Summary: Keep your event space well-ventilated.

Who it helps: People with a range of disabilities, including sensory disabilities, autism, immunocompromisation, and asthma.

Additional benefits: Well-ventilated spaces are more comfortable for everyone.

Opening a window can be an accessibility action! This is because opening a window, along with other actions, helps support good ventilation.

Good ventilation helps air circulate in a space, and into and out of a space. Ventilation replaces "stale air" with fresh air. This process can help reduce the impact of smells or concentration of germs in a space, and to get rid of chemical odors. This helps people with disabilities in several ways:
- Smells, odors, and other chemical residue can harm people with disabilities. People with chemical sensitivity can have harmful reactions to many common chemicals, such as perfumes or certain cleaning chemicals. Many autistic people are sensitive to certain smells and cannot concentrate in areas with strong odors.
- Many people who are immunocompromised, like people undergoing cancer treatment, get sick more easily after being in badly-ventilated spaces. This is because of germ exposure. A well-ventilated space is safer for people with these disabilities.
- Smoke and chemicals can also trigger asthma attacks. Ventilation reduces this risk.
- Many people without these disabilities find well-ventilated spaces more comfortable, especially for an event with many people.

For these reasons, ventilation makes your event more accessible for people with disabilities.

Many buildings have complex ventilation systems, and if you have one available in your event space, learn more about your system. This can help you keep your space well-ventilated. That said, there are things you can do even without this system, such as:

Opening a window or door to let fresh air in from outside

Buying a portable air filtration or ventilation system

In an area with a kitchen, using a range hood