Rethinking Our Practice: Accessibility Embedded at Every Coaching Stage

Session Description: Disability is not a niche. The majority of people will experience it at some point in their lives, and we as coaches who are not prepared will lose clients we never knew we had. Therefore, accessibility is a core part of doing our job well. Most of us know that. Few of us have looked at our full practice to see where the doors are still closed. This session takes a broader look, following the entire experience our clients have from their first impression to how they feel after sessions, and how they put what they learn into practice. At each step, we ask: Are we unintentionally leaving anyone out?

We will explore four key steps: Marketing, Onboarding, Delivery, and Group Coaching. We’ll look at simple, practical changes that make clients feel safe and comfortable, especially those with physical and cognitive disabilities. The session is based on easy-to-understand design ideas, real-world assistive tools, and the experiences of clients with disabilities. It’s about what coaching practices often overlook.

This isn’t just about compliance. It’s about ethical coaching. Because the difference between a coach who wants to be inclusive and one who really is often boils down to whether we’ve ever asked our client how they learn best and then changed our methods accordingly.

At the end of the session, participants have a tool they can use, a peer group they have already learned from, and a commitment they have made out loud. Not someday. The following week.