Policy
The Society for Music Theory affirms the principle that its meetings, communications, and other activities shall be accessible to any and all persons, and will make every reasonable effort to accommodate their needs for attendance and participation. To that end, we adopt the following guidelines:
Administration
The President will appoint an Accessibility Coordinator to be charged with overseeing the implementation and supervision of the accessibility policy and guidelines. Information describing the policy and guidelines will be provided to the editors of the Society's publications, to the chairs of the Local Arrangements and Program Committees, and to the chairs of all Meeting sessions and Interest Groups.
Annual Meetings
- Hotel: The Society will hold its Annual Meetings in venues that are fully in compliance with all requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Society will make every reasonable effort to ensure that locations for events that are open to attendees but not part of the main Meeting also be fully accessible.
- Meeting rooms: The Society will make every reasonable effort to ensure that meeting rooms at the Annual Meeting are physically accessible, including wheelchair accessibility, and that appropriate space to accommodate persons with disabilities is available in the rooms themselves.
- Registration: The registration form for the Annual Meeting will contain a section allowing registrants to request any special accommodations they might require. The Society will make every reasonable effort to meet these requests to the extent possible.
- Paper sessions: The responsibilities of session chairs at the Annual Meeting will include making every reasonable effort to attend to the accessibility of the session for both presenters and audience members.
- Papers: Speakers at the Annual Meeting who use hard-copy handouts will be encouraged to prepare them to accommodate sighted attendees with visual impairments (e.g., by using accessible font sizes, by providing some additional copies in large-print format, or by posting the material online sufficiently in advance of the Meeting). Speakers who project material on screens will be encouraged to present this material in alternate formats as well (e.g., as handouts, through aural description, or online). The Society will make every reasonable effort to ensure that speakers who are unable to attend the Annual Meeting by reason of disability have the opportunity to present their papers via available electronic or other means.
- See specific guidelines and recommendations at http://societymusictheory.org/administration/events/accessibility
Publications
Where feasible, the Society’s publications and other communications that appear in print copies will also be available in alternative formats (e.g., large-print, electronic text).
Accessibility Resources
For persons requesting information or guidance regarding accessibility issues that pertain to the study, teaching, and dissemination of music theory, the Society will offer to facilitate communication with those who may be able to provide relevant advice and/or referrals to appropriate resources.
Approved by the SMT Executive Board, March 2010.
For information or guidance regarding accessibility issues, or for problems with or to provide feedback regarding this website's accessibility, please contact the Chair of the Accessibility Committee (see this page).
For specific recommendations for conference participants pertaining to issues of accessibility and sustainability, click here. See also non-handicapping language guidelines.