrella, including LGBTQ+, people of color, and individuals with physical, emotional, and mental differences.
• For example, when welcoming people, refrain from saying “boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen.” Instead say “friends,” or “welcome all.”

The following are links for information on what to consider to make programming inclusive for all:

• Pride Event Checklist: Best Practices for LGBTQ+ Belonging (Keshet)
• The Ushers for the High Holidays guide can also be adopted for all events and offers some great suggestions for people of color and those with disabilities.
• Have a name posted on the publicity form for the event who can be contacted regarding specific accessibility needs.

Zoom/hybrid option

A Zoom/hybrid option allows people who cannot attend the event or program in person to participate and interact with others. This should be considered and implemented even in situations where parts of the program are not easily translated into an on-line format. Exceptions may include:

1. A speaker’s request due to privacy or intellectual property concerns.
2. Confidential subject matter.

Even in these cases, modifications may be possible, such as:

• Using the Zoom waiting room and only admitting pre-registered participants.
• Requiring all participants to agree to recording in advance, or choosing not to record the program.
• Requiring Zoom participants to display their names and/or affiliations.
• Disabling chat and/or disabling the chat save/history function.

A Zoom link must be obtained in advance from the office staff. This link should be included in communications to Beth El members/staff planning the event, as appropriate, and be provided to all pre-registered Zoom participants. The planning committee can determine when the Zoom link should be included in communications to all registered participants prior to the event.

For technology needs, contact the AV Team, who will assign the appropriate tech support for Zoom and livestreaming (cameras, computers, microphones, etc.) There are Zoom hosts for regularly scheduled services and programs. For other events, event coordinator(s) must designate Zoom host(s) for their event.

Scheduling and Publicity

Once the form is approved, the office will coordinate scheduling and publicity, including placement in Mah Chadash, emails, and on the Beth El website). The group hosting the event is responsible for working with the office regarding additional publicity, such as placement in local papers or on list serves, email notices to area congregations and organizations, print flyers, and/or preparation of press releases. Note: All publicity should include a reference to accessibility.

Saving and Posting of Recorded Programs

Permission from speakers and presenters must be procured prior to recording programs and/or distributing recordings. Programs that have been Zoomed and recorded may be posted on the member section of the Beth El website for those unable to attend the live event. Program organizers should reach out to the office to have the saved program placed on the website or otherwise shared with members or others.

Accommodations and Accessibility for Events at Beth El

Physical Accommodations

When planning events in the building, please be mindful of congregants who use canes, wheelchairs, walkers, or have other mobility concerns. Adequate space and designated seating must be made available for accessibility, including room for mobility access between chair sections.

There are two exits from the sanctuary to the Garden of the Generations. The door near the bimah has accessibility is the only exit that has a ramp with a guardrail. The exit from the social hall has a ramp without guardrails. Event organizers should place a sign on the exit door by the Bimah to indicate the door with a handrail.

Event organizers should predetermine if chairs need to be made available in the garden for those who cannot stand for long periods of time, e.g. for kiddush after a bar/bat mitzvah.

AV Team

Beth El does not currently have a formal fragrance-free policy. However, due to food, plant, chemical, etc. allergies and sensitivities — some severe and life threatening — we strongly encourage attendees to avoid wearing strong scents, particularly heavy perfumes and colognes.

What we can do: designate a fragrance-reduced section (reduce the likelihood of fragrances, using signage, strongly encouraging participants to not wear fragrances, using unscented cleaners for High Holidays, etc). Fragrance-free signs are located in the sanctuary closet. Unscented plants and flowers should be used on the bimah and on serving and eating tables, and artificial flowers are recommended.

Note: We use artificial flowers on the bimah for all High Holiday services to accommodate anyone with allergies who might come to the bimah.

Assistive Hearing Devices

Beth El provides hearing devices that amplify sound for individuals with impaired hearing. These devices are located in the closet to the right upon entering the sanctuary. Many people attending services know how to use them. As part of standard event setup, Beth El’s building caretaker is responsible for room set-up and breakdown and is tasked with placing the Assistive Hearing Devices in a visible and accessible location. The office staff is responsible for determining that the devices’ batteries are fully charged at all times.

At the start of each event, the event leader should announce the availability of hearing devices and offer assistance as needed.

Important notes: Individual users may adjust the volume of their devices. For film screenings, these devices amplify sound only.

Microphones should be used for those leading an event. A circulating microphone should be utilized for people in the audience who wish to speak during the activity or program. All questions should be repeated for the sake of those in the in-house audience and those on-line.

Accessibility Tools

Check that these items are available on the cart by the main door of the sanctuary, in the sanctuary closet near the front entrance, or in the small bookcase.

• Reading glasses with various magnifications
• Magnifying “sheets”
• Fidgets and sensory tools for adults and children
• Drawing materials and other quiet toys for children
• Reader-friendly children’s books (on the bookcase under the Talit storage shelf)
• Foam ear plugs for hearing protection

Closed captioning

• In the building: When showing a film, when possible, closed captions should be provided.
• Zoom: Closed captions should be used when possible on Zoom.
• Meeting hosts must enable closed captioning to make it available to participants. Participants can request the host to enable captioning.
• Translation apps (for Hebrew, etc.) must be set up by individual users.

Setup for hybrid events (in-person + Zoom/livestream)

Prior to program:

• Troubleshoot potential tech issues before the day of the event/program.
• Designate one or two hosts (more for back-up and facilitators for breakouts as needed) for the Zoom room.
• Work with the AV team to set up tech/camera, screens, etc. so as to create optimal connection between in-person and Zoom participants.
• Suggestion: create a more inclusive community by having the people on Zoom seen by the in-house participants and vice versa.

During Zoom event:

• Instruct in-person participants to use circulating microphones when speaking. (This is also helpful for those with hearing impairments in the room.)
• Ask all in-person participants to identify themselves by name.
• Encourage Zoom participants to appear on screen, especially during discussions, as comfort permits.
• Ask people to add their names and personal pronouns on the screen as comfort permits.
• Use Zoom’s chat functionfor comments and questions, and share chat comments/questions with the in-person audience.
• Create virtual breakout rooms for small-group discussions with facilitators or self-guided when appropriate.
• Remind remote participants to use Zoom’s “raise hand” function to speak.

Food at Beth El Events

For all events where food is served:

• Label all ingredients containing potential allergens (refer to list of food allergens in the kitchen)
• Use labeling placards (e.g., gluten-free, contains nuts) available in a wicker basket in the kitchen and placed on provided placard rings.
• Use blank ingredient recipe checklist cards for homemade items.
• Place serving utensils on each serving plate, use tongs for finger foods.
• Place allergen labels directly next to each serving dish.
• Include gluten-free and dairy-free options. To prevent cross-contamination, organize gluten-free/dairy-free options together in a separate area whenever possible.

Please note: During an event, if you witness or experience any form of harassment, please report it immediately to the chair/VP of the Human Resources Committee (see the Lay Leadership page).