Meetings & Non-Meetings

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FLEXIBLE, INCLUSIVE PARTICIPATION

At the start of our meetings & events, we begin by setting Ground Rules to help participants feel safe and welcome:

• We introduce ourselves with our pronouns and ask everyone for theirs
• We encourage everyone to update their Zoom display name and pronouns
• There’s no one “right” way. We try to make our programs flexible AND adapt to meet everyone’s access needs.
• Eye contact is neither expected, prioritized, nor valued. We discourage masking one’s true self.
• EVERYTHING is ok here — we respect and value your movement, sensory, and other regulation needs, etc.
• What you will routinely see in ABB meeting culture: children on laps, breastfeeding or chest-feeding and/or pumping, moving around, toggling on/off video, eating meals/snacks, fidgets/focus tools, weighted blankets, other sensory supports etc.
• All forms of communication are welcome here. We welcome full-time and part-time alternative augmentative communication users. Participants regularly switch back and forth between multiple forms of communication within a single meeting.
• We protect one another’s access needs. You are welcome to discuss anything you are comfortable sharing; if you experienced something as traumatic or distressing, please give a “content warning” first so that others can listen with informed consent.

• We try to build in extra time for transitions so that everyone has enough processing time and space to share their truth
• We offer visual supports shared ahead of time to preview of what is to come  

PLUS — you can participate even without attending meetings. 

• Online group chat — connect with community members & organizational leaders, exchange ideas, volunteer for small special projects, share feedback on focused questions
• One-on-one conversations with organizational leaders — video chat, phone, text, Google chat
• Give feedback via brief surveys or type directly into collaborative Google documents

Please let us know if you have other ideas that would enhance your participation with ABB. You can email to reach Sara, our Community Programs Coordinator.