Accessibility at the 2026 MEEA Conference Venue

Pilgrim Lodge is a camp and retreat center in West Gardiner, Maine. The venue is a 20-minute drive from Augusta and there is no public transportation directly to the venue. Interested in carpooling with another conference attendee? We will be sending out a carpool website for attendees to self-organize ride shares closer to the event dates.

Parking

Main parking is located at the Long Term parking lot. Accessible parking is located directly next to the Dining Hall, where there are two labeled accessibility parking spots and additional parking for people who would benefit from parking close to the conference. Please leave these spots available for those who need them.

Moving Around the Campus

The conference will take place in the Main Lodge and the Quitobaquito Dining Hall, as well as outdoor space throughout the campus surrounding these buildings. Both buildings have four stairs and ramp entrances on both sides of the buildings. The doorways that are accessible to people with mobility aids, however the doors are not automatic. There is a downward slope pathway between the Dining Hall and the Main Lodge. It is either a two-minute walk, or guests with access needs are welcome to drive down the path and park their cars in the Dining Hall Parking Lot. Not all outdoor spaces are accessible for mobility aid users.

Restrooms

Both the Main Lodge and the Quitobaquito Dining Hall have gender neutral bathrooms. There are bathrooms in both meetings with accessible stall space and grab bars for mobility aid users.

Food

MEEA will provide light breakfast snacks and refreshments, lunch provided by Pilgrim Lodge, and snacks and beverages including coffee and tea throughout the conference. The venue will provide vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options. Nuts are not used. Please let us know during your registration if you have a specific dietary need we can address. Lunch will be available buffet-style and volunteers can help individuals who cannot walk through the buffet line themselves. If you need to bring your own food, find a Pilgrim Lodge staff member to heat up the food for you in the venue’s microwave.

Masks Are Encouraged

We encourage attendees to wear face masks for public health safety, but do not require them. Some workshop presenters may request their workshop participants to wear a mask, so there will be masks available at the entrance to the workshop. There will also be masks available at registration.

Scent Accessibility

Pilgrim Lodge uses bleach cleaner to sanitize their venue. We encourage attendees to avoid wearing scented fragrances such as perfume, cologne, essential oils, and any strongly scented personal care products such as scented deodorant. Also consider wearing clothing not washed with scented dryer sheets or scented laundry detergents. This supports conference attendees who have immediate reactions to fragrance due to allergies or sensitivities. Learn more about scent-free accessibility here.

Other Access Info

• There will be a quiet room, prayer room, and lactation room labeled at the venue.

• There is no elevator. All spaces are accessible by ramps.

• Service animals are welcome at Pilgrim Lodge and they can relieve themselves anywhere in the outdoor campus, respectfully.

• Signs on campus do not contain Braille or visual flashing lights.

• Lighting in indoor spaces is LED, not fluorescent.

• At this time, the MEEA conference is not providing Assistive Listening Devices, Live Captioning, or an ASL interpreter. Please reach out to us if any of these accessibilities would support your attendance to the conference and we will do our best to accommodate them.

Printed and digital materials

We will provide a printed hand-out option and a digital phone-app option to access the conference schedule. There will be some large-print printed schedules available for those who need them.

Questions?

Have a request, question, or concern about accessibility at the MEEA 2026 conference? Email conference@meeassociation.org and someone will be in touch with you about your need.