Inclusivity Statement

adapted from the Open Source Feels Diversity Statement

Our goal is that all events we, the GOTO team, organize, attend or otherwise participate in are accessible, safe and inclusive for all.

We welcome you.

We welcome people of any gender identity or expression, race, ethnicity, size, nationality, sexual orientation, ability level, neurotype, religion, elder status, family structure, culture, subculture, political opinion, identity, and self-identification.

We welcome people wearing a baby sling, hijab, a kippah, leather, piercings, a pentacle, a rainbow, a rosary, tattoos, virtual reality devices or whatever.

We believe it’s possible for people of all viewpoints and persuasions to come together and learn from each other. We believe amazing things happen when folks with different perspectives approach other to create an open and understanding conversation. We believe in the broad spectrum of individual and collective experience and in the inherent dignity of all people.

We believe neurodiversity is a feature, not a bug. We believe in being inclusive, welcoming, and supportive of anyone who comes to us with good faith and the desire to build a community. We strive to make everyone feel welcome and know that their contribution is important because diversity makes the tech community stronger and more productive.

We believe accessibility for people with disabilities is a priority, not an afterthought. We will make sure that all of our events are well accessible to people with physical disabilities. We are aware that accessibility issues are diverse. If you are in need of an assistant to attend an event, we will provide a complimentary ticket. Please contact us with any comments, questions or requests and we will promptly reply.

We have enough experience to know that we won’t get any of this perfect but we have enough hope, energy, and idealism to want to learn how to improve. We may not be able to satisfy everyone, but we promise that if we get it wrong, we will listen to your feedback carefully and respectfully, and we will do our best to make good on our mistakes.

We protect our creativity and our diversity through our Code of Conduct.

We recognize that inclusivity is not as simple as words on a page (or website). We believe that together, we can make GOTO conferences, GOTO Nights and all other events in our community a warm and welcoming place for everyone.

*To contact us directly with any questions, comments, concerns or requests for additional information, please email our GOTO Chicago 2018 Conference Manager Helene Simoni Thorup: hst@trifork.com*