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| AAS Working Group on Accessibility and Disability | |
|---|---|
| Name | AAS Working Group on Accessibility and Disability |
| Formation | 2010s |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Parent organization | American Astronomical Society |
| Focus | Accessibility, disability inclusion, event access |
AAS Working Group on Accessibility and Disability The AAS Working Group on Accessibility and Disability is a committee within the American Astronomical Society that addresses access and inclusion for people with disabilities in astronomy and related fields. It develops guidelines, organizes programs, and advises on conference accessibility, intersecting with scientific societies, universities, and funding agencies to promote equitable participation. The group collaborates with professional associations and institutional stakeholders to implement practical accommodations and policy recommendations.
The working group functions as an advisory body within the American Astronomical Society, engaging with organizations such as the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Smithsonian Institution, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. It liaises with professional societies including the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Astronomical Union, the American Chemical Society, and the Association for Computing Machinery to harmonize accessibility standards across disciplines. The group consults with higher education institutions like Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, California Institute of Technology, and University of Chicago to integrate inclusive practices into departmental operations. It also interacts with advocacy organizations such as the National Federation of the Blind, the American Association of People with Disabilities, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.
The working group emerged amid growing attention to accessibility at professional meetings and within scientific communities during the 2010s, influenced by policy developments at the Department of Education, the Department of Justice, and legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act amendments. Early catalysts included accessibility complaints at national conferences, initiatives from institutions like Cornell University and the University of Michigan, recommendations from committees within the American Astronomical Society, and comparative models from the Royal Astronomical Society and the European Space Agency. Founding volunteers included academics affiliated with Princeton University, Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, and the University of Texas, drawing on expertise from disability studies programs and legal counsel experienced with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The group's charter referenced best practices from organizations such as the Association of American Universities, the Council of Scientific Society Presidents, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The working group's mission centers on ensuring full participation of people with disabilities in astronomy, astrophysics, and related STEM activities. Objectives include establishing accessibility guidelines for conferences hosted by the American Astronomical Society, advising on venue selection with partners like the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and the San Diego Convention Center, recommending captioning and interpretation services from vendors used by Smithsonian Institution events, creating resources for inclusive laboratory access modeled after practices at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Fermilab, and influencing funding agency requirements at the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy. The group aims to advance equity through collaborations with the Association of Research Libraries, the Society for Neuroscience, the Geological Society of America, the Optical Society, and the Society of Women Engineers.
Programs run by the working group include pre-conference accessibility surveys, coordination of live captioning and sign language interpretation at plenary sessions, creation of tactile displays and braille materials in partnership with the Library of Congress and the Perkins School for the Blind, and workshops on inclusive pedagogy drawing on curricula from the California State University system and the University of Washington. It organizes mentorship initiatives connecting students at institutions such as Arizona State University, Ohio State University, University of Arizona, and University of Colorado Boulder with professionals at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and National Radio Astronomy Observatory. The group also conducts webinars with participation from the Association for Women in Science, the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science, the National Society of Black Physicists, and SACNAS.
The working group publishes accessibility checklists, accommodation request templates, and conference planning guides drawing on standards from the World Health Organization, the International Organization for Standardization, and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. It issues position statements endorsed by the American Astronomical Society and disseminates best-practice white papers informed by case studies from the Hubble Space Telescope outreach programs, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey collaboration, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope project, and the Event Accessibility Initiative. Resources include annotated bibliographies referencing research from journals such as The Astrophysical Journal, Nature, Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Disability Studies Quarterly, and toolkits developed with partners like Elsevier, Wiley, and the American Institute of Physics.
The working group maintains partnerships with federal agencies, professional societies, academic publishers, and civil-rights organizations to advocate for systemic change. Collaborative partners and allies include the National Science Policy Network, the Coalition for Networked Information, the Association for Library and Information Science Education, the Braille Authority of North America, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and state-level commissions on disability. Advocacy targets include conference accessibility policies at international venues such as the European Southern Observatory, the Square Kilometre Array Organization, and the International Council for Science, as well as institutional accessibility audits at museums like the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the American Museum of Natural History.
Governance follows a roster of appointed and elected volunteers from academia, observatories, and federal laboratories. Membership draws from faculty and staff at institutions including Columbia University, Duke University, University of California, Los Angeles, McGill University, and the University of Toronto, as well as practitioners from organizations such as the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the American Bar Association, and disability service offices at Columbia University and New York University. The working group reports through American Astronomical Society governance structures and coordinates with other AAS committees and task forces to align strategic priorities and operational protocols.
Category:American Astronomical Society Category:Disability organizations in the United States