Making CAMWS Meetings More Accessible
Upon the recommendation of the ad-hoc CAMWS Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, the following steps are being taken to ensure increased accessibility at the 2020 CAMWS meeting in Birmingham and into the future.
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Providing stickers for people to wear on their name tags, indicating that they need to sit during panels would help attendees with mobility issues communicate with others.
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Providing space on the nametag for preferred pronouns would make the conference more inclusive of trans and non-binary attendees.
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Providing a quiet room would help attendees with chronic illness and mental illness to temporarily step away from the noise and crowds of the meetings before returning to the conference.
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Instructing panel presiders to distribute best practices to presenters would increase the proportion of inclusive handouts and powerpoints, and contribute to an environment in which people with disabilities are comfortable asking for accommodations. In particular, panel presiders should be instructed to require the use of a microphone at all times. These instructions have been incorporated into these Guidelines for Presenters and Guidelines for Presiders.
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Providing a lactation room to make it more possible for nursing parents to attend.
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Providing directions in the program to the closest gender-inclusive restroom would welcome trans and nonbinary attendees.