SAF-POL-005 / Official organizational policy

Accessibility & Participation Adjustments
policy.

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Accessible communications, neurodiversity-aware participation, confidential support requests, practical adjustments, written decisions, and review of access barriers.

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The complete policy, in both formats.

The web text and PDF contain the same rules, implementation checklist, and decision-record fields. Ownership handles any named function that has not yet been assigned to an authorized adult.

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01 / POLICY STANDARD

Purpose, dignity, and boundaries

1. Scope and commitment

Element Esports aims to remove avoidable barriers across applications, onboarding, volunteer work, community activity, creator and player programs, documents, and events. This policy supplies an internal request and response process. It supplements SAF-POL-004; it does not assert that the website has passed an accessibility audit, establish a medical service, or determine which statutory duties apply in a particular situation.

2. Individual needs, not assumptions

Do not assume a person's abilities, support needs, diagnosis, or preferred communication based on their name, behavior, appearance, role, or the Element Esports identity. Nobody must have ADHD or another diagnosis to belong. Ask what task is difficult and what practical change would help. Respect a person's choice not to disclose private medical or disability information to teammates or the public.

3. Consistent participation standards

Assess essential role duties and competitive requirements separately from habits that can be changed. Written instructions, alternate communication formats, planned breaks, or adjusted scheduling may improve access without lowering the relevant standard. A request does not excuse harmful conduct, but reviewers should consider whether an avoidable barrier or unclear instruction contributed before deciding how to respond.

4. Safety and eligibility remain in force

Adjustments cannot waive safeguarding, competitive integrity, platform eligibility, or the established minor-participation limits. Under-13 participation remains excluded; guardian-approved ages 13-17 remain limited to creators or academy/development and online-only activity. This policy cannot authorize a minor staff role, formal competition roster, or organization-sponsored in-person attendance.

02 / POLICY STANDARD

Accessible everyday practice

5. Clear communication

Use plain language, manageable tasks, explicit deadlines and time zones, and written summaries of important decisions. Share agendas and essential materials ahead of meetings where practical. Offer a text route for questions instead of making voice participation the only way to obtain routine information. Clarify priorities when multiple leaders assign work, and avoid treating a request for clarification as a lack of commitment.

6. Documents and digital content

Provide a readable web version of important standards alongside PDFs where possible. Use meaningful headings, descriptive links, sufficient contrast, alternatives to color-only meaning, and useful text descriptions for informative images. Caption or provide text alternatives for essential audio information as appropriate. Avoid unnecessary flashing or distracting motion. Check important information manually rather than assuming an automated tool guarantees accessibility.

7. Meetings, events, and workload

Consider breaks, advance schedules, shorter sessions, reduced sensory distraction, alternate meeting formats, and reasonable preparation time. Discuss sustainable availability for volunteer roles without demanding constant presence. Event leads should communicate known barriers and planned support before participation. When a platform is inaccessible, consider another suitable tool or an effective alternative way to complete the task.

8. Competition-specific adjustments

Coordinate proposed competitive adjustments with the relevant organizer or publisher where their rules control. Do not promise permission to use equipment, software, timing changes, or assistance that the event authority has not approved. Record the approved setup and any limits. If no permitted adjustment makes the activity accessible, explore another appropriate opportunity without inventing formal-roster or promotion guarantees.

03 / POLICY STANDARD

Request, assessment, and decision

9. Making a request

Contact an uninvolved lead, Ownership, or contact@elementesports.com with the activity, functional barrier, requested change, timing, and a safe reply method. A request may be made in ordinary language; no special form or public disclosure is required. A trusted support person may assist with permission. A guardian should be involved where needed to authorize an eligible minor's participation, without circulating private information more widely.

10. Intake and confidentiality

Discuss the practical barrier before seeking documentation. Do not routinely demand a diagnosis, medication list, complete medical file, or proof of disability. If limited information is genuinely needed, explain why, identify who may see it, and consider less intrusive alternatives. Store support information with restricted access; teammates ordinarily need only the agreed practical arrangements, not the underlying personal reason.

11. Collaborative assessment

An uninvolved authorized adult consults the requester and relevant program lead about effectiveness, essential duties, safety, external rules, cost, staffing, and workable alternatives. Treat requests individually and avoid blanket refusals based on diagnosis or volunteer status. Consider a low-risk trial or interim adjustment while a longer-term solution is assessed. Significant cost or contractual commitments require Ownership approval.

12. Response and written plan

Aim to acknowledge requests within five calendar days and provide a decision or meaningful update within 14 calendar days. These are service targets, not guaranteed response times; explain delays and urgent interim options. Record the agreed adjustment, responsible person, start date, limits, and review date. If declining or modifying a request, explain the specific reason and alternatives considered in understandable language.

04 / POLICY STANDARD

Review, privacy, and continuous improvement

13. Reconsideration

A requester may seek review by an uninvolved owner or designated reviewer, normally within 14 calendar days of the decision; consider later requests where barriers or circumstances explain the delay. Provide the original decision, disputed point, and any new information without requiring a fresh medical history. Formal grievances or disciplinary appeals continue under GOV-POL-003; this practical review route does not replace external rights.

14. Trial and follow-up

Check whether the adjustment works at the agreed review date and when the role, platform, schedule, or barrier changes. Modify ineffective arrangements through discussion rather than quietly withdrawing support. Do not require repeated disclosure of unchanged sensitive information without a genuine reason. If a requested arrangement is no longer feasible, explain why and consider alternatives before ending it where safety permits.

15. Non-retaliation and records

Do not mock, penalize, exclude, reduce opportunities, or disclose private information because someone requested support or reported a barrier. Preserve relevant decisions using the minimum necessary detail under OPS-POL-001 and the Privacy Policy. Retention must reflect a legitimate operational or legal purpose, not curiosity. Report suspected discrimination, retaliation, or safeguarding issues through the appropriate existing route.

16. Public statement and review priorities

The separate Accessibility Statement describes current website direction and the status of any audit; this policy does not turn an incomplete audit into a completed one. Leadership should review repeated barriers, prioritize issues blocking essential tasks, and assign improvement actions. External guidance informs practical design choices but is not a certification that every site page, document, game, or third-party platform conforms to a standard.

05 / IMPLEMENTATION

Put the standard into practice.

Identify the task and functional barrier without requesting unnecessary health details.
Provide a safe, usable communication route and support person where requested.
Check essential duties, safety, external rules, and practical alternatives.
Agree on an interim or final plan, owner, and review date.
Explain any refusal or limitation and the reconsideration route.
Restrict sensitive records and review whether the adjustment works.

Decision-record fields

Use these fields in an approved, access-controlled internal record. This page does not collect or submit responses. Record only what is necessary; keep sensitive information out of public channels.

Request date and safe reply method
Activity and functional barrier
Requested change and urgency
Alternatives and external-rule constraints
Decision, reasons, and responsible adult
Start date, trial period, and review date
Notice and reconsideration record
Restricted storage reference

06 / ADMINISTRATION

Accountability and review.

This organizational policy supplements the Staff & Player Handbook. It does not create employment, union, collective-bargaining, or public-sector rights. It does not replace applicable law, binding external rules, or completed agreements.

Raise questions with an uninvolved lead, Ownership, or Report a Concern. Bypass a conflicted or unavailable person. Good-faith reports, support requests, and participation in review are protected from retaliation. Temporary protective restrictions are not automatic findings of misconduct.

Formal findings and corrective action follow Discipline & Appeals. Preserve relevant records with need-to-know access under the Privacy and Information Security policies. Review this policy annually and after material incidents or organizational changes; record approvals and revisions under GOV-POL-005.

Related standards

Source notes

W3C WAI: Making Events Accessible ↗ — Practical guidance for accessible materials, communication, and event planning; not a claim of audited conformity.

Version 1.0 · Initial publication: August 28, 2026. Review due: August 28, 2027. An overdue review does not automatically retire the policy.

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