[An-lang] Follow-up on ICAL 2027 venue accessibility survey – additional thoughts

[Yuko Kitada]

Dear all,

I apologize if my messages have been frequent lately — my only intention is to contribute to an open and constructive discussion about making ICAL 2027 as inclusive as possible for everyone in our community.


Thank you again to everyone who took the time to respond to the short anonymous survey. Your input is greatly appreciated.

While the responses showed a range of views, a number of comments expressed some concerns about the proposed venue's accessibility — particularly the multiple transfers (more than 4 times from the airports) and the burden of traveling in Japan's intense summer heat and humidity.

Personally, I find it hard not to feel deep sympathy imagining figures like Prof. Adelaar or Prof. Ross — our field's treasures — enduring more than four train transfers in temperatures exceeding 35°C (95°F) with high humidity to reach the venue. Japan's Heatstroke Alert system often issues warnings at this level, advising residents to avoid outdoor activity unless absolutely necessary.

To put it in perspective: everyone, please take a moment to relax and imagine your own parent or grandparent — as a foreigner — traveling alone in a harsh summer abroad, making several train transfers. How would you feel answering the survey in that state?
The survey results are unlikely to cause the conference to be canceled. If it did happen, I would be happy to host an alternative meeting on Zoom or a similar web conferencing tool.


One earlier message in this thread described raising such concerns as "inappropriate" and suggested it could lead to the conference being canceled entirely. Framing open questions as a direct threat to the event is not only unconstructive — it is unacceptable and has no place in an academic community that values transparent discussion.

Our field is small, and many of us know each other well. In such a close-knit community, the recipient of an intimidating message can often identify the sender — even if the message appears anonymous. This reality makes such comments particularly discouraging, as they can feel targeted and personal. This kind of behavior must not be tolerated. If anyone in our Austronesian linguistics community ever experiences similar attempts to silence or intimidate through threats of negative consequences, please do not hesitate to contact me directly — I will stand with you and support you without reservation.


I sincerely hope we can continue this conversation constructively, keeping inclusivity and the well-being of all participants — especially our senior colleagues — at the forefront.

The survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2-5-TLSahDRbX5kYsZ88yy2mDwzO2ejCQmwcpYnSvagVicg/viewform?usp=header

Best regards,
Yuko Kitada

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