We know that the new economies we envision are rooted in access, justice, and equity, unlike the current economy built on dominance, greed, and exploitation. As we strive to make our conference space model our visions of resilient and restorative economies, we are taking steps towards a culture of accessibility at CommonBound.

We know that true accessibility means that any person of any identity or ability would be able to fully participate in any part of CommonBound 2016 that they choose, and we also know there is work to do-- and cultural shifts to make-- in order for that to be possible. We are committed to that process and that work.

• We are using a sliding scale registration to allow people to choose the registration amount that fits best with their budget and also allows others with more access to wealth and resources to contribute to making the conference accessible by paying at a higher level.
• Financial support is available by application and offers additional assistance for people for whom the sliding scale is currently not within their means. This allows us to make space for people who typically do not have access to conferences. Financial support can be used to offset registration, housing, and/or transportation costs
• Affordable housing options in campus dorms and with volunteer hosts provide possibilities for people to enjoy more of the conference at housing rates that can help cut down on the costs of traveling to another city
• In order to create space for parents and care-takers to engage with the conference as fully as possible, CommonBound will have a list of babysitters available during all scheduled conference hours. Please contact us at commonbound [at] neweconomy.net to be connected to childcare resources.
• Spanish-English interpretation will taking place during CommonBound 2016. We are committed to the work of creating a space that is centered around language justice-- making sure that language does not dictate who can participate in our spaces and our movements. Check out one of our 6 bilingual workshop spaces! We will add additional language interpretation as attendee needs require and resources allow.
• In order to ensure physical accessibility, all workshop, plenary spaces, and bathrooms are wheelchair accessible and will have sufficient space and priority seating for people with physical access needs and for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. We will also have a golfcart shuttle for getting between buildings on campus. Call for a ride! 716.217.0079
• We are asking all participants to help make this a fragrance-free conference space for all of our fellow conference goers who have chemical sensitivities by refraining from wearing strongly-fragranced perfume, cologne, or other cosmetic/health products for the duration of the conference.
• We are creating a culture of learning accessibility by recognizing that we all come to this space with different ways of learning, knowing, teaching, and communicating and that in order to create a truly accessible space for all to engage, we must strive to respect the knowledge every person brings and work against cultural forces of ableism, elitism, dominance, and power. In practice this looks like: avoiding jargon, asking and answering clarifying questions, explaining names and acronyms, and “speaking from the I” about individual experiences, truths, and opinions.
• We respect the right of all people to self-identify. To make that possible, we ask everyone not to make any assumptions about people’s identities when referring to them, ask people’s preferred gender pronouns, and refer to people in/on their own terms around name, race, age, ability, and other identities. All conference spaces will have at least one gender inclusive/all gender bathroom. We welcome all to join in making this conference a safer space for people who identify as trans, gender non-conforming, or genderqueer, people of color, people with disabilities, youth, and people of all identities to participate.

Please let us know about any accessibility needs you may have on your Registration Form, or contact us directly with any questions, feedback, or needs at commonbound [at] neweconomy.net.