American Music Therapy Association

Accessibility and Accommodations at AMTA Conferences and Events

April 2022

The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) is committed in our journey to making our events and platforms accessible to all attendees. Accommodations addressed at AMTA meetings include visual impairment, mobility constraints, hearing impairment, food allergies, neuridiversity needs, and any others brought to our attention. Conference scholarships and registration discount opportunities are offered annually to support socio-economic accessibility. To request an accommodation or to inquire about accessibility options not referenced here, please contact the AMTA Conference Director at conference@musictherapy.org or (301) 589-3300.

It is the policy of AMTA to hold meetings, conferences, and other professional events where barriers of any type do not exclude people from attending or participating. AMTA’s practices also follow relevant state laws where a meeting or event is held.

Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities

Every attempt is made for full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and beyond. If you require accommodations to participate, please indicate your needs on the AMTA conference registration form or contact the AMTA National Office as soon as is feasible (ideally within a minimum of two-weeks written notice, prior to the conference). Every attempt will be made to address any known and/or requested accommodations to ensure satisfactory participation.

Please bring your confidential requests, questions, or concerns, directly to the AMTA Conference Director conference@musictherapy.org to allow reasonable accommodations to be fully considered based on individual needs. For more information, please see the AMTA Code of Conduct for Events and Association Activities.

Accommodations regularly made at AMTA events, either as a regular practice or by request, include, but are not limited to, the list below:

Virtual/Online Platforms and Tools

• AMTA conference and registration platforms and materials are pre-tested by an accessibility specialist and evaluated for compatibility with screen readers, visual contrast/size/color concerns, device/browser compatibility, and/or other sensory or access concerns.
• All major online conferences offer closed captions at minimum. Open captions, subtitles, or a transcript may also be provided. Most other online events are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and have closed captioning options. If a subscriber needs captioning for an activity that does not have it, AMTA makes every effort to have that activity captioned or provide a transcript as needed.
• If users are not able to successfully navigate the offered online tool or prefer not to use the provided system, staff and volunteers are available to process registration, help with participation, or otherwise provide an accommodation offline or over the phone when requested. For example, for those who prefer not to use the online proposal submission system, staff accept an emailed proposal as long as all the required information is still included.

Presenter Pre-Planning

• Each presenter is provided with a guide to support accessibility when creating and giving presentations.
• Each presenter is asked to consider diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in every presentation at AMTA events.
• Presenters are encouraged to create and provide handouts for sessions, making them available before the session, if possible, and in a variety of accessible formats to provide directly to attendees, either in-person on online.

Visual Aids

• Large print conference programs are available upon request. A minimum of two week’s advance notice is requested for large print programs.
• Braille print conference programs can be provided with advance notice. Timelines may vary depending on vendor availability. Please make these requests as far in advance as possible to allow adequate time to generate Braille copies.
• For individuals who request assistance navigating the conference space, a volunteer is provided to help with orientation to the meeting facility or to guide individuals from session to session. While advance notice is preferred for planning purposes, AMTA makes every attempt to support attendees whenever such accommodations are requested.

Meeting Facility/Room Set-up

• Specific requests are made to AMTA-contracted hotels and meeting venues regarding adequate aisle space, cut-outs for wheelchair users, lifts, and other physical accommodations which are minimally consistent with (but exceed wherever possible) local regulations.
• Standard meeting rooms include head tables (when used) with a tabletop microphone or a podium and podium microphone. If you are presenting and require alternative arrangements (e.g., a tabletop or lavaliere microphone), please notify the AMTA Conference Director so your request can be arranged.
• LCD projectors, microphones, and speakers (amplifying devices) are standard in session rooms where presentations are anticipated.
• Every effort is made to set meeting rooms/locations to accommodate all attendees both as speakers and audience members.
• While AMTA does not have purview over meeting facility markings or local requirements for common spaces (i.e., large print or braille room number signs, hotel signage, etc.), AMTA conducts site visits of the meeting facility in advance of the event whenever feasible to note where signage, elevator/escalator, or other accommodation concerns may exist. AMTA then works with the meeting facility to discuss reasonable accommodation updates/changes it can provide wherever possible. If the hotel is unable to make physical space alterations, AMTA addresses those accessibility concerns by creating appropriate additional signage, adjusting seating arrangements for wheelchairs, requesting gender neutral or accessible restroom accommodation changes during our event, and more.

Individual Accommodations

• Reasonable individual accommodations are made based on individual needs when communicated to AMTA. For example, in the event of an allergy, AMTA may label all food and beverages to minimize exposure, work with the facility/attendees to request the space made reasonably free of any reported known allergens, and/or alert the individual with the reported known allergen to plan and protect themselves as appropriate.
• Event participants have the opportunity to indicate an accommodation need when registering for the event; however, attendees may contact AMTA and request a needed accommodation at any time. An email to the Conference Director, a phone call to the National Office, visiting the registration desk onsite, or speaking with a conference organizer are all ways participants may share their concerns or needs for the event. All accommodation requests are shared only with those necessary to provide the accommodations. We appreciate hearing directly from the individual so that we can work together to provide a specialized accommodation that works for that person. Personal information is kept confidential; minimum information is only shared with those who need to know in order to accommodate the request.

While AMTA requests as much advance notice as possible (a minimum of two-weeks written notice is best for most arrangements to be secured and implemented), AMTA makes every effort to reasonably accommodate a request at any time it is made… up to and including making changes while the conference is ongoing if possible.

Please feel free to contact AMTA National Office staff - who are committed to ensuring full participation for everyone - with any questions, requests, or needs.

• Email: AMTA Conference Director, conference@musictherapy.org
• Phone: (301) 589-3300