A11Y Book Club
Code of Conduct

Paper origami owls reading in the forest

Purpose and Scope

Purpose: The A11Y Book Club is a LinkedIn community for reading, discussing, and learning about accessibility, inclusive design, and lived experience.

Scope: This CoC applies to the LinkedIn group, comments on official club posts, event pages, and RSVPs, live meeting chat during official events, and direct messages to club accounts or moderators related to club activities.

Core Values

  • Respect: treat members with courtesy and professionalism.
  • Inclusion: welcome diverse perspectives and lived experiences.
  • Accessibility: prioritize usable content for people with disabilities.
  • Evidence‑based discussion: cite sources and avoid misinformation.
  • Nothing About Us Without Us: center disabled voices in decisions and critique.

Accessibility Requirements for All Posts

  • Alt text for images: Every image posted must include meaningful alt text in the post or image description.
  • Video accessibility: linked videos must have captions; when audio description is available for visual content, link to or note it. Provide a transcript or summary for videos longer than a few minutes.
  • Document accessibility: shared documents should be accessible (tagged PDFs, accessible Word/HTML) or include a link to an accessible version.

Community Purpose and Promotion Policy

  • Primary purpose: sharing reflections, questions, and learning about the monthly book and accessibility topics.
  • No promotions: the group is not a marketplace. Posts that promote services, sell books, advertise products, recruit for jobs, or solicit clients are prohibited unless pre‑approved by moderators for a designated promotional post.
  • Research and resources: sharing research, tools, or resources is allowed when framed as discussion or learning, with disclosure of affiliations.

Expected and Unacceptable Behavior

  • Expected: be constructive, critique ideas, not people, disclose conflicts of interest, ask before DMing, and keep discussions on topic.
  • Unacceptable: harassment, ableist language, hate speech, threats, doxxing, sexualized language, persistent trolling, and repeated unsolicited solicitation. Comply immediately if asked to stop.

Reporting and Enforcement

  • How to report: send a private LinkedIn message to any moderator. Reports are treated confidentially.
  • Enforcement ladder: private warning → temporary suspension from the group → permanent removal. Severe violations (doxxing, credible threats) may result in immediate removal. Moderators will consider context, neurodiversity, and intent.
  • Appeals: email the moderator team within 14 days to request review. Moderators will document decisions and provide a brief rationale.