Diversity & Inclusion

Education and collaboration are vital to the future of the OpenAPI Initiative ecosystem, and it is imperative to us that everyone in the community that wants to participate feels welcome to do so regardless of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, race, ethnicity, age, religion or economic status. Our code of conduct outlines our expectations for all those who participate in our community, as well as the consequences for unacceptable behavior.

Below are the opt-in statistics from the API Specifications Conference 2021 event. Please note, attendee demographic questions are optional for speakers and attendees and are based on opt-in-only responses.

To encourage and increase the participation of a diverse community, we are pleased to offer diversity and need-based scholarships and discounts to our conferences.

Nursing Room
A private nursing room will be available at the event to aid in the comfort and accessibility for our nursing attendees. The room will be available all days of the event and will be located onsite. For location information, please check with registration or information desk staff onsite.

Venue Accessibility
If you need any assistance locating an elevator, or have other questions about accessibility onsite, please speak to a member of the LF event staff at any of the registration or information desks onsite. If you have questions prior to the event, please email ascevents@linuxfoundation.org.

Wheelchair + Medical Equipment Rental
If you need a wheelchair or scooter, you can rent them from Bay City Medical Supplies. Please contact them directly for rates and availability.

Communication Stickers
At Registration, attendees can pick up communication stickers to add to their badges. Communication stickers indicate an attendee’s requested level of interaction with both other attendees and press (including photographers and videographers).

• Green = Open to communicate.
• Yellow = Only if you know me, please.
• Red = I’m not interested in communicating (or being videotaped or photographed) at this time.

Please be respectful of attendee communication preferences.

Interaction Buttons
Please be mindful of attendee’s buttons throughout the conference and use this tool to communicate appropriately:

• Green = Handshakes and high 5’s are welcome with frequent handwashing.
• Yellow = Still being cautious, elbow bumps only.
• Red = No contact at all, please remain 6 feet away.

Don’t see a wristband? Assume red until given permission from the other attendee.

Share your Pronouns
Select your pronouns during registration to share them with other conference attendees. Pronouns will be printed directly on your badge. Please be respectful of attendees’ pronouns.

Quiet Room
All attendees may feel free to use the Quiet Room as needed. It is a physical space where conversation and interaction are not allowed, where attendees can go if for any reason they can’t interact with other attendees at that time.

All-Gender Restrooms
We will designate specific restrooms as all-gender for attendees who feel more comfortable using those facilities.

First Aid/Medical Assistance
If you require first aid or medical assistance, please visit our registration desk and we can direct you to the First Aid station onsite.

How to Handle a Harassment Report
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the event staff immediately. Event staff can be identified by staff badges and/or shirts onsite and can be found at the event registration counter at any time. Our staff has had incident response training, responds to harassments reports and does so in accordance with the process recommended by the Ada Initiative, which can be found here on the Geek Feminism Wiki.

Conference staff will be happy to help participants contact hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference.

If you are planning to attend an upcoming event and have concerns regarding another individual who may be present, please reach out to us pre-event. Precautions will be taken to ensure a victim’s comfort and safety, including, but not limited to providing an escort, prepping onsite event staff, keeping victim and harasser from attending the same talks/social events and providing onsite contact cell phone numbers for immediate contact.

The Linux Foundation Contact:
Emily Ruf, Event Manager (eruf@linuxfoundation.org)

Awarded to events in the open source community that fosters healthy D&I practices. Learn More

If you have ideas on how we can create a more inclusive event, please do not hesitate to let us know. Contact Emily Ruf, Event Manager, at eruf@linuxfoundation.org.