How to Organise Inclusive Conferences and Workshops

Edited by William E. Donald, Adjunct Professor of Sustainable Careers & Inclusive Practice, Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University; Visiting Research Fellow of Sustainable Careers & Inclusive Practice, University of Southampton Business School, University of Southampton; Founder, Donald Research & Consulting, UK

• ContentsForeword xvPART I Introduction1 Setting the scene: how to organise inclusive conferences andworkshops 2William E. DonaldPART II Understanding the need for inclusive conferences and workshops2 Are disabled attendees welcome? Reflections on attendingconferences in Canada 19Kathleen Clarke and Ann Gagné3 Lived experiences of attending conferences: insights from themost isolated capital city in the world 31Elizabeth J. Cook, Justin Brown and Elle Beaumont-Bilsby4 Pathways to participation: insights on disability inclusion atAsian conferences 46Maria T. Paul Vincent, Behnam Soltani and Ruth E. McAteerPART III Guidance from conference and workshop organisers5 Creating an accessibility package: lived experience insightsfrom an event manager 62Christy Foote6 Insights from organising conferences and workshops in NorthAmerica 75Kay Castelle and Candy T. Y. Ho7 Who decides, who rests, what changes: rethinking inclusionin academic and professional events 89Tanya McCalmon, Iwi Ugiagbe-Green and LadiMohammed-Chapman8 Sustainable professional development for sustainable careers:insights from organising conferences and workshops in Asia 101Serene Lin-Stephans, Marilyn E. Maze, Poh Li Lau and Junlin ChenPART IV Conclusion9 Moving forward together: creating an inclusive andsustainable ecosystem 118William E. Donald, Larisa Yarovaya and Andri GeorgiadouIndex 133

‘With this edited volume, Will Donald again demonstrates he is fast becoming a role model for inclusive organizing in academia and beyond. During the covid-19 pandemic, I first realized how important it is for conferences to consider their accessibility to people with disabilities, but also to those struggling to get visas or pay for the travel and accommodation. It was shocking to see how things that were possible then (like online and hybrid formats), in times of crisis, were swiftly rolled back as soon as large in-person gatherings were allowed again. This was met with disappointment and hurt among those who had finally been able to participate during covid, which was eye-opening to me. Will is a thought leader and a voice for others when it comes to the topic of organizing inclusive conferences and workshops, and seeing him speak out on this issue on the public forum has been extremely insightful and inspiring to me.’