COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS & ACCESSIBILITY TIPS

Community Agreements

What do you need to participate fully? 

  • Introduce ourselves (name & organization) before speaking
  • Ask questions! (e.g., on terminology)
  • Treat each other with respect, especially in conflict/disagreement
  • Have open-mindedness to different perspectives
  • Speak directly into your microphone 
  • Be Present:
    • Have your phone on silent
    • Close additional computer windows (ie. email, social media)
    • Focus on your breath
  • Feel confident to share what you bring
  • Remember that we are here to share and learn
  • Encourage a diversity of voices and opinions
  • Hold the vision!
  • Build trust to enable sharing of different views
  • Have fun!

Accessibility Tips & Etiquette

In order to be as inclusive as possible, please keep the following guidelines in mind:

  • When convening in a small group for the first time, please share a round of names and pronouns
  • Please describe any visual content
  • When generating written content be sure to read it out
  • When in doubt, use people-first language  (ie. “person with a disability” vs. “disabled person”), unless your personal preference is identity-first language
  • Feel free to ask for clarification in French during small group work

Zoom

Etiquette 

We will ask that attendees consider some basic Zoom etiquette over the three days:

  • If you do not have Zoom on your device, download the best version for your device through the Zoom Download Centre 
  • Those who have Zoom should check their Zoom is updated through the Zoom website
  • Remain muted when you are not speaking 
  • When you are unmuted and speaking: 
    • Avoid interrupting others 
    • Be cautious of any distracting background noise
  • Focus on the session you are attending, avoid distractions including email 
  • Do your best to be in an environment with limited distractions in the background
  • When you join the Zoom meeting, please update your name to this format: Leah Brochu (NNELS) (she/her). Screen readers can access and read these lists, so having a uniform list of participants will be helpful.

Slack 

Etiquette 

We will ask that attendees consider some basic Slack etiquette:

  • When replying to someone, use the thread function to avoid making the channel overwhelming to read. This will also help with reducing the notifications that individuals receive.
  • When possible, aim to send longer messages instead of multiple short ones.
  • Please be judicious in your use of emojis. Stringing together a series of emojis can be frustrating for people who rely on screen readers to announce this data.
  • Try to stick to the topic being discussed in named channels. If you aren’t sure where something should go, likely the #general channel is best.