Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Established in 2017, the function of the Society’s EDI Committee is promote equality, diversity and inclusion across legal academia. In line with our EDI Mission Statement our overarching aspiration is to ensure that legal academia is a profession representative of all and for all. This includes the promotion of an environment that welcomes and values diverse backgrounds, thinking, skills and experience such that everyone – regardless of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, and social and economic backgrounds – can thrive and fulfil their potential. This is vital both for the long-term success of the SLS and the profession of legal academia.
EDI Mission Statement
1. Overarching Vision
The Society of Legal Scholars aims to promote equality, diversity and inclusion across legal academia. Our overarching aspiration is to ensure that legal academia is a profession representative of all and for all. We recognise that promoting an environment that welcomes and values diverse backgrounds, thinking, skills and experience, and which allows everyone – regardless of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, and social and economic backgrounds – to thrive and fulfil their potential, is vital for the long-term success of the SLS and the profession of legal academia.
2. Objectives
To promote access to all areas of legal academia, irrespective of background.
To work with law schools to embed good practices of recruitment, retention, and progression.
To encourage all members in career development.
To encourage efforts that seek to ensure the diversity of legal academia is reflected at all stages of seniority.
To communicate the profession’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion to all stakeholders.
To keep under review law reform and wider developments with implications for equality, diversity and inclusion.
To ensure that the Society’s internal processes are consistent with best practices of equality, diversity, and inclusion.
3. Specific Actions
To monitor, scrutinise, and report regularly on the SLS’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
To celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion on an annual basis.
EDI Committee Outputs
SLS EDI Survey Report 2021-22 – report of the second SLS EDI membership survey.
SLS EDI report November 2020 First Survey – report of the first SLS EDI membership survey.
SLS EDI Action Plan January 2021 – action plan produced following the first EDI survey.
SLS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee zoom – EDI Committee presentation at the 2019 SLS Annual Conference.
SLS Disability Statement
The Society of Legal Scholars (SLS) values the membership, scholarship, activities and inclusion of persons with disabilities, including in the activities and governance of the Society. It is the policy of the SLS that persons with disabilities should be able to participate as fully as other members in the Society in all SLS activities, including prizes, awards, committees, editorial board roles and the annual conference. The SLS will make all feasible efforts to include members with disabilities and to remain responsive to the needs of our members who have disabilities. The purpose of this statement is to provide support for building inclusivity within all SLS activities; it is a means to help us think about issues around inclusion for all.
1. Accessibility at Society of Legal Scholars meetings, events, annual conference.
The Society is committed to ensuring that all SLS events and meetings, including the annual conference, are accessible to persons with disabilities. We provide specific information well in advance of the annual conference about the location’s accessibility and practical arrangements. Conference attendees with special needs or disabilities may indicate their requirements in the “special requests” section of the session/paper proposal form. Please feel free to get in touch with the Section Lead if you have any questions regarding adjustments.
However, the SLS understands that individual members may not want to disclose their disability by asking for adjustments and therefore the SLS requests that all convenors, session organisers and presenters think about different ways of being when organising their events. Please refer to the following protocols and guidelines when planning for events and meetings and take the steps necessary to make the sessions accessible to attendees with disabilities regardless of specific requests for accommodations.
2. Disability Protocols
https://www.brookes.ac.uk/inclusive-conferences/
Making Events Accessible Flyer
3. Disability Access Guidelines for Conference, Seminar Sessions and Workshops
3.1 Location
Any room being used for meetings, conferences or other gatherings needs to be accessible, making sure there is space to manoeuvre wheel chairs and mobility aids. Please keep these areas, as well as the aisles, clear for persons who may be using wheelchairs, canes, crutches, or motorized vehicles. Space should also be left around the doors to allow adequate access. There should be access to nearby toilets and specific disabled toilets. There should be different types of tables and height adjustable chairs to aid d(D)eafblind interpretation. There should also be provision made for an accessible quiet room.
Deaf or deafened people who use sign language interpreters, use captioning, or read lips need to sit where they can see both the speakers and the interpreter or captions. An interpreter may stand close to the speaker or within a direct line of sight to allow the audience to view both the speaker and the interpreter. Speakers should be aware of the location of interpreters and attempt to keep this line of vision clear.
When thinking about coffee breaks, meals, conference dinners and so on, design these with inclusivity in mind. Think about the accessibility of networking events, not just in terms of rooms but also in terms of catering and timing.
3.2 Papers, Handouts, and Audio-visuals
Make presentations accessible by responding to requests for adjustments as required and for the annual conference in particular, upload the presentation or a summary paper to the paper bank with accessibility in mind. Presenters should be responsive to requests for presentations to be provided in alternative formats as required. Allow ample time when referring to a visual aid or handout or when pointing out the location of materials. Briefly describe the materials. Audio description of the visual elements in slide presentations widens access, as does the use of high colour contrasts, large font sizes and simple, sans-serif fonts.
When not using a projector, turn it off. This reduces background noise and helps focus audience attention on the speaker.
3.3 Communication and Presentation
Of course, our speakers will talk clearly and distinctly; there is no need to raise one’s voice, or adjust one’s voice, unless asked to do so. Use regular speed unless asked to slow down by members of the audience, sign interpreters, or persons using real-time captioning. Avoid speaking from a darkened area of the room. Please always use the microphone where one is provided.
Since microphones often fail to pick up voices in the audience, speakers should always repeat questions or statements made by members of the audience. In dialogues or discussions, only one person should speak at a time, and speakers should identify themselves so that audience members will know who is talking. Some people read lips, so the audience should have a direct and clear view of the speaker’s mouth and face.
In all its work, the EDI Committee welcomes the input of members. The members of the EDI committee can be found here.