Accessibility and Inclusion

Please note that the Annual Meeting will be entirely virtual this year. Participants should generally follow the same inclusion and accessibility guidelines as those for all ASECS Annual Meetings, keeping in mind that references to printed copies and LCD projectors are not applicable for 2025.

For the 2025 Annual Meeting there is again a dedicated Advisor for Accessibility, Disability, and Inclusion as part of the Program Committee. Feel free to contact Hilary Havens if you have questions, comments, or suggestions.

You can find accessibility and inclusion resources for conference planning and presentations under the “Resources and Toolkits” >> “Conference Planning” section of the Resources page.

Accommodations:

Please submit confidential accommodation requests via the form below or via email to Executive Director Benita Blessing (director@asecs.org) within 30 days of the Annual Meeting if possible, and as soon as you are able. We may not be able to accommodate all requests, but we’ll do our best!

Accommodations Request Form, Virtual 2025

Speaking (virtual conference):

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.
Ensure that you stay within your time limit. Session chairs should provide a 5- and 2-minute warning as the time limit approaches.
Speakers should repeat questions or statements made by audience members if there are acoustic issues.
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.
You can increase visibility of closed captioning on Zoom >> Accessibility. See the image below.

Image of Zoom setting page with instructions for closed captioning settings.

Papers, Handouts and Audiovisuals:

Accessibility Copies: Presenters, including roundtable participants, should provide the audience with accessibility copies in print or digital form.
- Print form (in-person conferences): Provide at least two copies of 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.
- Handouts: 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.
- Digital form: Accessibility copies of papers and slide decks may also be shared in advance through the ASECS 2025 Annual Meeting website. Further instructions will be posted as the conference draws nearer.
  - Conference app uploads and links: To have accessibility copies or links posted to the conference website, you may upload your document (or provide a URL link) by Monday of the conference week to this form: Accessibility Copies. If using the Google Form poses an obstacle, please contact the Executive Director Benita Blessing for an alternate format (director@asecs.org). The Executive Director will try to upload later requests, but in no case will links or documents sent after 5pm ET the night before a session be uploaded or linked on the app.
  - QR codes: You can also create QR codes for digital copies; note, however, that not all rooms have AV capabilities, so you should not count on putting a code on the screen.
Hard copies: 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.
The 2024 Annual Meeting, like our two previous meetings, is an in-person meeting; at this time, no provisions are available for hybrid or online presentations or participation. We do not have the budget for reliable virtual options at our in-person meetings currently, and will be focusing on the 2025 Virtual Conference.
- Complaints in previous years about “ad hoc” virtual presentations at past annual meetings have come from presenters, panelists, and audience members. One major issue has been dissatisfaction with the form currently available (a private laptop and low-band wifi or hotspots with no technological support).
- Registered presenters who are unable to travel may be able to pre-record a video presentation of their talk. Please contact Executive Director Benita Blessing (director@asecs.org) for details.

For PowerPoint/slide 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.