Accessibility

Accessibility information for each of our venues is provided below. Click the name of each venue for a map. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Erin Hackathorn in advance at 319-335-4034.

The Old Capitol Senate Chamber is on the 2nd floor of the Old Capitol Building on the University of Iowa Pentacrest. The accessible entrance is located on the south side of the building. Please ring the bell and a staff member will assist you. There is an elevator that serves all floors of the building. The Senate Chamber is equipped with a hearing loop. Switch hearing aids to “T” or “T-coil” to connect to the system. Assistive listening devices are also available.

The Hageboeck Hall of Birds in the UI Museum of Natural History is on the 3rd floor of Macbride Hall on the University of Iowa Pentacrest. The Museum is handicap-accessible through an entrance on the east side of Macbride Hall, adjacent to the stairs leading up to the main entrance. An elevator provides access to all Museum galleries. Please note that the aisle through the balcony of Macbride Auditorium, which is often used for university classes, is the only path between the elevator and Hageboeck Hall of Birds on the north end of the third floor. Visitors who need to use the elevator are always allowed to cross the auditorium, even during classes. 

FilmScene at the Chauncey is located at 404 E. College St., Iowa City. All of its theaters offer wheelchair seating and companion seating, as well as accessible restrooms, concession stands, and lobby areas. FilmScene at The Chauncey offers a drop-off zone on College St. and a covered walkway from the parking ramp. It also offers assistive listening headsets and closed-caption devices for all digital movies with closed captioning available. Headsets and caption devices are available upon request at the box office.

Shambaugh Auditorium is located within the University of Iowa Main Library at 125 W. Washington St., Iowa City. It is on the first floor, just inside the North Lobby at the north entrance, which is handicap-accessible.

The Stanley Visual Classroom is located on the third floor of the Iowa Memorial Union, within the Stanley Museum of Art’s temporary exhibit space (125 N. Madison St., Iowa City). The classroom (room #376) features an extensive installation from the Museum’s permanent collection as well as a teaching space. There is a handicap-accessible entrance on the east side of the building, on Madison St. From there, move through the Hubbard Commons and take the elevator next to the staircase. Once you’re on the third floor, turn left, go around the Black Box Theater, and follow the signage to the Museum of Art and Ritchie Ballroom.

Art Building West is located at 141 N. Riverside Dr., Iowa City. The atrium is located on the ground level, just inside the main entrance (facing Riverside Dr.). Both the main entrance and the rear entrance (near the parking lot) are handicap-accessible. No elevator is needed to access the atrium. Room 240 is on the second floor. The nearest elevator is located in the atrium on the ground floor. There is a handicap-accessible ramp to the right of Room 240’s main entrance.

Inclusivity

Obermann Humanities Symposia organizers are committed to creating a safe, accessible, and respectful environment for the conduct of academic inquiry. We want to create a space in which everyone can do their best work and no one is mistreated because of ability, race, religion, gender, sexuality, nationality, socioeconomic status, or any other aspect of their identity.

We acknowledge that mistakes happen; that said, we ask that all participants remain respectful, accountable, and committed to our conference’s mission of solidarity and mutual understanding. To that end, we offer a few guidelines:

  1. Don’t make assumptions about someone’s identity. Participants are free to express themselves to the extent that they feel comfortable.
  2. Respect the rights of others to self-determine their identity.
  3. Avoid using ableist, sexist, racist, classist, misogynist, transphobic, homophobic, or other discriminatory language.
  4. Do not take photographs or video recordings without consent.
  5. Practice active listening. This includes waiting for someone else to finish speaking before speaking yourself; avoiding generalizations, or speaking on behalf of others; and remaining aware of the time and space you are taking in the discussion.
  6. If you have a question during Q&A, carefully consider the intention behind your question. Aim for wording that is as constructive as possible.

If you encounter someone disrupting the conference or behaving inappropriately, please contact a conference organizer as soon as possible.

Finally, we understand that inclusivity is an ongoing process—we invite participants to share feedback on what we can do to ensure the safety and accessibility of this shared space.

View a list of all gender-inclusive restrooms on the UI campus

(Inclusivity statement adapted with permission from the Different Games Conference.)