Full Conference Information Page

This is the information page for the 2018 conference. 

ARCHIVE PAGE HERE

 

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Entry – You don’t need to bring your ticket as your name will be on the door list. If you leave the building it is your responsibility to inform a member of the organising team.

Sections:

  1. Provisional itinerary
  2. Speakers
  3. Etiquette and dialogue ground rules
  4. The venue
  5. Car parks, hotels, food.
  6. What to do if you have a problem during the conference
  7. Disclaimer & photography
  8. GDPR

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1. Schedule

9am – arrival / coats and bags can be hung in main foyer or left on a chair.  Tea & coffee available upstairs. – Please arrive between 9am and 9.30am and be settled in the main room before 9.30am.
9.30am – keynote speeches
10.45am – short tea break
11 am – presentations and introduction to dialogue & practical arrangements
12 noon – lunch (not provided) – drinks available upstairs. You can eat your own lunch in the foyers.
1pm – dialogues (in main room, room 1 and room 4)**
2.20  – break (drinks available upstairs)
2.45pm – plenary session, including presentation, feedback and Q&A
4.30pm – closing remarks
4.45pm – end

*Tea or coffee and a biscuit is a suggested £1 donation – upstairs foyer.
**You will be randomly allocated a dialogue room just before lunch.

Quiet room is Room 2 (first floor), available from 9am to 5pm.
All main events will be held main meeting room (ground floor)

2. Speakers list here.

3. Conference etiquette and dialogue ground rules

We hope you enjoy this lovely venue where we have worked for the past 10 months. In the spirit of mindful dialogue and out of respect to autism sensitivities and sensibilities, we please encourage you to maintain a peaceful decorum during the day. In particular, please do not raise your voice above normal talking levels in the breaks.  Pay attention to the quiet room (Room 2) being next to the first floor social area where drinks are served.

  • Please do not wear any strong scents.
  • The lights will be dimmed throughout
  • Gentle clapping (two fingers) is fine, as is hand waving for showing appreciation
  • Gentle stimming is great, but if you’ve a lot of energy or want to make excessive noise, please don’t disrupt the proceedings and go outside – there’s a nice big area just in front of the cathedral or you can go up to the quiet room to calm down.

4. The venue 

  • The Main Meeting Room is on ground floor through a double door just past the reception.
  • Quiet room is Room 2 (first floor), available from 9am to 5pm.
  • Dialogue rooms are Room 1 (first floor) and Room 4 (lower ground floor)
  • Accessible toilets on all three floors
  • Coats can be hung in the foyers
  • No eating or drinking allowed in the Main Meeting Room
  • No hot food allowed in the building
  • No dogs are allowed in the building except guide and assistance dogs
  • The front door is wheelchair accessible and an elevator (lift) and stairs serve the whole building.
  • Housekeeping and fire procedure will be explained at 9.30 in the main meeting room

Full room details and pictures here

MAP

5. Car parks, transport, food.

Car parking
There is no parking at the venue but ample car parks very nearby and some street parking.
Transport
One minute walk to High St: super-tram and bus stops. City Taxis.
Food
Food will not be provided at the event (except hot drinks/biscuits).  The immediate area is very well served by a range of eating options for lunch, both eat-in and take-away, eg. on Orchard St, Orchard Sq. and Fargate. You may bring cold (not hot) food in to eat on the first floor social area.  No food or drinks are allowed in the meeting rooms except bottled water.

6. What to do if you have a problem during the conference

We will have some volunteers wearing red lanyards that can answer practical questions.  The front reception is occupied by the venue staff, who are also very helpful.

7. Disclaimer & photography

All personal belongings are left at your own risk and neither the organisers nor the venue will be held responsible for any loss, theft or damage caused.

The main room presentations will be recorded by audio and photographed and so it is possible audience members may unintentionally appear in photographs. By attending this event and on entering the privately hired venue, you are giving permission to appear on photographs, which may or may not be reproduced publicly. Please tell a conference organiser if you do not wish to appear in photographs. The dialogue sessions will not be audio recorded.

Safeguarding policy by Sheffield Autistic Society

8. GDPR – General Data Protection Regulations

When buying your ticket on Eventbrite, you provided some personal information.  Eventbrite adhere to GDPR and their Privacy Policy is here.  We will only use the data that Eventbrite has stored for your safe entry into the event and we will not use or store your data.