Accessibility and Inclusion

Accommodations:

Please submit accommodation needs to Executive Director Benita Blessing (director@asecs.org) within 30 days of the Annual Meeting if possible. Accessibility requests made later may be difficult to arrange, but we’ll do our best!

For the 2024 Annual Meeting there is a dedicated Advisor for Accessibility, Disability, and Inclusion as part of the Program Committee.

Speaking:

Speak clearly and distinctly and at a level that everyone can hear, and build in adequate time for your remarks to account for a slower tempo.
Speakers should repeat questions or statements made by audience members.
Session chairs should ensure that only one person speaks at a time.
In discussions, speakers should identify themselves so that audience members know who is speaking.

Papers, Handouts and Audiovisuals:

Presenters, including roundtable participants, should bring at least two copies of their papers or remarks, with at least one copy in large print (16 or 18 boldface type), even if the text is only in draft or outline form, for the use of members who need to follow a written text.
Speakers who use handouts should prepare two to three additional copies in large print and should avoid using colored paper. Handouts should be briefly described orally or read aloud to the audience.
Accessibility copies of papers may also be shared in advance through the ASECS 2024 Annual Meeting app, as links or pdf files. Tip: You can create a link to an online file such as a Google Doc or Dropbox link, note “content available before the session,” and add the material before the session begins to enable editing up until your session start time.
To have accessibility copies posted to the conference app, you may upload your document (or provide a URL link) by Monday of the conference week: Accessibility Copies (Link to come)
Chairs should collect accessibility copies for distribution at the start of the session, distribute the copies to those who request them, and retrieve them at the session’s end.
Presenters may mark accessibility copies with “Do Not Circulate/Cite Without Permission” and ask for copies to be returned at the end of the session. You may also close access to any online document link you shared after the session.
If you have made a digital copy of your presentation available through the app, please alert your audience to the availability of the digital version as you begin your talk.

For PowerPoint presentations:

A simple design with minimal text (6 or fewer lines) and the largest possible font is the most accessible.
Presenters should describe orally any images on the slides.
When referring to a visual aid or handout, or when indicating the location of materials in the room, allow time for audience members to follow this information. Projectors should be turned off when not in use, to reduce background noise.