How to Organise Inclusive Conferences and Workshops (2026) offers practical guidance for academics and professionals seeking to design more inclusive events. Through lived experiences and organizational insights, contributors explore systemic barriers to participation and propose strategies for more equitable event practices. The book features experts from across the globe, including BCcampus Events Manager, Christy Foote.  

Christy’s chapter, “Creating an accessibility package: Lived experience insights from an event manager,” draws on many years of experience: she has organized a wide range of in-person and virtual events, from small seminars to large-scale conferences with hundreds of participants and international presenters. If you’ve attended a BCcampus event like the Festival of Learning, the BCcampus Roadshow, or the Digital Learning Strategy Forum, Christy is the person who made it happen.

Her reflections offer practical, grounded insights into what accessibility can look like in real-world event planning. 

Remember, we are always learning, and each event we organise will provide a learning opportunity for us. Everyone deserves to attend and engage in our events equally, so staying dedicated and committed to providing inclusive events will help us reach our goal.
– Christy Foote, How to Organise Conferences and Workshops

I have had a disability for 15 months. It is invisible. It causes me to miss professional and social events regularly, so I was nervous about this week. However, this is the first time in 15 months that I felt truly accommodated and respected. The very basic things that I needed were put in place, and my disability was not questioned. Further, the conference folks did not try to project or do or talk about what they thought I needed (which happens all the time and is annoying and embarrassing) and were very discrete. Thank you for showing me what actual disability accommodation can be like.
–Event participant

Whether you’re an event organizer, educator, or student, How to Organise Inclusive Conferences and Workshops offers concrete ideas for moving beyond good intentions toward more inclusive and sustainable ways of convening people.