Accessibility
The Society for Linguistic Anthropology is committed to providing equitable access to the 2025 Biennial Conference, including but not limited to equal access in accordance with State and Federal Law.
There are opportunities to share specific accommodations needs and requests when submitting proposals and/or registering for the conference. Please only submit your requests once. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the SLA accessibility coordinator by email.
The Society for Linguistic Anthropology’s Accessibility Coordinator is Steven Black. You can email him at slaaccessibilitycoordinator@gmail.com.
Below is a list of conference accessibility efforts currently underway. Please check back in the coming months as this page is under construction and will be updated with more information as the conference draws nearer!
Financial Access
Because conference housing may be a financial barrier to attending the conference, the SLA has created a student housing cooperative to assist attendees in identifying lower-cost options for housing. Contact Thea Strand, Logistics/Local Committee Chair, with housing and transportation inquiries.
Venue Access
The 2025 SLA Conference will be held in Ida Noyes Hall on the University of Chicago campus in Chicago’s Hyde Park. The building has two accessible entrances on the north side of the building facing the Charles M. Harper Center at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Accessible parking is available in Permit Parking 8 with advance registration through the University of Chicago’s Office of Disability Services.
Elevator access is available for all floors, and all rooms and throughways in the venue are ADA-compliant. Accessible restrooms are also available on every level.
For an interactive map of accessible entrances, campus shuttle bus locations, and parking, click here. You can check boxes on the map to show accessible routes and entrances.
Accessibility Tips for Presentations
Panel Access
Microphones will be provided in each meeting room, with instructions to presenters to use them for the benefit of all, and what to do in case of any audio issues.
Accessibility-designated rows will be reserved at the front and rear of each room.
Instructions will be provided to presenters on audio-visual practices for accessibility and inclusion during presentations.
For ASL and/or CART, please let us know about your needs during the submission and/or registration process.
Introductions
Pronouns: Consider sharing the pronouns you use. Making this a regular part of everyone’s introductions helps to confront cisgender hegemony.
Accessible Introductions: Consider providing a description of your visual appearance and surroundings if you are the first speaker in a group session. You may choose to describe your gender identity, race or ethnicity, skin color, hair color and style, whether you have facial hair, what clothing and jewelry you’re wearing, and a short description of what is behind you. Read more here.
Examples: “I am a white woman with straight brown hair and round red glasses wearing a blue shirt. Behind me is a gray wall with several framed pictures next to a bookshelf.”
“We are in a conference room with five people sitting behind tables in the front of the room. There are rows of chairs with people sitting in them facing the panel.”
Presentation Design and Delivery
Color and Font Size: Consider using simple, light-colored backgrounds for your slides, with black or another dark-color text that is at least 24 points. Color alone does not convey meaning, so we encourage you to use multiple styles for emphasis or meaning (e.g., if you use red to highlight text, also consider using boldface or italicization to highlight text).
Access Copies: Consider equipping yourself with both standard and large-print access copies that can be distributed before you speak. Access copies can be physical or digital.