ADBIS 2024 is participating in the database D&I initiative and it is our objective to promote diversity and inclusion in every single aspect related to the conference. The following are tips for delivering inclusive talks which have been adopted from EDBT/ICDT 2022:
- Be open to diversity in your audience: Basically, be aware that some of your audience might not be able to see well or at all, hear well or at all, understand information presented in some ways well or at all. Also please avoid gender biases and stereotypes in your talks.
- Slide content: It improves readability if your font sizes are not too small and you avoid packing too much content onto one slide. If possible, avoid embedding text into images if similar effective alternatives exist for rendering your content. Images in slides and embedded texts, are usually unreadable for screen readers, which are often used by people with visual impairments.Please consider using patterns, symbols, and textures to emphasize and contrast visual elements in graphs and figures, rather than using colors alone. Use easy-to-read fonts, avoid fancy fonts that are difficult to read. Use a color-blind friendly palette that is designed with accessibility in mind for visually impaired people. Avoid bad color combinations such as green/red or blue/purple.
- During speaking/recording videos: It improves legibility if you pause for a moment in between sections and during slide transitions. If possible, avoid speaking too fast, since that can make comprehension harder for many non-native English speakers, as well as people with hearing impairments. While speaking, look directly at the camera so that lipreading is more feasible for people with hearing impairments. Be visible and in good light when you talk, so the audience can see your face.Please avoid gender stereotypes, e.g., it is more appropriate to use “their” rather than “his or hers” to make general statements, and do not assign job roles using only feminine names. Also, avoid terminology which could be hurtful to some people based on their background, e.g., “Master-Slave” and “every family has a mother and a father.”
