The Accessible Reading Symposium is a two-day event that brings together people from different industries worldwide. Working together to foster a safe environment where everyone feels welcome is important. We are dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, and we will not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. Symposium participants and attendees violating the code of conduct may be sanctioned or expelled from the event at the discretion of the Symposium organizers.  

We encourage everyone to follow these guidelines, which help steer our interactions and strive to keep a positive atmosphere within the Accessible Reading Symposium. 

Expected Behaviour 

The following behaviours are expected and requested of all summit attendees: 

• Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions. 
• Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behaviour and speech. 
• Be mindful of your fellow participants. Alert community leaders if you notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this Code of Conduct. 

Unacceptable Behaviour

The following behaviours are considered harassment and are unacceptable at the Accessible Reading Symposium: 

• Violence, threats of violence or violent language directed against another person. 
• Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language. 
• Posting or displaying sexually explicit or violent material. 
• Posting or threatening to post other people’s personally identifying information (“doxing”). 
• Personal insults, particularly those related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or disability. 
• Unwelcome photography or recording. 
• Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes sexualized comments or jokes, and unwelcome sexual advances. 
• Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following (online or in person). 
• Advocating for or encouraging any of the above behaviours. 
• Sustained disruption of community events, including talks and presentations. 

Conflict Resolution 

1. Initial Incident 

   If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, and you feel comfortable speaking with the offender, please tell the offender that she/they/he has affected you negatively. Often, the offending behaviour is unintentional, and the offender and the offended may resolve the incident through that initial conversation. 

   The Accessible Reading Symposium understands that there are many reasons why speaking directly to the offender may not be possible for you. If you don’t feel comfortable speaking directly with the offender for any reason, proceed directly to step 2. 

2. Escalation

   If the offender insists that she/they/he did not offend, if the offender is actively harassing you, or if direct engagement is not a good option for you at this time, then you will need a third party to intervene. At the Accessible Reading Symposium, if you require any assistance regarding harassment, please contact a member of our organizing committee or email [email]. 

Sanctions

Participants asked to stop any harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behaviour, organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including issuing a warning and expelling the offender from the event. 

We value everyone’s participation and will work to keep the conference a safe and friendly space for all participants! 

(Adapted from the Code4Lib Code of Conduct and the Accessible Publishing Summit).