The International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI) is committed to providing a welcoming, inclusive, and intellectually vibrant environment for all participants. The Congress brings together scholars, practitioners, artists, students, and community partners from around the world to exchange ideas, engage in critical dialogue, and advance qualitative and mixed methods inquiry.
We value respectful disagreement, thoughtful critique, and open discussion across diverse theoretical, methodological, disciplinary, cultural, and political perspectives. We ask all participants to contribute to an environment that supports curiosity, collaboration, and mutual learning.
Accessibility
The International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI) is committed to making the conference as accessible and inclusive as possible. We recognize that accessibility is an ongoing practice and seek to reduce barriers that may limit participation for conference attendees, presenters, volunteers, and guests.
The conference organizers will make reasonable efforts to provide an accessible conference environment, including:
- Meeting spaces that comply with applicable accessibility standards.
- Accessible routes between conference venues whenever possible.
- Reserved seating for participants with accessibility needs.
- Accessible registration and information services.
- Assistance with navigating conference facilities upon request.
Accessibility for Presenters
Presenters are encouraged to design presentations that are accessible to a broad audience. Recommended practices include:
- Using high-contrast presentation slides with large, readable fonts.
- Verbally describing images, graphs, and visual materials.
- Speaking clearly and using microphones when available.
- Captioning videos and multimedia materials whenever possible.
- Providing handouts or presentation materials in accessible digital formats when appropriate.
- Repeating audience questions before responding to ensure all participants can follow the discussion.
- Allowing sufficient time for questions and discussion.
Accommodation Requests
Participants who require accommodations to fully participate in the conference are encouraged to contact the conference organizers as early as possible, preferably during registration. While requests cannot always be guaranteed, every reasonable effort will be made to provide appropriate accommodations.
Examples of accommodations may include:
- Mobility access
- Reserved seating
- Dietary accommodations
- Parents’ room
- Quiet or reflection spaces
- ASL interpretation
- Other reasonable accommodations identified by participants
Shared Responsibility
Accessibility is a shared responsibility. We encourage all conference participants to contribute to an environment in which everyone can participate fully. Small actions—such as wearing name badges visibly, introducing oneself before speaking, using microphones, respecting scent-sensitive environments, and being attentive to differing communication styles—help create a more inclusive conference experience for all.
The International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry is committed to continual improvement in accessibility and welcomes feedback that can help make future conferences more inclusive and equitable.