Conferences are an essential part of academic life. But disabled attendees can struggle with accessibility, socialising and fatigue
Kate Sang is professor of gender and employment studies at Heriot-Watt University Academic conference season is in full swing. For early-career researchers, conferences offer opportunities to share ideas and build networks. More established academics attend to meet with colleagues, old friends and learn about the latest work in their field. But they can also be a stressful, distressing and exhausting experience, particularly for disabled academics. Their first thought will not be the speaker line-up, but the accessibility of conference buildings. This includes the location of the conference venue – is it within easy reach of the closest airport? Are there wheelchair accessible hotels nearby? Even once answers to these questions have been obtained, there can still be barriers. I recently interviewed over 60 disabled academics in the UK for a research project. One participant, Anne*, told me that she had researched a recent conference carefully, sourced finance to support her carer’s attendance and hired a motorized wheelchair. The conference organisers insisted that the venue was wheelchair accessible. Arriving at the hotel, Anne found that there were steps to enter the building and she had to use the delivery entrance. Once inside it was clear that the lecture halls were not wheelchair accessible. Having spent considerable amounts of money, she had to sit outside the venue while her carer attended the sessions and took notes. Some academics love networking, others hate it, but for disabled academics the challenges go beyond personal preference. Anne said she was unable to fully take part in informal research discussions as she had missed the sessions with her project team. Susan, an academic recently diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, finds networking very tiring, and at times impossible. Equally, attending the conference dinner is a key part of the conference experience, but for some academics it isn’t an option. Conferences may start at 8am, going through to 6pm, by which time disabled academics can be too tired to continue working at the conference dinner. Dinners can also be problematic for academics with specific dietary needs. Alison, a researcher with a neurological disorder that is partially managed through a strict diet, has to miss conference dinners, returning to her self-catering accommodation to prepare food. If an academic with coeliac disease accidentally eats wheat in conference catering, the consequences can be embarrassing. Not least given the inaccessibility or lack of availability of bathroom facilities, which were reported to be a significant barrier to conference participation. Fatigue is one of the other primary barriers for disabled academics attending conferences. Academics told me they had fallen asleep at tea breaks or during sessions. For some, end of day socialising was impossible, with researchers returning to their rooms to sleep. Fatigue also extended beyond the conference. Laura told me she needed to take time off work after a conference to recover, a pattern shared by many of the participants in the study. For some participants, conferences were attended but at considerable risk to their health. Difficulty accessing conferences and the informal networking makes it harder for academics to build their networks and raise the profile of their work, which may negatively affect career progression. Promotion and recruitment panels should consider the effects of disability in their decision making. Conference organisers need to make sure that all venues are wheelchair accessible, that bathrooms are nearby and that the conference venue and accommodation are on accessible transport routes. The provision of quiet areas where delegates can relax can also aid participation. It’s worth considering the usefulness of long conference days with a late-night social networking event after, too. When conferences are held on university premises, hospitality teams can ensure accessibility information is clearly provided, including details of accessible taxis and hotels. Conference organisers are under increasing pressure to ensure space for childcare provision, but it’s time for this to extend to accessibility. Otherwise we are missing out on the contributions disabled academics have to make to our discussions. https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2017/aug/31/without-accessible-conferences-we-lose-the-voices-of-disabled-academics * Names have been changed -- Avinash Shahi Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. 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