Episode 3: Adjustments

Hello, and welcome to episode three of this Australian Disability Network miniseries podcast where we're talking about how to make Australian boardrooms more accessible, and inclusive. 

My name is Andy McLean, and in this episode, we're going to look at adjustments that you can make to the way that your board runs in order to make it more accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities.

So, let's jump in and get started. Episode three Adjustments. 

Put simply, an adjustment is a change that helps somebody with a disability to participate equitably as a board member. Such adjustments can be made without compromising the board's operations or efficiency, and they often require no financial outlay. A simple example would be when a director is using crutches, you might hold a board meeting close to the exit point of the building. 

Typically, we think about adjustments in three ways, physical spaces, communication channels, and technology. So, in this podcast episode, we're going to provide eight practical tips for adjustments that can help your board make the most of all your directors’ talent. Now, those eight tips include a golden rule. 

They include a discussion about meeting invites, we talk about physical access, we talk about online board meetings, hybrid meetings, and building breaks into meetings. We also talk about what accessible documents involve and also feedback mechanisms. 

So, let's jump in and talk about all of them. So, first up the golden rule. Everyone experiences disability differently. So, it's important not to make assumptions about adjustments that may or may not be required to find out how to adjust your board's processes, practices, procedures, or environment, to make it accessible for a particular director. Simply ask that person, they're the experts after all. 

Our second tip is about meeting invites. So, in board meeting invitations that you send out, include a simple standard sentence asking invitees to mention any accessibility requirements before the meeting, and always offer them two modes of contact. So, for example, in that email invitation, you might include the words, if you require any adjustments to participate in this meeting, please contact me via email or phone. Once asked, people are much more likely to feel comfortable requesting the adjustments that they need. 

Our third tip is about physical access. And that's all about considering the accessibility of the building, and the meeting room where a board meeting is planned to be held. Ask yourself will directors be able to get to into and around each room? 

Our fourth tip is about online and video meetings. So the basic protocols you can introduce for online video board meetings include ensuring that one person speaks at a time using the standard functionality of video meeting platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Google workplace to display captions in real time to soundcheck your technology before the meeting, and at the start of saying something each speaker should say their name out loud first, for example, Andy speaking. And while we are on that topic, let's hear from Lyn Birnie, Board Member for East Coast Apprenticeships, West Moreton Hospital and Health Service, Ipswich Zonta and Ipswich Legacy.

Lyn Birnie 03:37

Often in a board meeting, you're sat at a long table. That's it, particularly if you're joined by technology. It's hard to hear things, I have hearing aids. So, I struggle to hear, and I know that something funny has been said because everybody, everybody laughs And I think, okay, I missed that, etc. 

Somebody mentioned about asking people with disability, what adjustments they needed. Now, I would never have thought to do that. But they talked about, for instance, putting captions on. So, I actually now have that on my Zoom in Teams meetings, because I