Conference Accessibility

We are excited to gather in person together again for this year’s conference. Unfortunately, the summer of 2024 has included a spike in the number of COVID infections, particularly in California. Therefore, we are asking conference attendees to adhere to the following COVID protocols in the hopes of keeping our community safe during this in-person gathering. We acknowledge that these protocols do not and cannot address all possible concerns about participating in the conference, but we hope that they act as a baseline of mutual respect and a broader commitment to accessibility.

COVID Protocols

  • We expect all conference attendees to be fully vaccinated (with the exception of those unable to be vaccinated due to precluding medical conditions). We strongly encourage all attendees to also receive the latest boosters in order to have extra protection during the conference period. 

  • Masks are required in all conference rooms and common areas. You should plan on wearing a mask during the conference unless you are eating or drinking. We ask you to please use high-quality masks (N95, KF94, KN95) instead of cloth masks. We will have a limited number of masks to distribute to those who need them. You can help us by bringing extra masks.

  • We will have sanitizer stations and ask all attendees to please sanitize and wash their hands regularly. 

  • We encourage all attendees to be tested prior to the conference. Because PCR tests are more reliable, ideally you can test prior to coming to the conference, and do a rapid test before entering the conference and throughout the weekend. If you are able, please plan to bring tests with you to facilitate self-testing. If you have extra rapid tests to donate to the conference, we are happy to hold them at the registration table for those who need them.

  • If you are feeling unwell or showing any symptoms please stay home or in your hotel room. We cannot risk the safety of our vulnerable members. 

Fragrance-Free Event

We ask that you please refrain from wearing scented products such as perfumes/colognes, hair products, cosmetics, and scented lotions while attending this event, and avoid using scented soaps, shampoos, and detergents prior to the event. These products can trigger serious health issues for those with fragrance allergies and/or chemical sensitivities. Thank you for your consideration for all members of our community. More information on being fragrance-free can be found at http://sharetheair.ucla.edu.

Accessible Presentations

Consider incorporating principles of universal design as you create and practice your presentations. Here are a few, brief suggestions:

  • Provide access copies of your talk and materials.

  • Provide electronic copies of your presentation, slides, and any session materials. Consider creating a URL link (e.g., bit.ly) with accessible pdf copies of your script. We suggest sharing the link or QR code on the first slide of each presentation, and giving time for people to enter it in their devices.

  • Use the microphone, even if you have a loud voice.

    •  Ask others to use the microphone; if the microphone is fixed in place, have someone repeat off-mic comments or questions before responding. 

These and other tips can be found in the 2020 accessibility guide for the College Composition and Communication Conference, linked here.

We hope that you join us in making this year’s conference a space of collective care that enables everyone to participate fully. We look forward to seeing you all in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, please be in touch with any questions or concerns. We can be reached at ricanstudies@gmail.com.