Accessibility in event planning often starts and ends with a ramp. But for Heidi DeGrace, owner of Unspoken Events Co., true inclusion begins where physical access ends. As a Deaf-owned business serving Central Ohio, her work focuses on inclusive event strategy and accessibility consulting—helping organizations design gatherings where communication is as accessible as the entrance.
In this interview, DeGrace shares what accessibility looks like in practice, how to guide clients new to inclusive design, and why communication access is the most overlooked gap in events today.
Question 1: What does accessibility look like in practice when you plan an event, beyond physical accommodations?
DeGrace is direct: "Accessibility is more than a ramp and an accessible bathroom. Period." She explains that getting through the front door is only the beginning. "You can get me through the front door, but if I cannot understand what is happening once I am inside, you have not really made the event accessible to me."
Her approach is to look at the whole experience. She asks: Can people communicate? Are interpreters needed? Are videos captioned? Can people see the interpreter, speaker, or screen? Is the lighting good enough to see someone's face and hands? How are announcements being made? Is important information available in more than one way?
DeGrace emphasizes that accessibility must be part of the event from the beginning, not an afterthought. "Accessibility should be part of the event from the beginning, not something we scramble to figure out after someone asks for an accommodation." This aligns with best practices that recommend including accessibility in the initial planning stages, as outlined in Cvent's guide to event planning accessibility.
Plan Inclusive Events with Confidence
Every event is unique. Reach out to discuss your specific accessibility and planning needs.
Meet the experts at Unspoken Events Co., LLC. Answer a few quick questions to receive personalized tips for your next inclusive event.
Question 2: How do you help clients who are new to inclusive event design get started?
DeGrace starts by asking a lot of questions—some clients have never considered. "Who is your audience? How are people getting information? What happens if someone cannot hear an announcement? What happens if someone cannot see the screen? What does your venue actually offer? What happens when someone requests an accommodation?"
She is clear that she doesn't expect clients to know everything. "I am also very clear that I do not expect people to know everything. I certainly don't know everything. Accessibility is huge, and different people have different needs."
What matters most to her is willingness. "What matters to me is whether someone is willing to learn, ask questions, listen to people with lived experience, and make changes when something is not working." This mirrors the guidance from Colgate University's accessible event planning checklist, which encourages planners to think about the widest range of attendees from the start.
Question 3: What are some common accessibility gaps you see at events in Central Ohio?
DeGrace's answer is unequivocal: "Communication access. Hands down." She notes that while physical accessibility has improved, communication access is still overlooked. "A building can have accessible parking, ramps and restrooms and still host an event that is completely inaccessible to someone who is Deaf or hard of hearing."
She lists common gaps: no captions, videos without captions, poor lighting, an interpreter placed where nobody can see them, important information only announced over a microphone, and people talking while facing away from the audience.
She also challenges a common response: "And sometimes the response is, 'Nobody asked for an accommodation.' That is exactly the mindset I want to change. Why are we waiting for somebody to ask before we think about whether they can participate?" This proactive approach is echoed in inclusive event planning guidance from the University of Washington that stresses removing barriers before they arise.
Question 4: How does being a Deaf-owned business shape the way you approach communication and connection at events?
DeGrace brings lived experience to her work. "I know what it is like to walk into a room and immediately start figuring out how I am going to communicate, where I need to sit, whether I can see the person speaking, whether there are captions, and whether I am going to spend the next two hours working twice as hard just to follow what everyone else is getting automatically."
That experience shapes how she runs Unspoken Events Co. But she is careful to clarify: "Unspoken Events is Deaf-owned, but we are not only for Deaf people." Her goal is to bring Deaf and hearing people together. "I want Deaf and hearing people in the same room. I want businesses, nonprofits, educators, professionals and community members meeting people they might not otherwise meet. Accessibility makes that connection possible."
That mission is captured in her tagline: "Where Connection Speaks Louder Than Words."
Question 5: What advice would you give an organization planning its first fully inclusive event?
Her advice is simple: "Stop being afraid of getting accessibility wrong and start asking questions." She acknowledges that mistakes will happen. "You are probably going to miss something. I probably will too. The difference is what you do when you realize it."
She urges planners to bring accessibility into the first planning meeting, not the last. "Talk to people who actually use the accommodations you are considering. Look at your venue, technology, registration, communication, seating, lighting, presentations, videos and emergency information."
Most importantly, she reframes the mindset: "Do not think of accessibility as something you are doing 'for those people.' Those people are already part of your community." This perspective is central to inclusive event guidance from the National Disability Rights Network, which emphasizes that inclusion benefits everyone.
DeGrace's final thought captures her purpose: "There are a lot of conversations about inclusion. I want to help turn those conversations into something people can actually experience."