DISCOVER Cookbook

The NumFOCUS DISCOVER Cookbook (Diverse & Inclusive Spaces and Conferences: Overall Vision and Essential Resources) is produced by the NumFOCUS Diversity & Inclusion in Scientific Computing (DISC) Program, with support from the Moore Foundation.

Introduction

This cookbook is intended as a resource for organizers of conferences and events to support and encourage diversity and inclusion at those events. This cookbook is not intended to provide general instructions on how to run a successful conference or event.

Read more about this cookbook here

NumFOCUS invites the community to make suggestions for improvements to the DISCOVER Cookbook via pull request (PR). PRs will be evaluated by the NumFOCUS DISC Committee and/or its volunteers. PRs should be written so as to conform to the NumFOCUS Contributor Code of Conduct.

For a full statement of the NumFOCUS DISC Program mission and the NumFOCUS position on diversity and inclusion, please see NumFOCUS Diversity and Inclusion Program.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Summary - the most important suggestions

Organizing Committee

Venue Selection & On-Site Services

Catering

Childcare

Code of Conduct (CoC)

Grants/Scholarships

Participant Selection

Event Registration

Inclusive Practices During Check-In

Assessment of the event

How to use this cookbook:

You do not have to implement every suggestion in the cookbook in order to "qualify" as having a diverse and inclusive event!

The cookbook is intended to help you, as an event organizer, to understand the overall landscape of best practices for diversity and inclusion.

We encourage you to do as much as you can manage, on the understanding that implementing a few well-supported and fully realized suggestions is preferable to implementing many suggestions that are poorly-supported or incomplete.

To facilitate ease of use, we have highlighted suggestions that are relatively easy to implement and which have a strong positive impact. These are "low-hanging fruit" and marked with a red apple emoji: 🍎.

We also encourage you to do at least one thing in the "High Impact, High Effort" quadrant. These are marked with a green checkmark: ✅.

                                 |

         🍎                      |                ✅

    High Impact,                 |           High Impact,

    Low Effort                   |           High Effort

                                 |

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

                                |

                                |

     Low Impact,                |           Low Impact,

     Low Effort                 |           High Effort

                                |

The "high impact, low effort" and "high impact, high effort" suggestions are summarized on the Summary page.

Taxonomy

Conference Logistics

• Registration
• Check-in
• Accomodation
• Location & Venue
• Organisation and Program Committees
• Scholarships
• Participant Diversity
• Talks
• Poster Sessions
• Social Events
• Catering
• Bathrooms
• Calls for papers/proposals
• Code of Conduct
• Presenter Line-up

Diverse Groups

• Parents & Carers
• Women
• LGBTQ+
• Racial Minorities
• Ethnic Minorities
• Religious Groups
• Newcomers & First-Timers
• People with Disabilities
  • Visual Impairments
  • Hearing Impairment
  • Mobility Impairment
• People with Allergies
• Global South & Developing Countries
• Dietary Restrictions

Potential Challenges

• Unconscious and Implicit Bias
• Discrimination
• Sexual Harassment
• Bullying
• Stereotyping

Inclusive Atmosphere

• Giving Participants Room to Be Who They Are
• Being Respectful
• Being Open
• Embracing Diverse Voices and Experiences