ICA25 Conference Inclusion and Accessibility

ICA’s room block includes a number of accessible sleeping rooms in each of the hotels in our housing block. Simply note this need in the comments box when you make your reservation in our housing block.

Each presentation or session should be designed and conducted with the full participation of all in mind. All rooms will include

• a lectern with a microphone,
• a head table with table mics for presenters to use (either for presentation if sitting is preferred, or during the Q&A),
• a microphone stand in the audience for questions.

Please include any mobility, hearing, or vision accommodations in your “notes” section in your presentation submission. These will not be seen by reviewers, but if your paper is accepted, they WILL be seen by staff who will ensure your session is placed in the appropriate type of room according to your needs. Please contact Christopher Rochette if you are presenting and need to ensure the rooms you are presenting in are set up properly for your participation (wheelchair ramp to the stage, etc).

ICA will provide preferred front-row seating, clearly marked as being saved for those with vision, hearing, or mobility needs.

For parking at the Hyatt Regency, click here.

For parking at the Grand Hyatt, click here.

A-Line

Take the A-Line commuter rail from inside the airport to downtown, which will get you to Union Station, within one mile of all the hotels in our housing block, within 30 minutes door to door. Click here to see a video of where to go in the airport to find the A-Line train, how to buy your ticket, and how to board. The cost to ride the train is less than US $11.00 and your pass can be used for the rest of the day on all Denver transit systems. Right in front of Union Station, you can take the FREE “MallRide”16th Street shuttle, which runs a circuit all day up and down 16th Street’s pedestrian corridor, passing within a block or so of all our hotels. BOTH THE A-LINE AND THE MALLRIDE SHUTTLE ARE ADA ACCESSIBLE: CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS. See this map for its typical route: our blocked hotels are #s 2, 5, 25, and 26 on the map (Populus is so new it’s not represented on the map yet). Please note that as of our site visit in August 2024, there is construction on 16th Street that is pushing the shuttle slightly off-path onto 17th and 18th Streets in some places (sometimes even closer to the hotels). We will provide you with an up-to-date map of the exact shuttle path in early June 2025.

Other options: The cab/Uber ride from the airport to downtown can be expensive, and traffic can take up to 45 minutes (the absolute fastest car trip from the airport to Hyatt Regency, if there is no traffic late at night, is 37 minutes). There are also shuttle bus companies that offer service between the airport and downtown, but they will also sit in traffic and thus will take longer than the train and won’t get you any closer to your hotel (they also drop off at Union Station).

Taxis can be hailed from the Ground Transportation station at the DEN airport upon arrival; the trip between the airport and downtown Denver is about 40 minutes. Once you are settled in, we recommend using Lyft or Uber apps to hail rides within downtown Denver.

All hotels in our housing block have accessible rooms readily available; please note your accessibility needs in the notes box when you make your reservation via the housing site.

Because of the sheer number of concurrent sessions (27+ separate rooms at any given time,), ICA is unable to automatically provide captioning for every session. However, we have a strong record of working with individuals who have specific needs to make sure that the sessions they plan to attend–and/or in which they are presenting–are made accessible to them.

Each presentation or session should be designed and conducted with the full participation of all in mind. ICA suggests that all chairs and presenters take the steps necessary to make all programming accessible to their respective audiences. Here are some tips from the University of Washington for how to make your conference presentation accessible; ICA suggests that all presenters also review this article from another association on Making Your Presentation Accessible. At ICA, no matter how small, all session rooms will have a lectern with a microphone. Even if the room is small, all presenters should please use the mics to help those who have hearing impairments, and chairs should repeat questions from the audience for everyone to hear in the larger rooms as well.

There will be preferred front-row seating clearly marked in all rooms as being saved for those with vision, hearing, or mobility needs.

There will be preferred front-row seating clearly marked in all rooms as saved for those with vision, hearing, or mobility needs.

Each presentation or session should be designed and conducted with the full participation of all in mind. ICA suggests that all presenters take the steps necessary to make all programming accessible to their respective audiences. Here are some tips for how to make your conference presentation accessible.

It is important to know that you have the right to feed your baby wherever you see fit; you do not HAVE to find a private space for nursing. However, if you desire privacy, ICA has designated a private room at each Hyatt property for parents and caregivers who would like to feed their children in private. The room will be equipped with comfortable stuffed chairs, low lighting, an ottoman, a side table with a few supplies courtesy of ICA (like surface cleaning wipes, sanitary napkins and tampons, hand sanitizer, etc) and a mini refrigerator for storing breast milk and formula. Please contact Chris Rochette or Julie Arnold for the location and instructions for access to the family room once you are onsite.

A few guidelines for the room:

• We ask that parents NOT dispose of soiled diapers/nappies in the wastebasket in this room, and to instead remove them to the restroom (where the trash is emptied more frequently due to higher traffic).
• Please do not request the key for this room just for a nappy change – there are pull-down changing facilities in the restrooms.
• Please clean up after yourself (including any spills) and leave the room just as you found it for the comfort of the next caregiver and child who use the room, including turning the sign back to “available” instead of “occupied.”
• If you find the room in need of cleaning, please alert a staff member at registration.
• Please label all liquids you place in the refrigerator and do not leave breastmilk in the refrigerator overnight. ICA cannot assume responsibility for spoiled or lost breastmilk or other items.

The availability of affordable and accessible childcare is an inclusion issue that ICA takes very seriously. Now in its seventh year, the “ICAKids” Childcare Program is available for parents in need of childcare during conference hours. This service is heavily subsidized by ICA, with fees at a deep discount to all attendees and completely free for student parents. To provide this service, ICA is partnering with a licensed childcare provider. More information on hours of operation and how to sign up for childcare will be available shortly and will be sent out to registered attendees and via the ICA newsletter. The childcare room will be located onsite at the Grand Hyatt (precise location will be disclosed to parents who sign up). For evenings (and days/times not covered by ICA's subsidized daytime childcare), the concierge at your hotel will be able to connect you with a list of nannies/babysitters who can be hired to come to your sleeping room. For a multiplicity of reasons including insurance liability restrictions, ICA is not able to provide evening childcare.

Please check the program for the date and time of the ICAKIDs and Parents picnic. This free event for children and their parents/caregivers is a great place for academic parents to meet each other and for children to play together. ICA serves child-friendly foods and will schedule fun entertainment activities for the children. Please check the program for the sign-up link to RSVP.

We are excited to announce a new offering for families at ICA25: the ICAKids family play zone is a bright, sunny room equipped with kid-friendly books and toys where parents and caregivers can take a break from the conference with their children, relax, and connect with other families. This room is not supervised and should not be used as childcare - children may NOT be left unattended in this room. Those who require supervision for their child should sign up for ICAKids’ Childcare Program (above). Toys, books, seating, and a small table for meals and snacks will be provided - we ask that you not use this room for nappy/diapering changes, however, due to the facility’s sanitation regulations (there are restrooms nearby with changing tables). Due to the types of equipment and toys available, we especially recommend this room for children ages 3 months to 8 years, though older children are welcome–with their parents/caregivers–as well. The ICAKids Family Play Zone will be located in the Silver Room on the 3rd Floor of the Hyatt Regency and will be open Thursday (preconference day) from 12 noon to 5PM, Friday/Saturday/Sunday from 9AM to 5:45PM, and Monday from 9AM to 12noon.

• Badges: After the rush on Thursday, be sure to stop by the registration desk to have a free personalized attendee badge made for your child!
• Stickers and ribbons! We also have stickers (including “MY FIRST ICA”) and lots of ribbons that appeal to children’s interests.
• ICA Parents’ Guide: The ICA Membership Department puts together a Parents’ Guide to the host city every year, with the input of our local hosts. Look for that in the February or March newsletter.
• ICA Brand Merch: Check out the ICA Brand Store for kid-related items!

ICA has designated gender-neutral restroom facilities on each floor of the Hyatt Regency and Grand Hyatt. These restroom facilities are available for use by all persons, regardless of their gender identity. The facilities will be marked with special door signage. Please help make these facilities and this meeting an inclusive space for transgender and nonbinary attendees by respecting the right of all genders to use any restroom that corresponds with their identity. This means that while there are gender-neutral restrooms listed below, transgender women and nonbinary attendees ALSO have the right to use the standard women’s restroom (and transgender men and nonbinary attendees can use the standard men’s restroom if they wish as well). No one should question anyone else’s right to be in a restroom; doing so will be considered harassment subject to ICA’s Code of Ethics. If this occurs to you please contact Julie Arnold, Director of Governance & Member Services.

RESTROOMS are available throughout the venues on both floors. Some restrooms at the headquarters hotel (Regency) will also be designated as all-gender restrooms; unfortunately, the Grand Hyatt is small enough that there are not multiple restrooms on each floor, so they are unable to convert an additional restroom into a gender-neutral option.

Hyatt Regency Restrooms:

3^rd Floor (Registration/Exhibit Hall Level)

• ADA-Accessible, Gendered Men’s and Women’s Restrooms with Stalls: Mineral Foyer
• Gender-Neutral, Single-Stall Restroom: Near Mineral Hall, by the Event Concierge Desk

4^th Floor

• ADA-Accessible, Gendered Restrooms w/ Stalls: Capitol Foyer North (near elevators)
• Gender-Neutral, Single-Stall Restroom: Near Flagstone A & B

Grand Hyatt Restrooms

2^nd Floor

• ADA-Accessible, Men’s & Women’s Restrooms w/ Stalls: Near Elevators/Blanca Peak
• Gender-Neutral, Single-Stall Restroom: None Available (this is a smaller hotel)

3^rd Floor (Registration/Exhibit Hall Level)

• ADA-Accessible, Gendered Restrooms w/ Stalls: Across from Mt. Harvard Room (turn to your left coming out of the elevator bank)
• Gender-Neutral, Single-Stall Restroom: None available (this is a smaller hotel)

ICA is a diverse and predominantly queer-friendly community, and we take care to choose conference venues in safe neighborhoods within cities with a high level of security and diversity. That said, if you experience harassment or aggression from anyone during the ICA conference due to your gender expression, identity, or anything else, please let us know immediately so we can help and provide support. Please email Director of Governance & Member Services, Julie Arnold for assistance.

While not known for its diversity, Denver is not quite as “vanilla” as its reputation. This is an excellent, informative travel blog by a Black woman resident of Denver, Square State Colorado (start with this post: 72 Hours Enjoying Black-Owned Denver). Denver Tourism’s official page on Black Culture in Denver is here; where they also have a page on Denver’s African American Heritage museums.

• The Noirée. Beginning with ICA Paris in 2022, ICA has been honored to sponsor the Black Scholars’ Noirée (cleverly named by event originator Prof. Deen Freelon). While the event did not occur in 2023, last year the Executive Director revived the event and asked Prof. Meghan S. Sanders to co-host for ICA24 in the Gold Coast. We had an excellent turnout in Gold Coast overlooking the canal, and hope to continue the tradition annually.
• Juneteenth. The ICA conference sometimes unavoidably coincides with a religious or cultural holiday somewhere in the world; this year’s conference will overlap with the Juneteenth holiday. As with any holiday, there is variation among families as to how significant the holiday is and thus, how much of an inconvenience this is. When ICA had to make the difficult decision to postpone ICA21 and go completely virtual for that year’s conference to protect the health of our attendees, the only way to avoid paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in cancellation fees to extricate ourselves from the 2021 contract was to move the conference forward to the next open conference year and take the only open dates available in 2025, which were June 12-16. HQ will email the Noirée attendees whose contact info we have (from our RSVP list from the Noirées in 2022 and 2024) with two items: a) whether you’d like to have the Noirée on the 15th as a Juneteenth celebration with other Black scholars while you're away from home, or whether you’d like to avoid that date as you have other plans, and b) to alert you to the option of putting a note in your submissions that you’d like to be scheduled, if accepted, either on Friday or on Sunday/Monday, depending on travel modifications you may be making in order to be home for Juneteenth. If you have any questions about these issues, please feel welcome to contact Laura Sawyer, ICA’s Executive Director.

ICA has made efforts in recent years to de-emphasize alcohol as a focus of social events in order to make socializing less stressful for those who are abstaining from alcohol consumption for whatever reason, and will continue to provide clearly marked, additional “water-and-soft-drinks-only” bars as part of the opening reception and other evening events. Divisions and interest groups, as well as satellite events such as university receptions, are encouraged to provide a non-alcoholic bar station as part of their events as well (however please note that these events are managed separately from ICA headquarters and adherence to this suggestion may vary). For the opening reception, each attendee will be given two drink tickets. Alcoholic beverages count as one ticket; non-alcoholic beverages count as only half a ticket (the bartender will tear your ticket in half), so you get four non-alcoholic beverages for two tickets. Additional beverages (of both types) can be purchased with cash.

The Marble Room (Hyatt Regency, 4^th Floor) will be available every morning of the conference from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. for a daily Friends of Bill W. meeting in English. This meeting is self-organized based on who shows up (there is no designated lead). If one prefers to attend a public AA meeting outside the hotel, a listing of the Downtown Denver AA meetings can be found here. The two closest to our conference location are at 1820 Broadway (noon on Mondays) and 1595 Pearl Street (7:00 p.m. Tuesdays). Narcotics Anonymous is listed separately in this guide under the letter N.

ICA requires its venues to label all food provided for our conferences—whether during a reception or for mid-day coffee breaks—with the allergens involved in its preparation. If you have provided your allergy information to us, we have shared that with the venues - however, mistakes do happen so we recommend carefully reviewing all signage and, when in doubt, to refrain from eating something you’re not sure about. Please be sure to register your allergy information when you register for the conference so we have an accurate count.

Both Hyatts have fitness centers and pools for use by hotel guests. The Grand Hyatt also has a rooftop running track. The three smaller, boutique hotels in our block–Populus, Aloft, and Magnolia–have fitness centers but not pools.

ICA requests that participants refrain from wearing strong perfume, cologne, or other fragrances in order to promote a fragrance-free environment for the benefit of attendees with multiple chemical sensitivities.

The closest large hospital with a trauma center is Intermountain Health St. Joseph’s Hospital, about 1.3 miles to the East.

If you have a non-emergency but “urgent care” need such as sore throat, a sprain, or other injury, the closest urgent care is Denver Health Downtown Urgent Care Center, which is only 500 feet from the Hyatt Regency (exit the Regency on California St, turn right, cross 15th and it’s halfway down the block on California). However, the hours are somewhat limited (mostly weekdays) - please be sure to check the link above for hours before stopping in. If that location is closed, the next closest urgent care is a 16 minute cab/Uber ride from the Hyatt Regency and is open every day with longer hours: this facility, UCHealth, also features an online system that allows you to book a spot to get in line in advance.

988 is a free, confidential service available to anyone in Colorado experiencing a mental health, substance use, or emotional crisis. One may contact the service by dialing 988 as a voice call or text, and you may reach on behalf of yourself or for someone you are concerned about, such as a friend, neighbor, colleague, or loved one. When you reach out to 988, you will be asked if you or the person you are calling for is a veteran or LGBTQIA+ (in case you might benefit from specialized counselors in those areas). Callers will be asked their name and phone number in case they get disconnected. Calling services are available in multiple languages; text services are currently limited to English only.

A directory of NA meetings in the immediate downtown Denver area around the ICA hotels can be found here.

The Mt. Wilson Room (3^rd Floor at the Grand Hyatt) has been designated as a meditation/quiet room/religious observance room for use by attendees requiring a respite from the overstimulation of meeting activities. Please note that this room is not to be used for meetings, conversations, typing correspondence, or phone calls. The room is available for Quiet Room/Religious Observance use from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day.

We know that travel schedules can make adhering to religious observance tricky. We are providing a religious observance room, (Mt. Wilson Room, 3^rd Floor at the Grand Hyatt), which can be used for religious observance or quiet contemplation for any faith. This room is tucked back into a quiet corner of the 3^rd floor and away from any session rooms. Any items needed for your personal use in prayer (such as malas, prayer mats, cushions, etc) should be taken with you when you leave the room, as the room is not monitored and we cannot guarantee your items will not be misplaced. If you remove your shoes, please line them up along the wall at the doorway. Quiet meditation and yoga are also allowed in this room.

We are delighted to be able to offer yoga classes again this year, this time on-site, outdoors on the Denver City Terrace at the Hyatt Regency (5^th Floor). The Plan B in case of rain is the Mineral Foyer (3^rd Floor). The days and times of yoga sessions and a sign-up link will be made available in the program in January.

For those who have medical issues requiring more privacy (such as for ostomy-related maintenance or for insulin injections), we have two sets of single-use restrooms (i.e. a toilet and sink with a lockable door, as opposed to a row of stalls):

HYATT REGENCY (HEADQUARTER HOTEL) SINGLE-STALL RESTROOMS:

3^rd Floor (Registration/Exhibit Hall Level)

• Single-Stall, Lockable Restroom: Near Mineral Hall, by the Event Concierge Desk

4^th Floor

• Single-Stall, Lockable Restroom: Near Flagstone A & B

GRAND HYATT:

Unfortunately, due to the Grand Hyatt’s size, they only have one set of restrooms on each floor, and those are gendered ADA restrooms with stalls and urinals. There are no additional restrooms. The lobby restroom at the Grand Hyatt is also a gendered stall-tye restroom configuration. If you have a medical necessity for ostomy-related maintenance during the conference day, we suggest you book your sleeping room at the Grand Hyatt so that when you have sessions at Grand Hyatt you can go to your own restroom in your room, and when you have sessions at the Hyatt Regency you can avail yourself of the single-stall restrooms there. We regret the inconvenience but are bound by the physical constraints of this smaller hotel.

We know that travel can make adhering to religious observance tricky. We are providing a religious observance room(Mt. Harvard Room, 3rd Floor at the top of the escalators/across from the restrooms at the Grand Hyatt), which can be used for quiet religious observance or quiet contemplation for any faith. Any items needed for your personal use in prayer (such as malas, prayer mats, cushions, etc) should be taken with you when you leave the room, as the room is not monitored and we cannot guarantee your items will not be misplaced. If you remove your shoes, please line them up along the wall at the doorway. Quiet meditation and yoga are also allowed in this room.

Those with religious observations that affect their availability for certain conference sessions are asked to enter that information in the “Notes to Admin” comment box in their initial paper or session submission (this information is not viewable by those who are reviewing your work, only by planners and staff). You can go in and change this even after being accepted, as well, but it must be done prior to the first week of February, as we then close the system to schedule the program. If you are Orthodox and observe the Sabbath, for example, you may note this in your paper/session and ask that we not schedule your presentations between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday. We can, and are happy to, accommodate these requests 100% of the time as long as we have advanced notice. If you are reading this information after the deadline to make the request, you may contact Laura Sawyer to see if there is anything that can be done. We will work with you as much as possible to resolve the issue, with the caveat that once the schedule goes live, presenters book flights and travel based on their presentation times so we are unable to move things around that change others’ schedules.

The ICA conference typically takes place on the U.S. Memorial Day weekend - globally, this weekend has historically been a good weekend to get affordable prices locked in for our conference attendees. That said, this timing also sometimes overlaps with a religious holiday for some of our 4,000+ attendees from 80+ different countries. In Washington DC in 2019 the ICA conference overlapped with an important religious holiday, a situation which could not be corrected once it was discovered because the contract had been signed in 2014 and there was no ability to shift the dates. We make every effort to consider (and avoid treading upon) all global holidays as blackout dates for the conference in all future contracting, with the knowledge that we are nonetheless bound by the expectation among the ICA community that the conference will occur from late May to late June.

As with any destination, it is important to:

• Remove your badge when outside the venue/your hotel (this is the #1 mistake we see attendees making out and about!) Be aware of your surroundings, especially if a stranger suddenly engages you in a lively conversation (often a distraction technique for pickpockets)
• Do not blatantly stare at maps/your phone’s GPS while walking, which sends a clear message that you are a tourist
• Take care when crossing the street, especially if traffic goes in a different direction than what you are used to at home.
• Be discreet about the cash you’re carrying, and use your hotel safe to store your passport rather than carrying it with you if possible.
• As with any downtown area, safety can vary by neighborhood. If you do decide to stay outside the ICA housing block, please be careful when booking your lodging and cross reference your location with several sources to ensure you are in a safe area.

ICA takes its attendees’ and members’ safety seriously. By registering for the conference, every attendee, exhibitor, sponsor, and speaker has agreed to abide by the Conference Code of Conduct. You have the right to attend the conference without being the subject of harassment based on your ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or any other issue. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have other concerns about inappropriate behavior, please contact a member of conference staff immediately. Conference staff can most easily be found at the registration desk, and will be wearing ribbons that say STAFF (please take care to find actual ICA staff and not student volunteers who may also be working in this area – volunteers are typically wearing round buttons that say “I’m a volunteer!”). You may also email both Julie Arnold, Director of Governance & Member Services, and Laura Sawyer, Executive Director, directly with any concerns. Information shared will be kept confidential. We will be happy to help participants contact hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference, and to take action to remove those acting inappropriately. We reserve the right to revoke access to the conference for anyone harassing another individual. We keep a record of all incidents and reserve the right to ban individuals from future conferences.