Ensuring accessibility at a Paralympic assembly with a customized conference solution

A conference with special requirements for communication and fair voting

Inclusion is a key goal of the Paralympic movement. For the International Paralympic Committee General Assembly 2023 in Bahrain, a key requirement was that the conference system should enable all attendees – regardless of their disability – to be included. More than 350 delegates from the 209 members of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) were expected to attend. With so many decisions to be made, it was important to ensure that the voting process was transparent, simple, and error-free for every participant.

A flexible solution for accessible voting

Our comprehensive solution, based on the DICENTIS Conference System, was specifically chosen by the organizer because of its options for inclusion and the easy integration of customized software for voting. The implementation and customer support before and during the event was provided by our local partner Mohammed Fakhroo & Brothers W.L.L.

Haptic and auditory support for the visually impaired

Orientation sheet with Braille patterns for the visually impaired – easy to stick to the DICENTIS Discussion device with voting function

For visually impaired participants, the DICENTIS Discussion devices with voting function were equipped with orientation sheets. These have clearly recognizable text in Braille on them so that delegates can distinguish between the different voting buttons. There was also acoustic feedback to make it easier to cast a vote: When delegates cast a vote, a beep sounded in their headphones to confirm the action.

Multi-language support and customized conferencing

To facilitate communication between delegates from different countries, interpretation booths were set up for six different languages. API customization and software from our integration partner MVI Audio Visual Global B.V. enabled the implementation of a personalized agenda and the display of voting results in real time. The General Assembly also held additional board-level meetings where the CCS 1000 D Digital Discussion System was used – a plug-and-play solution for smaller sessions.

The elements of the conference solution at a glance:

• 186 DICENTIS Discussion devices with touchscreen
• 8 DICENTIS Multimedia devices
• 7 DICENTIS Discussion devices with voting, equipped with Braille orientation sheets for visually impaired participants
• Acoustic feedback for voting
• Interpreter booths
• CCS 1000 D Digital Discussion System