Access Statement
We are committed to making our conference accessible and appreciate any feedback about actions we can take to serve this goal. If there is a particular aspect of accessibility that you would like to see addressed here, please contact us and we will do our best to ensure that those needs are met. Please note that we strive to be an inclusive, accessible conference, but not all requests can be guaranteed. If you have questions or would like to engage in a more detailed conversation, please reach out.
Requesting accommodations
Upon registration, attendees are asked whether they have any disability or accessibility needs which they would like the organisers to be aware of. Please feel free to contact us should any needs arise after your registration, if you have questions about accessibility, or if for any reason you do not feel comfortable raising them at the time of your registration.
For those attending in person
COVID-19
Proof of vaccination will be requested at entry in the form of NHS Covid-19 passes or an international equivalent. Attendees must wear a mask when not actively eating or drinking. If anyone does not mask, we ask they attend virtually.
We recognise that the wearing of non-clear masks makes lip-reading difficult or impossible for those who rely on it. In conference events, speakers and event moderators will be asked to remove their mask (if non-clear) when speaking.
Masks
Please bring a N95, KN95 and/or KF94 mask. We will have some spare masks for those who forget, but at this time we cannot guarantee that we can afford to buy enough for all attendees. We recognise masks can be expensive, and if this is a particular concern please contact us.
Venue accessibility
We are currently changing venues due to greater than expected interest in the symposium. All the spaces we are considering are wheelchair accessible, but we want to wait to confirm the full details of the venue until we have finished the booking process. If you are hoping to attend in person but need further details before doing so, please contact us and we can set aside a space for you until we have confirmed the new venue detail.
Assistance at the Conference
We welcome personal care assistants, and ask they register for the conference as we need everyone in attendance to sign on to our code of conduct and to have an accurate headcount for refreshments. We are currently looking for student volunteers to be available to assist attendees who want assistance, but at this time cannot guarantee assistance for everyone. Please contact us if you require assistance, and we will do everything we can to provide it.
Accessibility Map
Once our venue is confirmed, we hope to provide a map of the space and route to the space that includes
The location of stairs, escalators, elevators, restrooms and wheelchair-accessible restrooms.
Walking distance between sessions and need to use stairs.
Places to sit and rest.
Whether there will be a quiet place where hard of hearing people can talk.
Whether there will be a private room where an attendee could rest or nurse a baby.
Where a guide dog can be taken to relieve itself.
Regardless of whether we can provide a map, we will publish a textual description of the above resources.
Sign Language Interpretation
We are in the process of booking a BSL interpreter for the symposium. Please note, we cannot yet confirm whether they will be willing to be filmed for the livestream, so we are planning in parallel to caption the livestream. More details below.
Microphones & Induction Loop
All speakers will have microphones, and questions will be asked by a moderator who will also have a microphone. We need to confirm with the final venue whether there will be an induction loop. If you have a personal induction listening device with its own microphone, we are happy to place the microphone close to the speakers, although we still need to assess how to support this option with remote speakers. Please contact us if you’re considering this option so we can be sure to find a solution that is compatible with your device and needs.
Quiet Space & Sensory Impact
There will be a separate room available to serve as a quiet space and welfare room for any conference attendees who would like to make use of it. Please contact us if you are planning to attend the conference and may need such a space, so that we can ensure that it is large enough.
In terms of sensory impact, participants will be requested not to use flash photography at the conference or to wear strong scents. Please indicate on your registration form if there are specific other sensory impacts you would like to know about in advance.
Timing/Breaks
Our current panel schedule includes food or coffee breaks at 2 hour or even shorter intervals, with some margin between panels or speakers if anyone needs to leave the main space inconspicuously.
Seating
Please let us know if you need to be seated at the front, back, or on an aisle and we can reserve an appropriate seat for you.
Service Animals
We are still working on the precise location of pet relief areas. If possible let us know in advance if you are bringing a service animal so we can reserve a seat on an aisle or somewhere with sufficient room for both you and your service animal to be comfortable.
Virtual and Asynchronous Attendance
Livesteams, Recordings & Transcripts
We will be livestreaming the symposium on Discord (which will have a dedicated channel for attendees to contact organisers about any accessibility question during the symposium livestream). Those we registered to attend virtually will receive a link and instructions in advance of the symposium. At this time, we are unsure if we are able to offer live-captioning of panels or live sign translation for our remote attendees, but we are making every effort to identify ways to do this despite not having any official funding as a student-organised event.
The symposium on February 25 will be recorded and made available within the subsequent few weeks. For privacy reasons, the in-person student workshops held the following day, February 26, will not be recorded or livestreamed.
A student volunteer will be transcribing panels after the event. Copies of these transcriptions will be made available later for conference attendees.
Further resources
City accessibility
More information on the accessibility measures taken by Oxford City Council can be found here. This includes information on the accessibility of transport options.
Nearest hospital
The nearest hospital to our venue is the John Radcliffe Hospital. For more information, please see their website.