Improving access to academic conferences

It is helpful if we can let postgraduate researchers know at the outset what the expectation is for conference attendance. How many? How soon? To ensure that this is included in their planning and necessary arrangement can be made.

This is particular important for disabled researchers who will need to include conference attendance as an activity when they are being assessed for their support requirements, so additional costs can be  flagged up to the assessor. Research Councils and local authorities will need to be alerted through the researcher's assessment report so that the funding provided by the DSA (Disabled Students' Allowances) is realistic and researchers can plan ahead, confident in the knowledge that their support needs at conferences will be adequately funded.

However, it should also be recognised that, if a postgraduate researcher receives their DSA from their local authority, it is capped and it is likely that funding would have to be found from another source.

Logistics

If the logistics of conference attendance are very complex and time-consuming (as experienced by, for example, researchers with personal care needs, deaf researchers who work with BSL/English interpreters and blind researchers who may need non-medical helpers), then it would be a good idea to look at who could give support to the researcher in their planning - the Disability Support Service; peers; supervisors. With agreement from the researcher it may be helpful to;

• Contact the conference organisers to check out accessibility
• Make initial enquiries on behalf of the researcher about accessible transport
• Provide confirmation to the funding agency that the conference is an essential component of their research degree
• Liaise with registers of support workers who might be able to accompany the researcher
• Find out if other students on the same programme are attending and whether they can be part of the support package, paid or unpaid

Confidence

If a postgraduate researcher indicates that giving presentations causes extreme anxiety, then early and sensitive intervention may help to overcome their fears. It is not appropriate for us to ignore, or put to one side, their concerns in the hope that they will somehow conquer them given time. It is advisable to talk through with the researcher what will be difficult for them and work together on strategies to develop confidence.

Encouraging postgraduate researchers to give presentations in informal settings to a small audience (research team meetings, research seminars) can help to build up self-belief and pave the way to larger, external audiences. Opportunities to co-present can also help to increase confidence. We might try setting up mock presentations, or encourage the researcher to set this up with their peers, so that they can try out their presentation in a safe environment.

If confidence continues to be an issue, then we need to look at other strategies. Counselling or assertiveness training may help the researcher identify the context and cause of their anxiety. It may also help them to build up a toolkit for surviving conferences. The disability support service may be a good starting point for advice about referral and relevant agencies.