GMTA Updates: Childcare, Travel Companion Tickets, and Mobility Aids
When the Gary Marsden Travel Awards (GMTA) program was launched in 2020, as an iteration of previous SIGCHI travel awards, a guiding value was aligning with community needs and feedback. This meant encouraging members to apply regardless of whether they had a submission to the conference, to support newcomers to the HCI community. This meant covering visa fees to account for the uneven costs and labor of crossing borders. This also meant making recommendation letters optional, to support, for example, those who are between institutions.
The process of understanding community needs is always ongoing, and more recently, it has become clear that the GMTA can and should expand its offerings further to support the care work of parenting and access. In particular, since our February cycle, we have started supporting reimbursement for childcare expenses, a travel companion ticket, and mobility aids. Childcare expenses can include childcare during virtual or in-person events, at home or at the conference venue. A travel companion ticket (for a flight or other modes of transportation) can be supported with justification, for example, if they are a care provider for an infant, a sighted guide, or a personal care assistant. We can also support mobility aids, such as scooters or walkers. Depending on the costs, the GMTA can support in full or partially. We aim to complement existing initiatives by SIGCHI and its conferences, such as pointers to or provision of childcare services at/near conference venues, and support for accessibility requests when attending conferences.
Naveena Karusala, Community Support Chair
On behalf of the Gary Marsden Travel Awards Committee
sigchi-4all@acm.org
