Practices to Follow as an Attendee

Accessible Practices to Follow as an In-Person Attendee

To foster an accessible environment so that all attendees may enjoy their experience at AAA events, please follow the accessible practices listed below.

1. Wear your name tags at all times, and include your pronouns and other indicators specific to you as you are comfortable doing so.
2. Avoid wearing fragrances and varying scents while spending time in AAA event spaces.
   1. Before you go: Consider washing your clothing with scent-free detergents or, if you only have scented detergents and dryer sheets available for use, air your clothing out a few days prior to your trip.
   2. Please do not use perfume, cologne, body sprays, and other heavily scented personal care products while attending the meeting.
   3. Read one member’s firsthand perspective on how going fragrance-free at the Annual Meeting will help everyone breathe easier and concentrate better.
3. Respect the smoke-free indoor environment.
   1. Note: If you wish to smoke, please use the venue’s designated outdoor smoking areas and refrain from smoking near any other doorways or paths of travel.
4. Respect the accessibility-designated rows in the front of every session room.
   1. Note: These rows will have a number of chairs removed for mobility assistive devices and the rows next to those areas are reserved for individuals with accessibility/disability needs, including but not limited to mobility, ASL signers, CART users, etc.
5. Always use the microphone when you speak publicly during your presentation or as an audience member.
   1. Note: Even the best voice projection is not enough for those of us who require clearer and amplified access to verbal communication. Please take a moment to get the microphone in any session you are attending. It does not help to ask if everyone can hear you without the microphone, because the people who need you to use the microphone won’t be able to hear your question without it. Using the microphone is also very helpful for audience members participating in their second language. Everyone using the microphones ensures collective access at the meeting, regardless of hearing and language levels.
6. When using a microphone, prior to sharing your questions or thoughts, first announce your name and, as comfortable, your pronouns or visual description. This allows people who cannot see you to fully experience the conversation.
7. If posting presentation content on social media following the explicit permission of the presenter, please provide content warnings where appropriate and credit the author of the work.
8. Do not take pictures of people navigating the conference without their explicit consent.
   1. Presenters who do not wish to have pictures taken of themselves during their sessions or their presentations will include this information at the beginning of their presentations. AAA requests attendees to respect the presenters and to not take pictures of either the presenters or their presentations if requested.
9. Do not interact with service animals unless otherwise directed. This includes photography.
10. Do not smoke in service animal relief areas.
11. Avoid using derogatory language, which includes language expressing ableism, racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, etc.