NCORE supports participants with visible and invisible disabilities, mental and physical health concerns, and marginalized communities and cultures that require specific accommodations to feel safe and included. The following accommodations are provided at NCORE events whenever possible. Always report your needs when you register so NCORE staff can plan accordingly.
For accommodations tailored to our Webinar Series and online conference, please visit our Online Accessibility page. Questions? Contact us at ncore@ou.edu.
All-Gender Restrooms
All-gender and gendered restrooms will be distributed throughout the conference space to ensure all participants have comfortable and convenient options.
All-Gender Restroom Locations:
Second level: Near Eglinton/Winton meeting room
Third level: Near Newberry meeting room
Riverside Complex: Near Kabakoff meeting room
Food Allergies/Dietary Restrictions
During registration, you will have an opportunity to indicate your dietary needs. There will always be a variety of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free items. Indicating your preference during registration helps NCORE staff order appropriate quantities. Some things to keep in mind:
- If someone else completes your registration, please make them aware of your dietary choice and severe food allergies.
- If you have an extensive list of what you cannot eat, consider sending a list of what you can eat to ncore@ou.edu.
- For Halal and Kosher: please select ‘Vegetarian’ or ‘Vegan’.
- Preparation by chefs will be as inclusive as possible (for example, using vegetable stock instead of animal-based stock, using ingredients that contain lower lactose levels, etc.).
- Specialty plates may be stored separately to ensure participants with severe allergies receive them as requested. If you have questions onsite, check with NCORE Staff or the venue’s Banquet Staff.
- If you need to make a change, you can modify your registration using the link in your confirmation email or you may send a note to ncore@ou.edu and we will be happy to make the change
Gluten free and vegan food will be set on tables with charcoal and white striped linens. Upon request, we will provide a physical orientation to the location of these tables.
Every effort will be made to provide nutritious and flavorful food and beverage items with the hope that they will be enjoyed by all.
Food and Beverage Functions for NCORE 2023:
Wednesday: morning beverages, afternoon snacks and beverages, evening Welcome Reception with hors d'oeuvres
Thursday: continental breakfast, afternoon snacks and beverages
Friday: continental breakfast, afternoon snacks and beverages
Saturday: morning beverages
Fragrance Free
When thousands gather to attend a conference like NCORE, personal fragrances quickly become a concentrated hazard for participants with asthma, allergies, migraines, chronic lung disease, and other health issues.
We ask that NCORE participants limit or refrain from using fragrances while attending our conference in consideration of these participants.
Visit this website for more information.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing
All general sessions will have sign language interpreters and live captions.
Participants who require sign language, live captions, and/or Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) for all conference events need to request these services when they register. Six weeks notice is required to schedule service. Every effort will be made to schedule a service or obtain equipment if you register under six weeks before the start of the conference.
Infant Care
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The Trafalgar Room on the third level of the Hilton Riverside will be a resource room available to lactating/chestfeeding participants.
No other infant/child care services are provided by NCORE.
Wellness Space
Make the most of your NCORE experience without sacrificing your personal health and wellbeing. New for 2023, NCORE presents The Wellness Space! Available for all conference participants to honor the incredible work they are doing at home, please join us for yoga, sound baths, creative art space, quiet hours, and recovery support meetings.
Multisensory Room
NCORE will offer a Multisensory Room on-site dedicated to sensory accessibility. This space will provide a safe and enriching environment where users of all ages are empowered to enjoy a variety of activities that fully engage their senses, either passively or actively. This space can be used to calm and relax learning development, to help individuals with sensory processing challenges or cognitive and learning challenges process the world around them, and to assist with individuals’ overall mental health and well-being.
More information for the Wellness Space and Multisensory Room can be found in the Program Guide.
Mobility
Aisles in sessions and at NCORE events will be wide enough to accommodate mobility equipment and devices. All efforts will be made to help keep ramps, doorways, and accessibility buttons clear.
Need to rent a scooter or other mobility device?
Mobility City of Greater New Orleans
Phone: (504) 608-1580
neworleansla.mobilitycity.com
Prayer / Meditation
The Pelican Room in the Riverside Complex area of the Hilton Riverside will be available for use by participants who require privacy and space for religious and spiritual practices. Please note, this is an updated room location from what is in the printed Program Guide. Thank you for understanding.
Presentation Accessibility
NCORE presenters and keynote speakers are contractually obligated to build accessible presentations so no one is left out of the conversation. NCORE provides all presenters with a PowerPoint template built with recommended formatting and required slides (Land Acknowledgement, Inclusion Statement). Download our In-Person Presentation Accessibility Guide for full requirements.
Key in-person presentation requirements include:
Microphones
Must be used for ALL presentations, panels, and Q&As. NO EXCEPTIONS. Projecting your voice is not enough and not all participants are comfortable self-identifying or self-advocating.
Audio/Visual
All videos shared during online sessions must be captioned.
Announce the use of loud music and/or flashing lights, images, or video at the beginning of presentations and before use so participants with sensory concerns can plan and act accordingly.
Speak clearly and at a reasonable pace. Pause between topics and for questions so participants have time to process and react to information. This also helps sign language interpreters and captioners provide quality services to participants.
Describe images, video, and audio used during presentations and how they connect with your presentation. Bonus points if presenters describe themselves before they speak for the first time!
Session Materials
Provide digital handouts and/or large print versions of physical handouts. Accessibility Scans should be performed on all digital handouts until all errors are corrected so participants can access content with their preferred device or screen reader software.
Seating
Front and back rows of session rooms must remain open until sessions begin to reserve priority seating for participants with accessibility needs.
Service Animals
ADA-certified service animals are welcome at NCORE meeting venues.
Visual
In addition to NCORE’s required Presentation Standards, participants can digitally access NCORE program guides on their preferred device through the NCORE app and a PDF of the program guide. Sighted venue tours are available upon request.
Questions? Contact us at ncore@ou.edu.