Accessibility Guidelines for Conferences

I thought it would be a good idea to start a second blog/comment space to talk about ideas for accessibility guidelines conferences along side the 'what is accessibility' discussion so that we can think about this in a really practical way as we go along, even though we haven't really done this as a group. so these are some of my initial thoughts. Even though this might practically related to a conference, we don't have to limit it to this.

In taking up the task of creating an accessibility guidelines, i think it is essential that we continually remind ourselves that we cannot make universal claims on accessibility because universal claims have a long history of continuing the systematic exclusion of more marginalized groups. This is very different from the goals of universal design, which suggests that it is possible to make something accessible to everyone who may even potentially want to participate. Different people will be more prepared to have access to different kinds of modalities. Even if universal design was able to make a space accessible to all participants, they will still be accessing spaces in diverse ways. What is made accessible, and how that accessibility is experienced might be so diverse that it becomes impossible to make any universal statement.

I think that presenters should be asked to consider multiple modalities or layers of accessibility. For example, those who have seen me present my work know that i put a lot of emotion into my delivery, through pacing and emphasizing various words or phrases and pauses. Sometimes i speak too fast for some people, but that pace is what shapes the emotionality that I'm layering into the work. In this way, the emotionality that comes out in my delivery, even as some words are inaccessible, it makes emotionality a modality in which i communicate my theory & it makes it possible for a more emotional way of knowing - and knowledge can become accessible through an emotional modality. I think words can open us up to a more tactile mode of knowing and learning - videos, images, music open up others. i think that presenters should make it known in their abstracts, or in the program, that they've considered these modalities or ways of knowing, and make it explicit which ones they hope to utilize.

- presenters should recognize that their object of study might be present in the audience.

- programs should include information addressing potentially emotionally traumatizing presentations/topics, so that attendants can better use their discretion.

- invite people to stand up, especially during longer sessions to walk around if they want to.

- What if CD's that had PDF's and word files of presentations also had an audio file?

- caucuses about accessibility?