Speaker Vetting Guidelines

As a nonprofit we focus on Invisible Illnesses, Chronic Illnesses, and Disabilities. Part of what we do is feature guest speakers (primarily patients but we also like to have caregivers and medical providers when possible). We would like to create an outline or guideline when looking at a potential speaker to determine if they would be a good fit for us.

A clear speaker vetting guideline and checklist to evaluate potential guests will help to define who is an appropriate guest speaker for us. It will define exclusion of misinformation and hate speech, as well as determining other factors that need to be considered. It should also provide suggested criteria for relevance, lived experience versus expertise, content sensitivity, etc.

This guideline will help ensure speakers share accurate, inclusive, and trauma-aware content that aligns with our mission to educate the general public as well as students at schools and colleges, reduce stigma, and foster compassion. Volunteers will help protect audiences, strengthen trust, and improve the quality of our educational programming.

This will help to provide a set of guidelines when determining if a speaker is right for us. This will speed up efficiency as well as give other volunteers specifics to look for.

Organization Mission

The mission of the Invisible Illness Awareness Network is to increase awareness about invisible illnesses, particularly through an easily adaptable education program designed for high schools, colleges, and other forms of higher education. Additionally, we aim to provide resources and support for the invisible illness community while fostering compassion and understanding between patients, providers, and the general population. By creating a safe and supportive environment for those living with invisible illnesses, the organization seeks to reduce the stigma associated with these conditions and Disabilities.