Accessibility

ALA works to make sure your experience will be a pleasant and accessible one.  Below you'll find Conference and Convention Center features to ensure that the ALA 2020 Midwinter Meeting is accessible to all.

• We caption our main sessions, (e.g., President’s Program, Membership Meeting, Council Meetings, and others, as requested by organizers).
   
• We have accessible sleeping rooms in our hotel block. Rooms for the deaf, blind, and attendees in wheelchairs are available. Please check the appropriate box on your housing form and an onPeak representative will contact you to make sure you are placed in an appropriate room.
      
• Leader animals of all kinds are welcome throughout the Conference.
      
• Our shuttle bus company offers accessible buses. Instructions on how to obtain your ride are available in each hotel, in the convention center, and listed in the on-site newspaper, COGNOTES.    

American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreters

Conference Services coordinates interpreting services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. To use the service, Interpreter requests should be made prior to conference attendance by contacting the Conference Services Accessibility Hotline 312-280-3225 or email [email protected], before Friday, January 10, 2020.

An interpreter will also be on-call in the Conference Services Office in the Convention Center, Thursday through Monday.  Services are available on a first-come / first-serve basis.
 

Mobility Assistance

Based upon availability in each city, ALA maintains a limited number of wheelchairs and scooters on a first-come / first-serve basis for attendees that require mobility assistance.  ALA offers complimentary scooters to be used during regular session hours.

Scooter pick up and drop off will be located in the Convention Center.  Please see the attendant for assistance. You will be asked to sign-out and return the scooters daily with the attendant. Any scooters returned past the closing time noted above will be subject to a $25 fee.

Hours will be made available closer to the date of the conference. 

If you require mobility assistance and would like to reserve a scooter prior to the show, please contact the Conference Services Accessibility Hotline 312-280-3225 or email [email protected], no later than January 10, 2020. Reservation requests cannot be taken after this deadline; however, additional scooters will be available for use during the conference.
 

Mothers Room

There will be a private and comfortable space allocated to nursing mothers in the Convention Center.