It is our pleasure to invite you to the inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Lunch at the Creativity and Cognition (C&C) and Designing Interactive Systems (DIS) conferences. We have the following aims for this SIGCHI-sponsored event:

  • celebrate and underline the importance of diversity and inclusion as values within the conference communities
  • reflect on and evaluate the state of diversity and inclusion within the communities by creating space for conversation among participants,
  • develop insights that will be shared within the C&C/DIS communities as well as with the broader SIGCHI community.

Over lunch, attendees will participate in small-group discussions reflecting on inclusion and diversity at C&C/DIS conferences and ways to move forward. The discussions will provide an opportunity to network and also provide reflective feedback on what these values mean in our communities.

At the event, we will also recognize four papers from this year’s program with a Recognition of Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion. The papers will be chosen through a two-tier selection process using the following criteria: 1) whether the papers serve underrepresented or marginalized groups, 2) to what extent the ethical implications of the research are considered, and 3) whether there are possible undiscussed negative impacts of the research that would disqualify them. The recognized papers are:

Is Deafness a Disability? Designing Hearing Aid Beyond Functionality
Patrizia Marti, Annamaria Recupero

Hacking Difference in Indonesia: The Ambivalences of Designing for Alternative Futures
Cindy Lin, Silvia Lindtner, Stefanie Wuschitz

Involving Syrian Refugees in Design Research: Lessons Learnt from the Field
Reem Talhouk, Madeline Balaam, Austin Toombs, Andrew Garbett, Chaza Akik, Hala Ghattas, Vera Araujo-Soares, Balsam Ahmad, and Kyle Montague

Designing Interactive Manual Wheelchair Skills Training for Children
Kathrin Gerling, Kieran Hicks, Olivier Szymanezyk, and Conor Linehan

Event Details:

Lunch boxes with several options (including vegetarian and vegan)
- Date: Wednesday, June 26th
- Time: 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
- Location: Banyan Court and Lawn
- Cost: Free with prior registration. Please register using the following form: https://forms.gle/AYyKyuXoPSaDHt9D6

Please note that spaces are limited so please register early. We will confirm your registration prior to the beginning of the conference.


Accessibility and Diversity Chairs:
Foad Hamidi, University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
Stacy Branham, University of California, Irvine (UCI)

For any questions please contact:
accessibilitychair@dis2019.acm.org, accessibility2019@cc.acm.org