We are determined to make the ISIH Conference as open and accessible as possible.

We are very conscious that our decision to make the conference a face-to-face event presents some barriers to some, especially for those who are disabled or live with long-standing health problems. We felt, though, that this was still a better option than the alternatives. Fully online events still lack the capacity for people to make the kind of strong connections that have been the lifeblood of the community in the past, and hybrid events require lots of additional technical support, which would ratchet up the cost of the conference and make the registration fees prohibitive for many students, unwaged workers, or for people in low-income countries. It was a subject we debated vigorously, but after all, fell on the side of a fully face-to-face event. If you anticipate this posing challenges for you, please contact us and we will do what we can to ameliorate the obstacles.

We have done what we can to keep the conference registration fee as low as possible, especially for students, unwaged, voluntary service and NGO workers, and those from low-income countries, and we have created a concessionary rate for those people if they choose to use it.

And we have also tried to design the website so that it is readable, uncluttered, accessible, and easy to navigate, in accordance with the European Union’s Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies Regulations 2020.

If you have any questions or concerns about access, please contact the Conference Chair, Dave Nicholls, directly at david.nicholls@aut.ac.nz.

COVID policy

COVID remains a significant concern for people organising meetings for people from around the world. We’re aware that people’s views about suitable COVID protections have become polarised in recent times. Our approach will be to try to ensure as many people as possible can participate in the conference safely and comfortably. Hence:

• We will ask people to wear masks in indoor spaces (excepting exemptions), and masks will be provided
• We will do our best to organise breaks and other social gatherings outside
• Hand sanitiser will be available throughout the building, and people will be encouraged to use it
• We will give delegates free RAT tests and encourage people to isolate if they are sick