Calendar Tutorial & Accessibility Guide

Community building is a big priority for ELAN. It’s implied in everything we do – from State of the Arts to the ACE Initiative.

Our Community Calendar is a space where active members can promote events they are organizing or those that feature their work. Below you will find simple instructions for submitting an event and some tips to get you thinking about accessibility.

In order to submit an event, you must a current ELAN member. Click here to sign up or renew an expired membership online!

How Do I Submit an Event?

It’s super easy for active members to submit an event online by following these steps:

  1. Visit our Community Calendar.
  2. Click the “submit your event” button or hyperlink.
  3. If prompted to do so, login to your ELAN account.
  4. Fill out the form with as many details as possible (mandatory fields are indicated with a *).
  5. After clicking submit, you will be directed to a page that displays the event details: when, where, contact info.
  6. You will receive an automated email immediately (sent to the email address on your ELAN account, not the email address entered on the submission form) with the event details and a link to edit.
  7. You will receive a second email within 2 weeks if the event is approved.

Tips:

  • Use the suggested format when filling in the “when” and “length” sections.
  • If your event takes place over several days, make sure to specify the number of days in the “length” field and include a schedule in the “description” field.
  • Be mindful of the timezone, though it should default to “Eastern (US & Canada)” for events in Quebec.
  • By default, it will pull the contact name, email and phone number from your ELAN membership account, though you can edit these fields if someone else is responsible for event inquiries.
  • Events unrelated to the arts, or those containing offensive content, will not be approved.
  • If you do not receive an approval email, feel free to contact news@quebec-elan.org or 514-935-3312 for assistance.

What About Accessibility?

Accessibility concerns many people with diverse needs. 

We encourage you to think about any barriers that may affect your guests and be transparent with your community. People with access needs deserve to know what to expect at an event so they can make appropriate decisions and best prepare.

When you are filling out the online form to submit an event, include information about accessibility in the description.

Some questions to consider:

  • Is there a pay-what-you-can option?
  • Is it mandatory to purchase a ticket ahead of time?
  • What is the closest metro station? Is it accessible? What bus routes are nearby?
  • Is there space for guests to park? Are there any accessible parking spots? How many?
  • Are the doors automatic or manual?
  • Is the event located up stairs? How many steps? Is there a handrail? A ramp?
  • Is there a working elevator or escalator?
  • Are the washrooms accessible? Gender neutral? Where are they located?
  • Are children welcome? Is free childcare available?
  • Is there a scent-free policy?
  • Are service animals allowed?
  • Are guests expected to stand or sit on the floor? Will rest seating be available?
  • Will food be served? If so, what allergies or dietary restrictions will be accommodated? Can guests bring their own food?
  • Will alcohol be consumed or is it an alcohol-free event?
  • What level of participation or audience involvement is expected?
  • What language(s) will information be presented in?
  • Will there be ASL or LSQ interpreters?
  • If it is a film screening, will there be closed captioning? In what language?

Given that there are a limitless number of questions you can ask yourself in thinking about accessibility, this list is not exhaustive. Accessibility is a complex concept that deserves thorough and ongoing consideration in order to cultivate a more inclusive arts community in Quebec.

Check out these helpful resources for more information:

Accessibility Guidelines for Organizers & Facilitators (Accessibilize Montreal and the Centre for Community Organizations)

Accessibility Toolkit: A Guide to Making Art Spaces Accessible (Professor Anne Zbitnew, Humber College and Tangled Art + Disability)

Accessibilize Your Event (Olivia Dreisinger)

VIBE: Challenging Ableism and Audism in the Arts (Critical Disability Studies Working Group, Concordia University)

The Radical Access Model of Disability (Community-University Research Exchange Montreal)

Looking for a comprehensive example? Take a peek at the SistersInMotion Accessibility Statement!

Still Stuck?

Finally, if you have any questions, you’re welcome to email membership@quebec-elan.org or call 514-935-3312 (ext. 26).

See you in the directory!

460 Sainte-Catherine West
Suites 706 & 708, 917 (Quebec Relations)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3B 1A7
Phone: (514)-935-3312
admin@quebec-elan.org

Click here to view our Accessibility Audit.

ELAN is an official minority language organization within a country that recognizes two languages as official. ELAN is located in Tiohtiak:ke, the original name for Montreal in Kanien’kéha, the language of the Mohawk—also known as Mooniyang, which is the Anishinaabeg name given to the city by the Algonquin. While we are based in this city, our projects have also taken place in many regions across Quebec.

We acknowledge the colonial origin of English and French in Canada, and recognize that both languages benefit from official status throughout the land. The province that we know as Quebec is an amalgamation of the traditional territories of the Innu and Inuit nations, Algonquian nations, as well as the Mohawk nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Kanien’kéha and Anishinaabeg are but two of the original languages of this province; Atikamekw, Cree, Inuktitut, and Innu-aimun are also among the many Indigenous languages spoken across Quebec as majority languages, all well before French and English.

ELAN acknowledges the important work being done by First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to revive the traditional languages of these territories, and their advocacy for the official status of Indigenous languages.