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Accessibility Needs

As part of the RCA’s commitment to becoming a church that is accessible, inclusive, and missional, General Synod tries to provide reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities and people who need special accommodations. The host facilities will include many standard accommodations (ramps, accessible restrooms, etc.); other less common or more expensive reasonable accommodations will be provided if meeting organizers are made aware of the need in advance.

If you have a disability and require accommodations to participate fully in General Synod activities, please note your specific needs when registering for General Synod. The registration form will ask you to describe any special needs you have; please include any information that may be necessary to arrange accommodations.

Mobility concerns:

If you have mobility concerns, please indicate this when you register for General Synod, so that the hotel can place you in a room as close to the plenary floor as possible. In addition, you will be able to call the hotel bellhop (by calling the hotel front desk) for golf cart assistance getting around the Westin’s property as needed.

Hearing loop:

An inductive hearing loop will be available in a portion of the General Synod plenary space. We will ask in registration if you would like to use the hearing loop; if you indicate yes, we will make sure you are seated within the area covered by the hearing loop.

Captioning:

To aid in accessibility, any video shown in the General Synod plenary space will be captioned.

ADA room:

If you require an ADA-compliant hotel room, please note that in your registration so that we can make sure the Westin makes the necessary arrangements for you.

Dietary restrictions:

Indicate any medically necessary dietary restrictions in your General Synod registration, including any food allergies. This could include indicating that you need gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, or vegan meals. Dietary restrictions must be indicated in advance when you register for General Synod, as special meals will only be prepared when needed, in accordance with the dietary restrictions the catering staff have been made aware of in advance. The Westin will make every effort to accommodate medically necessary dietary restrictions, but please note that they are not able to make special meals for specific diets such as keto or paleo.

Other possible accommodations, if arranged in advance, include an American Sign Language interpreter, large print materials, Braille, or a personal assistant. Other reasonable accommodations will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Requests for accommodations or modifications must be included in your registration and received by the General Synod registration deadline, April 24. We will make every effort to honor requests made after the deadline, but it may not be possible to fulfill them.

Accessible facilities can enhance our ability to be productive in ministry, but inclusion happens best one person at a time. If you live with a disability, please let us know how we can assist you in doing your work at General Synod.