How We Helped SensesWA Re-Engage & Reconnect Australia’s Deafblind Community.
Company Name
SensesWA
Conference Name
The 11th National Deafblind Conference
Event type
Hybrid Event
Conference at a Glance
• fully accessible captioning with live captioning
• Sign language interpretation for all speakers
• Sequenced concurrent live streams
• 269 Virtual Attendees
• 119 In-Person Attendees
• 39k live stream minuted watched
Katie Tomkins
Event Manager, and Conference Secretariat, Iceberg Events
Quick Facts
SensesWA is a leading not-for-profit organisation, providing disability services to the Western Australian community since 1895. Whatever your link with disability, they are there for you, delivering high-quality, value-for-money therapy and support.
After six long years, SensesWA knew the deafblind community in Australia needed an opportunity to come together to learn, bond, and triumph together a er a period of uncertainty and isolation. Intending to empower the deafblind community through an inclusive and accessible conference, SensesWA enlisted the help of Iceberg Events, to organize the 11th National Conference for the Deafblind Community.
The Event
The theme of the conference was “Deafblind Keeping Connected through COVID and beyond”, so it was essential that forming connections in-person and online at the conference was made as easy and simple as possible. Utilising an online event platform enabled SensesWA to achieve wider community awareness of deafblindness, o ered a space to host content that could be streamed on-demand by their audience, and helped showcase new and emerging assistive technologies for the community.
Key Considerations
As the only forum in Australia with the capacity to educate, connect, and support deafblind individuals, their families, service providers, educators, allied health, and community organisations, a lot was riding on the execution and success of the conference. Choosing the right conference partner would be essential in ensuring that the forum went as smoothly as possible. In particular, Iceberg Events was in search of a solution and partner that:
1. Has a fully customisable interface.
2. Is easy to navigate and user-friendly.
3. Can provide reliable hands-on support to their team.
4. Has accessibility features that would be the key in providing a positive experience for the conference’s audience.
The Approach
The accessible features made it possible for hundreds of disabled users to interact in a forum that was specially built for them. The 3-day conference program included multiple concurrent live-stream sessions that were broadcasted in real-time from the event venue in Fremantle, Western Australia to an online audience.
Accessible Event Platform
Our platform included a number of accessible features that made it easy to join the event and feel connected while remote.
Sign Language Interpreation
Sign language interpretation was provided for each live stream, both the speaker and the interpreter could be viewed simultaneously on the platform for those tuning in online.
Live Captioning Technology
Live-captioning technology on the platform, made it possible for members of the deafblind community to experience all that the conference had to o er from the comfort of their homes.
Key Considerations
The conference aimed to bring the deafblind community from around Australia together to share their knowledge about recent research, developments, and service improvements. During the event, presenters discussed topics including academic views and research outcomes, as well as personal reflections on how challenging the past two years have been for people who are deafblind.
The theme of the conference was “Deafblind Keeping Connected through COVID and beyond”, so it was essential that forming connections in-person and online at the conference was made as easy and simple as possible.
The power of coming together to share experiences (even while being hundreds of miles away) quickly became the cornerstone of the event, and we aimed to create that sentiment via the platform for online delegates. It was important to conference organizers that the deafblind community felt reconnected, wherever they were located, especially after the isolation that was experienced during Covid-19.
Utilising the event platform enabled SensesWA to achieve wider community awareness of deafblindness, offered a space to host content that could be streamed on-demand by their audience, and helped showcase new and emerging assistive technologies for the community.
The accessible features made it possible for hundreds of disabled users to interact in a forum that was specially built for them.
The three-day conference program included multiple concurrent live-stream sessions that were broadcasted in real-time from the event venue in Fremantle, Western Australia to an online audience.
Each live stream was sequenced and managed by operators to ensure the viewing experience online matched that of the in-person event. Vital Interpreting Personnel provided sign language interpretation for each live stream, both the speaker and the interpreter could be viewed simultaneously on the platform for those tuning in online. This, paired with live-captioning technology on the platform, made it possible for members of the deafblind community to experience all that the conference had to offer from the comfort of their homes.
Conference-goers had the opportunity to log into the event platform before the start date to view the conference program and plan out which sessions they would like to attend and which they would like to watch on-demand. They could also view all 50 presenters, interact with sponsor profiles, and chat with our live conference support personnel.
Katie Tomkins felt that it was our support that played a huge role in the success of the conference. She has this to say about our service:
“The service that we received from our Account Coordinators was truly outstanding. We were helped every step of the way and given adequate, worthwhile training and key milestones to ensure our joint success. If we were running behind on any of our milestones, our Account Coordinators would follow up with clear communication and assistance to ensure we had the tools to complete the tasks.
We were extremely pleased with the lack of assistance required from our online delegates on the day. This says to me that the platform was set up well, and was very user friendly for our users with high needs.”
Outcomes & Takeaways
As the first National Deafblind Conference in six years, it was no surprise that 119 registrants from across the country came to Fremantle, Newcastle and Melbourne where the conference was held in person. Many more from around the world streamed the conference online, allowing them to participate actively in real-time.
We helped SensesWA and the National Deafblind Conference connect its community, share service improvements, and foster belonging. It also provided an inclusive, accessible online space for the community to communicate without effort, which made the conference a resounding success.
We are committed to creating inclusive and accessible event environments because we believe that everyone should have an equal opportunity to connect, learn, and grow, no matter what. We’re thrilled to have been a part of creating an inclusive space for members of the Deafblind community. It’s time to feel empowered and connected through technology!
All photos used with permission from SensesWA
