We, at PyCon India 2023, are taking numerous measures to ensure that this conference is going to be a welcoming and inclusive event for all attendees.

Measures we've taken to ensure a safe and inclusive environment

• There's a Code of Conduct workgroup in place to address issues and resolve conflicts in case of any incident.
• Assistance will be provided for seeking accommodation.
• High-quality food and purified water will be arranged during the event.
• Respect for data privacy (your personal data will not be shared by us with any third party without your consent).
• Policy in place to ensure no bullying and harassment.

The vision of PyCon India 2023, similar to past editions, is to create an inclusive environment that promotes knowledge sharing and diversity in thoughts and ideas. Thus, we would like the conference to be as inclusive as possible and ensure that the conference approaches everyone with respect, and that we resolve differences peacefully. In particular, we will proactively extend our invitation to women, provide support for students, and ensure that people with disabilities feel welcome at the conference.

Here are a few things we can assure our physically challenged/neuro-divergent attendees, to ensure they have a comfortable and safe environment to connect with the Python community.

Content

• We will ensure our website https://in.pycon.org is accessible, and that our website follows accessibility guidelines.
• We will ensure that announcements (like speaker details, schedule, etc.) that we circulate before the conference, are accessible.
• We will avoid the presence of blinking text, and glaring colors in the announcements.
• We will ensure that sign boards are designed with good contrast between background and foreground so that it is visible clearly. Registration
• The conference tickets are sold out. Please contact tickets@in.pycon.org for requests about ticket transfers. You can still get the workshop and tinkering space tickets at https://konfhub.com/pyconindia2023#tickets.

A few weeks before the event, we will share a form that requests accessibility needs from the attendees. We will try our best to accommodate attendee requests.

Venue Accessibility

We have ensured the following at both the venues:

• The main entrance, ans the auditorium is wheelchair accessible. The team is working on ensuring lunch area, and more avenues are accessible for people with disabilities.
• Ramps near the main entrance will have "No Parking" signs to ensure the way to ramps is not blocked.
• Wheelchair-accessible restrooms are available at the venue.
• Doorways and important routes are at least 32 inches wide.
• Empty spaces in front or back of halls for wheelchair users.
• Direction signage with optional distance information.
• Proper lighting in the pathways to make navigation easier.
• The pathways will be obstacle-free. The stall owners, volunteers, and attendees will be briefed on the importance of this.
• Layout information and the session schedule will be published on the website before the conference event days.

New Tracks for Young Learners and Families

We have thought deeply and worked hard to make the event more inclusive by creating two new tracks for young learners and families:

• Young Learners Workshop (YLW)

  • YLW aims to nurture school students through hands-on learning experiences with Python and Raspberry Pi devices. You can read more about YLW at https://in.pycon.org/2023/ylw/.

• Tinkering Space

  • The track was designed as an inclusive event for parents to spend time with their children tinkering with electronics (Raspberry Pi Pico, STEM kits, etc.) and Python. You can read more about the track here: https://in.pycon.org/2023/tinkering-space/.

Diversity efforts

We realize the need for wider adoption of diversity initiatives at organizations and academia. To build on the momentum set by previous conference editions, we are working on bringing a Panel Discussion on Inclusivity at Organizations.

During Session/Conference

• We will make a lapel mic available for people with disabilities.
• Keep a few chairs reserved in the front for people with visual and hearing disabilities.
• The printed session schedule will also be available electronically, in large print.
• Presenters will be reminded that all slides, videos, and visual demos will need to be described as part of the spoken presentation.
• Volunteers to help with slide advancement.
• Request presenters to ensure the presence of Closed Captions (CC) if there is any video displayed.

Volunteers and Medical Support

• A dedicated contact number to call in case of any need or issue. We will share this with you a few days before the conference.
• A doctor will be available at the venue. Their contact information and contact information on local hospital facilities will be provided.
• Volunteers/Office Bearers will be sensitized to the needs of the physically challenged and neuro-divergent participants.
• We hope to collect feedback from the participants with disabilities so that any gap in facilities can be filled in future events and the best practices can be emulated.

If you have any specific needs, please write to us at contact@in.pycon.org. We are ready to help.

Further, we would like to offer the following facilities for women to welcome their active participation:

• For parents traveling with young kids, childcare services can be provided on request near the venue for kids aged 5 years or below Please reach out to us with your childcare needs at contact@in.pycon.org.
• The above-mentioned facilities are available only for the conference days: 30th September, 1st October.
• If there is sufficient demand we will consider extending this to the Workshop day and Dev sprints as well.

PyCon India 2023 takes the experience of the attendees at the conference very seriously. We are committed to providing a positive, harassment-free conference experience for every participant, irrespective of their gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, etc. We hope the spirit of the Python community will transcend to create a harmonious experience. We have a strong Code of Conduct to set the right expectations and a Reporting Guide to effectively handle any issue that might arise. Our team will be available always to help you and assist you in feeling safe during the duration of the event.

You may want to bring a companion/caregiver with you who will not be attending the conference. They may just accompany you because you are traveling from afar or you have a young kid for whom you would prefer your caregiver. In such essential cases, please let the team know by providing the necessary information in the accommodation form. We will try our best to accommodate your request.

We will be providing water bottles at the venue. However, we request you all to bring your own water bottles to help us reduce plastic waste.