8 Types of Accessibility
for Community Events, A Zine
This page includes the text and images from my 2025 zine, “8 Types of Accessibility for Community Events.”
This zine is a collection of learnings and co-created solutions around accessibility rose through the organizing of the Queer Arts Festival and Queer Craft Fair in Central Vermont, beginning in 2022. Though it is far from exhaustive, the goal is that you will find the information it contains helpful for thinking more expansively about accessibility, and for creating more accessible events in your own community.
Authorship: Eliza West put these words and images to paper to share them with you. The ideas, however, are based on her time as a member of the VT Queer Crafts organizing team (2022 through the authorship of this zine in 2025). Other members of that organizing team include Lee, Dana, Marten, Heri, Kenzie, Ali, Maia, Erok, and Nyssa.
Eliza is an artist who lives in Montpelier, Vermont. She is neurodivergent and deals with chronic pain. She often gets anxious when the about about a plan or schedule is unclear, struggles with small repetitive sounds, and requires a spacious chair with a back when she needs to be in the same place for prolonged periods of time.
Learn more about VT Queer Crafts:
Instagram: @vtqueercrafts
Linktree: linktr.ee/vtqueercrafts
Learn more about Eliza or explore her other art:
Instagram: @ElizaWestMakes
You are welcome to freely distribute the ideas contained in this zine. Please credit “Eliza West” for use of the illustrations or exact text.
If you bought a paper copy of this zine, your money helps to pay Eliza for the time that went into creating it.
If you are enjoying the digital version and want to support the creation of other similar resources, feel free to venmo a few dollars to @whipstitch802.
What do we mean when we say “accessibility”?
The premise of this zine is that if the goal of your event is to have a good time, then accessibility is whatever people need to be able to have a good time. If the point of your event is to build community, then accessibility is whatever people need to meaningfully be in community. This doesn’t mean people have to have a good time, or have to feel held by community. That’s not something you can control. It just means that you’re trying to remove the barriers that will definitely prevent it.
Meeting accessibility needs can mean creating spaces that are accessible to those with impaired mobility or vision (physical accessibility, parking). It can also mean meeting the needs of immunocompromized community members (masking), making it easy for families with young children to attend (family accessability), creating environments that work well for neurodivergent people (sensory accessibility, clear communication), creating events where access to wealth is not a requirement (financial accessibility), and creating spaces where people feel physically and emotionally safe (safety as accessability).
A few things to remember
Even people who do not feel like they need specific accommodations benefit from improved accessibility. Spaces which are easier to navigate, more comfortable, less overwhelming, etc. benefit us all.
Think expansively about accessibility. This isn’t a box to check so you don’t get penalized, it’s one of the key ways you are making your event inclusive and enjoyable.
Make yourself available to input and feedback before and after your event. This is the best way to learn about how you can better serve people’s needs.
Ask folks with various different experiences what they need to have a good time at an event, and see how much of that you can accomplish. If there’s something you can’t do, make sure folks know that in advance so they can plan accordingly.
Believe people when they tell you what they need. They shouldn’t have to prove it to you. If they ask for accessible parking, give it to them! If they tell you they can’t make it through a doorway you thought was accessible, apologize and look for new solutions.
You are not going to get it 100% right the first time (or the tenth time). Do your best, and know that you will be able to do better next time. Feedback is people telling you they believe you are cabable of growth. Be prepared for folks to tell you what didn’t work for them. Receive that feedback gracefully, and learn from it.
8 Types of Accessibility
1. Physical accessibility
In a perfect world, all events take place in spaces that are easily navigated by folks who use wheelchairs or walkers to get around or have other mobility challenges. This looks like everything from elevators and ramps, to smooth even ground and wide aisles. In rural spaces however, this is not always an option. In those cases make sure people know which spaces will and will not be accessible. Tell people what to expect so they can make their own best decisions.
To aid people with impaired vision, keep font sizes big and make sure there is high contrast between the text and backgrounds on posters amd signage, or when sharing info online about your event. For digitally shared images, make sure any text or other relevant information is also shared in the message text, so that folks who use assistive tech to read web content to them are able to access it.
2. Parking
In rural Vermont the reality is that most folks will need to drive to get to an event, and that means walking (often a long distance!) from the parking area to the event itself. Reserving some parking spaces close to the event, which can be reached over even and level ground makes your event more accessible to a wide range of people.
Rather than requiring folks to show accessible parking placards, we strive to make sure we have enough accessible parking that anyone who needs it can take advantage. This includes young families, people with mobility concerns of all kinds, and anyone else who expresses a need.
3. Masking
Wearing well-fitting N-95 masks is one of the ways that our community can collectively make it possible for everyone to participate fully in community events.
Not only do we all benefit from protections from each others’ germs, we also make attendence possible for the many immunocompromised community members who do not feel safe at public events without masking. Because of this, we require masking indoors at our events, and also require masks outdoors at the start of each event part part of our “access hour.”
5. Sensory accessibility
Fun events attract crowds, and crowds can be overwhelming. They can be loud, full of smells and visual distractions, and even claustrophobic. Finding ways to mitigate some of that overwhelm helps folks who would otherwise struggle to find balance between the joy of being in community and the anxiety of a big crowd. Some ways to do this include:
Having less going on in more space (i.e. spreading the event out)
Creating designated spaces for rest and quiet where folks can go to pause or recharge
Making sure there are spaces without amplified sound.
For our events, we also encourage folks who want to avoid overwhelm to come to our masked access hour, when we try to keep the energy and noise levels lower.
4. Family accessibility
Making events that are accessible to kids and their adults
More than just labeling an event “family friendly” making sure kids and their adults are able to have a good time can include:
Offering gently facilitated kids’ activities or having toys available for play
Free snacks
Providing cozy spaces for those who need rest
Providing comfortable spots for parents who are nursing babies
6. Financial accessibility
We don’t want to make events where cost is a barrier to entry, but even the most grass-roots community events generally take some money to put on. Because of this all of our events are free to attend, with donations gladly accepted.
When a fee is necessary to cover event costs, we try to use a sliding scale with clear information about which tier to pick.
Example: Queer Arts Fest vendor fee.
Sliding scale vendor fee: We ask vendors to pay a sliding scale booth fee, $0-$150+, that will help to cover advertising, promotional materials, insurance, and supplies. We also offer our organizers and support team members stipends and reimbursement for any travel. We are dedicated to offering a sliding scale to make this event as accessible as possible. Fee scale recommendations are as follows:
If you have trouble meeting your basic needs, have significant debt, and do not have savings or other support, you are welcome to pay $0–$25 for your booth.
If your basic needs are reliably met, but you have significant debt or you do not have savings, please consider paying $20–$75 for your booth.
If you have reliable income, some savings, and/or less or no debt, please consider paying $50-100+.
If you have reliable income, own a home or other assets, have savings, and investments or other wealth, please consider paying $75–$150 (or more!) to help support others in accessing this event.
No one is turned away for lack of funds! We ask that artists who can afford to pay on the higher end of our sliding scale to do so, to support those who cannot.
The above sliding scale takes inspiration from this sliding scale fee guidance!
7. Safety as accessibility
Deescalation and medics
Having a crew of trained medics and de-escalators on site is a way for our community to take care of itself, making sure basic safety needs are met without involving police. With this system, any participant who is feeling unsafe, or who has sustained an injury, has someone who they can go to to resolve that issue. This looks like everything from an attendee getting a snack when their blood sugar tanks to knowing someone keeping an eye out for individuals who might be planning to cause harm, and if necessary, asking them to leave.
8. Communicating about accessibility
Telling people what to expect
There is tremendous power in knowing in advance what you are going to encounter at an event. Providing a detailed description of the venue, what people are likely to encounter throughout the day, and what amenities are available is very helpful for folks with specific accessibility needs and those who get anxious in new or unknown environments (and everyone else too).
Where to share information: The goal is to make accessibility information easy to find and easy to read. You can send out an email, post on social media, create a page on your website, and even include (at least some accessibility information) on a poster. The goal is to make it easy to find, but also easy to digest.
To make information easy to read, break accessibility info down into bullet points or short paragraphs, use clear, simple language, and include visuals.
Information to make available in advance
Maps of your venue, parking, and the surrounding area.
A detailed description of the physical space, including any stairs, elevation changes, or uneven ground, as well as the location of elevators, etc.
Any spaces which you know are NOT going to be accessible to everyone (e.g. if the elevator is broken, describe what is available at ground level, and which spaces will require the use of stairs).
A schedule of events.
A description of specific times or places designed to be calmer, or specifically geared towards children.
Information about access to food, water, and bathrooms.
If applicable, information about the weather (i.e. reminding folks to bring sunscreen, umbrellas, or warm clothes.)