Accessibility

Our goal is to create an environment that welcomes all people and caters to their access needs. While we have in place a number of resources for our participants, we encourage you to get in touch with us, Laurel Daen and Stefanie Hunt-Kennedy, the conference organizers, if we can further assist you. You may also contact Amber Kirk, director of academic conferences at Notre Dame.

The conference will be fully hybrid, meaning that virtual participants will be able to join all panels, meet-ups, and events. Zoom links are available in the conference program. To facilitate connection between in-person and virtual attendees, we encourage (but of course do not require) virtual participants to keep their cameras on during presentations. We will also have a designated support person who will field questions from remote attendees and ensure that their voices are heard and not interrupted.

A Zoom recording of the conference will be available to all participants for 30 days following the event.

For in-person attendees, the conference will be wheelchair accessible. Accessible parking is available at the Morris Inn and McKenna Hall, and there are accessible washrooms on the second floor where our conference will be held. Unfortunately, there are no gender inclusive washrooms in McKenna Hall; however, there is a family restroom on the ground floor of the Morris Inn. There will be a quiet rest space for conference participants for the duration of the event in 204 McKenna Hall. 

With the continuing pandemic, we will work to make our space safe and accessible for all. Masks are required in indoor spaces; however, we do welcome speakers to take off their masks during their presentations. We will provide surgical and KN-95 masks to participants free of charge. Thankfully, October is a beautiful month in South Bend and some of our events, such as our working lunches, can happen outside. If you have specific requests regarding COVID, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

All panels will have ASL interpretation for both in-person and virtual attendees. There will also be real-time captions on our conference Zoom. We have asked panelists to consider accessibility when giving their presentations. This includes choosing high-contrast color schemes (black text on a white background, e.g.) and larger font sizes in visual materials, circulating large-print copies of talks, and speaking slowly and clearly in plain language.

The conference will be fragrance-free. We will work with building management to ensure that the products used to clean our spaces are free from scents and other chemicals. Please avoid colognes, perfume, scented lotions, fragranced hair products, and/or similar products on the days of the conference.

Finally, the conference will operate, as much as possible, on crip time. We seek a slower, flexible pace that will support and rejuvenate our bodies and minds rather than taxing them. We have allowed at least 45 minutes between conference panels to provide attendees with the time and space to take care of their own needs and connect with others.