Communicating an inclusive conference culture

For many people spontaneously registering for and attending events conferences or educational programmes without significant planning is part of lifelong learning. For people with disabilities however attending an event or conference often involves a great deal of effort without any certainty that the necessary conditions will be in place. In this context the author draws on practical examples to ask experts in the field what requirements must be placed on communication in an inclusive conference culture in order to enable self-determined participation - and thus develops a list of recommendations for event organisers. The theoretical framework is provided by Gergen's social constructionism the social model of disability (disability studies) and Girtler's 'ero-epic' conversation. Terms such as disability are deconstructed and the power of language and its use in the media are analysed. Finally transformative dialogue is used to illustrate an example of greater consensus in (interpersonal) communication.