ACM FAccT 2023 Diversity and Inclusion Programs

Safe and inclusive conference space

Acknowledging that members of our community are disproportionately affected by harassment, we took a number of steps to provide a safe conference experience. Please see our community agreements for more information about our policies. If you are involved in or witness an incident of harassment during the conference, please submit a complaint to the conference organizers and the members of the Safety and Inclusion team will review the case.

Lowering barriers of access to the conference

As part of our efforts to provide a space for this community to come together, we offer practices and policies to lower barriers of access to the conference and actively support participation by a diverse community.

• Registration Costs
  • Tiered pricing program that acknowledges attendees’ differing abilities to pay (students/non-profit, academic/government, industry).
  • Deeply discounted rates for attendees registering in countries designated by ACM as "economically developing" (categorization based on World Bank GNI), acknowledging the impact of exchange rates and international inequities.
  • Acknowledging that some researchers may be experiencing unemployment and/or financial hardship, a risk that is exacerbated by the economic ramifications of the pandemic, attendees can request to be eligible for the student/non-profit fee tier. If this is the case, please apply for the registration fee waivers on the financial support page.
  • Waived registration for volunteers.
• Travel Grants: We offer travel grants to support those who identify as being a member of an underrepresented group at ACM FAccT and/or who intend to attend the FAccT for the first time. Please submit your application on the travel grant page.
• Internet bandwidth grants: Intended to cover extra costs of internet access if attendees’ current internet bandwidth is a barrier to their participation in the conference. The application form is available here.
• Caretaker grants: Intended to cover extra costs for caring for dependents if attendees’ caretaker responsibilities are a barrier to their participation in the conference. The application form is available here. We also share that https://kidsandcompany.com/programs/back-up-care/ is nearby and provides drop-in childcare.

Providing a safe space that is free of harassment

• Before completing registration, all attendees are required to review and agree to ACM's Policy Against Harassment at ACM Activities.
• All platforms used are only accessible to registered participants, and access is linked to their registration email.
• Safety and inclusion elements are intentionally incorporated into the design of the virtual conference platform, and there is a dedicated team for supporting attendees with safety inquiries or complaints.
• A dedicated process for reviewing harassment and discrimination complaints at the conference has been created in collaboration with ACM officials.
• A Safety and Inclusion Panel will provide rapid review and action of complaints reported at the conference.

Providing an experience that supports the diversity of our community members

This includes recognizing that people join our community and this conference with differing abilities and disabilities, from different regions around the world, and in the context of different times in their lives or contextual constraints.

• All platforms used as part of the conference are vetted for accessibility features.
• Closed captioning is available for all pre-recorded videos, and we have secured real-time human captioning for Plenary Panels and Keynote Q&As.
• All paper presentations will be available from the start of the conference.

Diversity and Inclusion Co-Chairs

Please contact inclusion@facctconference.org for any questions, ideas, or comments on how we can make this conference work best for you.

• Min Kyung Lee, University of Texas at Austin
• Sarah Brown, University of Rhode Island