Enjoyable for All

Accessibility Pledge

We’re dedicated to crafting a conference that is accessible and inclusive. There are around four million people with disability in Australia alone, and this number doesn’t take into account those with temporary mobility ranges, considerations that are not officially recognised, and all the other things that happen in life that aren't captured in a survey.

Our goal is to create a conference that runs safely and smoothly and attracts a wide range of people. Putting accessibility first and foremost will ensure that we include the broadest range of people.

High on the list of our considerations are:

• People who are blind or vision impaired
• People who are deaf or hard of hearing
• People with mobility and manual dexterity difficulties

We are also focusing on:

• People with children
• People with dietary requirements
• People limited by work arrangements
• People with gender fluidity

Contacting us prior to the event if you have any specific requirements would be great for us! We’ll try very hard to accommodate requests, but may require extra time and planning, so please get in touch as early as possible.

We’re excited to be hosted by University of Melbourne! With their generous venue sponsorship comes their great facilities, and due to the nature of the world class University, many accessibility considerations come built in!

Levels features:

• Close proximity to public transport
• Well signed entry points to venue
• Drop off points for cars and taxis
• Good surface conditions
• Clear paths leading to all features such as toilets, break out rooms & theatre
• Automatic doors, the use of non-heavy doors, or open-by-default doors
• Equipped with working accessible toilet facilities in the same location as female and male toilets
• Lift with button at appropriate height for people using wheelchairs
• Height accessible counters for a person in a wheelchair
• Good air circulation throughout the venue
• Good acoustics and/or hearing augmentation system (hearing loop)
• Evacuation procedures in place taking into account people with a disability
• Facilities for assistance animals

Toilets

The toilets at Levels will be gender neutral. This means you can share a toilet block with anyone, you never know who you’ll run into! This can sound uncomfortable for some people, the best way to think about it is that your uncomfortableness can be enabling someone else to feel included and comfortable. Companies that we look towards, like REA Group, have this at their office, and we believe this is the direction forward for bathrooms worldwide. You’re part of a movement!

Changing Places

There are no dedicated Parents Room facilities built in, but we have set aside a room in the building for parents. Parents should bring all the consumables required to care for your little ones, and we will provide a quiet, semi-private space.

Wheelchairs

Some of things we aim to provide are:

• Food service that makes it easy for people with vision or mobility impairment to get food.
• Wheelchair accessible stage.

Hearing Loop

We have Hearing Loop facilities and headphones available for those without hearing aids that require additional aid. Please mark if you require this on your ticket registration, so we can prepare and arrange this in advance. If you find yourself in need on the day, please speak to one of our clearly marked organisers who will be able to help you.

Flashing Lights, strobes, and other special effects

There will be some visual effects throughout the day, most prominently in speaker presentations. We’ll check slide decks beforehand, and we use our “What to Expect” slide to flag anything that you might need to know about, prior to each talk.

What to Expect Slide

Each talk will have a slide at the beginning of what to expect. This can include trigger warnings about potentially distressing content, audio and visual warnings and any other information as required.

Food

You’re going to be hearing all about our food options prior to the event, but to break it down:

• Dietary requirements collected at ticket purchase and catered for
• Clearly labeled food options
• Thought-out table and seating layout to avoid crowding
• Friendly staff to help with any catering issues
• Health food oriented

Chill Out Room

Need a break from people? Don’t worry, we get it, and that’s totally okay. We’ll have a separate room dedicated to just hanging out. This will be an ideal place to recharge your phone, take any medication you need to.

Green Room

Speakers will be provided with a dedicated room to prepare before speaking… or to just work on your slides last minute! Haha

Staffed Registration and Information Table

The registration desk will remain open throughout the day. This is the best point of contact for speaking with a Levels staff member who can help you with questions, resolve problems, and take feedback. This is the best place to report a Code of Conduct violation on the day, as it can be immediately escalated to the designated code of conduct staff member. At least one of these staff members will be first aid trained and can provide assistance for any non-emergency medical issues.

In the event of an emergency, dial 000 and follow instruction from the phone operator.

Relevant numbers:

• Emergency fire, ambulance and police: 000
• University Security: To be updated closer to the time
• Organisers: To be updated closer to the time

Reserved Seating

If you would like to reserve seating to ensure that your needs are met with sounds, audio, accessibility, please email hello@LevelsConf.com

If you see a reserved seating sign, please leave that seat available unless it is for you. If you are having trouble yourself, please see one of the staff who will find you an appropriate seat.

Signage

Levels will be well signed, with simple, clear signage for all manner of things. From directions to toilets, to the agenda, to food labelling. We won’t be relying on spoken announcements either, Organiser announcements will be accompanied by slides as a written form of communication as well.

Access Coordinator

We will have a dedicated volunteer staff member who is across all of the access options for the venue. This person will be identified on the day and is a great point on contact for any questions about accessibility.

Staff Briefing

All of the Levels volunteer staff have a commitment to making the event awesome and to make a welcoming and inclusive event. All staff will be briefed prior to the event in how to handle different situations, including code of conduct violations, being familiar with the events time table, access areas, and emergency procedures.

We’re always learning more about accessibility, and we’ve heavily borrowed from this guide which the City of Melbourne have expertly put together.