The American Anthropological Association is committed to ensuring it is accessible and goes beyond the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.
In our dedication to moving beyond the ADA, we have developed this accessibility & accommodations web section in collaboration with various accessibility community members. These pages outline support available from AAA and the expectations of event attendees that will help us cultivate an accessible culture within the Association. We strive to nourish an environment where Disabled, Deaf, Blind, Autistic, Neurodivergent, Mentally Ill, Chronically Ill, Aging, and other disability-adjacent community members can comfortably and meaningfully attend AAA events.
As we cultivate a more accessible anthropology discipline, join us on Twitter using #AccessibleAnthro for critical conversations and to find important resources and news articles about accessibility.
Find more Accessibility Resources
How to be Accessible
Accessibility includes multiple moving parts, which means creating accessible spaces requires the joint effort of everyone sharing the space. Therefore, AAA greatly appreciates all of our members joining alongside us as we cultivate a cultural change in our association to ensure that all our members may participate in all aspects of AAA.
The practices and guidelines below help all of us foster accessible spaces.
- Hosting Accessible Virtual Meetings
- Virtual Presentation Accessibility Guidelines
- Guidelines for Creating Image Descriptions
- How to Create and Confirm an Accessible:
- Accessible Practices to Follow at AAA In-Person Events
- In-Person Presentation Guidelines for Success & Accessibility
- Poster/Gallery Session Guidelines for Success & Accessibility
The Accessibility Tips, Tricks, and Tools page linked below can help you determine what resources you can review to successfully implement accessible practices. We encourage you to support and utilize accessible practices in as many spaces as you can.
How to Request Accommodations
While we aim for fully accessible spaces for all attendees, we recognize that we cannot be fully aware of everyone’s individual access needs. We also understand that because of different access needs and experiences, as an association, we may encounter access and accommodation contradictions, where people’s needs interfere with each other. Therefore, we aim to provide accommodations while also balancing the individual access needs of all parties involved.
To ensure that we provide the best support possible to you, your needs, and your experiences, we invite you to directly communicate with us about your access needs and accommodation requests based on these needs. Request accommodations for this year’s AAA Annual Meeting!
Accessibility & Accommodations Definitions
What are “access needs”?
- an individual’s environmental, behavioral, physical, attitudinal, and other needs as related to accessibility and accommodations
What is “accessibility”?
- the commitment to an environment being initially designed so that the greatest number of people can participate without needing to later alter the space to meet individual needs
What are “accommodations”?
- individualized changes made to an environment after the initial design of a space upon a person’s request to meet their needs
To learn more about Common Terms related to Accessibility & Accommodations, please review our Common Accessibility Terms page.