OpenGates Checklist

DISCLAIMER: this page is the WORK IN PROGESS checklist. It is NOT a released version. However, it will always have more than the released OpenGates list

A work in progress reference checklist of things to help you avoid gatekeeping in your dev posts, articles, videos, talks, presentations, podcasts, sites, and in any other content.

Anti-gatekeeping Checklist

The checklist is not in order of importance. It is broken down into sections to help us understand how each item helps us open gates and avoid gatekeeping.

Jump To:

• Inclusion
  • Gender
  • Culture
  • Disabilty
  • Race
  • Ethnicity
  • Age
• Welcoming
  • In-Person Events
• Accessibility
  • Safety
  • Percievable
  • Operable
  • Organized

Inclusion

• Images should vary in age, ability, race, nationality, gender, body types (ref)
• Example names should be different from the status quo (ref)
• Lists of people should not be homogenous; should be as diverse as the group they represent. (ref)
• Can everyone who might view this to see someone like themselves represented in it? (ref)
• Are any stereotypes being perpetuated? (ref)
• Who is missing or excluded? (ref)

Gender Inclusion

• Avoid using gendered words and colloquialisms (ref)
• Have you used “man”, or “men” or words containing them to refer to people who may not be men? (ref)
• Have you used “he,” “him,” “his,” or “himself” to refer to people who may not be men? (ref)
• If you have mentioned someone’s sex or gender, was it necessary to do so? (ref)
• Do you use any occupational (or other) stereotypes? (ref)
• Do you provide the same kinds of information and descriptions when writing about people of different genders? (ref)
• Do make use of “they” as a gender neutral option? (ref)

Cultural Inclusion

• Avoid cultural appropriation (ref)
  • not Guru → expert, teacher (ref)
  • not Spirit animal → personal mascot (ref)
  • not Pow-wow → if you meant “meeting”, look up some synonyms). (ref)
  • not Tribe → refrain from use, or replace it with a term without appropriation like “close group of friends” (ref)
  • not Totemic animal → refrain from use (ref)
• Avoid culturally offensives terms and phrases
  • not “Indian giver” → refrain from use (ref)
  • not “Too many chiefs, and not enough Indians” → refrain from use (ref)
  • not “Circle the wagons”, “Hold down the fort”, “On the warpath” → refrain from use (ref)
  • not “Indian giver” → refrain from use (ref)
  • not “Indian time”, “Indian summer” → refrain from use (ref)
  • not “Gypped/Jewed” → scammed, ripped off (ref)
  • not “Gypsy” → refrain from use (ref)
  • not “Karma” → comeuppance

Disability Inclusion

• Avoid inspiration porn (ref)
• When discussing a product, indicate what makes it accessible
• Avoid ableist language (ref), (ref)
  • not normal → common, typical, frequent (ref)
  • not Crazy, nuts, spaz, insane → bizarre, enormous, unfamiliar (ref)
  • not Sanity Check → confidence check, temperature check (ref)
  • not Moron, idiot → refrain from use (ref)
  • not Dumb, stupid → unreasonable, odd (ref)
  • not Derpy → ridiculous, foolish, silly (ref)
  • not R_tard*, *tard → refrain from use (ref)
  • not Lame, crippled → disabled (ref)
  • not Psychopath, lunatic, maniac → refrain from use (ref)
  • not Junkie → aficionado, fiend, enthusiast (ref)
  • not Midget → Use the person’s name, short person (ref)
  • not Stand Up → regular, sync, meeting (ref)
• Have you used medical diagnoses when not talking about actual medical things? (medical appropriation)
  • not Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) → conscientious, meticulous, thorough (ref)
  • not Bipolar → unpredictable, flippant (ref)
  • not Tone deaf → insensitive, in bad taste (ref)

Race Inclusion

• Ensure capitalization of “Black” (ref)
• Avoid racial appropriation
  • Refrain from digital Blackface (ref)
• Avoid racially offensive terms and phrases
  • not Grandfathering → legacy, historical (ref)
  • not blacklist / whitelist → block/allow, deny/trust, exclude/include (ref)
  • not Master / slave → primary/replica, trunk/branch, parent/child (ref)
  • not Colorblind, “I don’t see color” → refrain from use (ref)
  • not Savage, barbaric → cruel, cold-blooded (ref), (ref)

Ethnic Inclusion

• Ensure you have used Latina and Hispanic correctly (ref)

Age inclusion

• Ensure explanations will make sense to the age of your audience (ref)
• Avoid assuming in-depth computer knowledge
• Avoid ageist language (ref)
  • not So easy Grandma could do it → refrain from use
  • not Entitled [insert generation] → refrain from use

Make People Feel Welcome

• Warn before discussion/images of triggering/traumatic topics (ref)
• Avoid using words that make things sound easy (eg simple, just, straightforward, etc) (ref)
• Qualify the difficulty: “This may be easy if you already know [this thing].” (ref)
• State required knowledge up front. (eg “We’re assuming your familiar with concepts a, b, and c”)
  • If concept knowledge is assumed, offer a place to learn those concepts
  • Did you include anything beyond basic math (+ - * / )? If so, mention that there is a specific math prerequisite
• Explain things in ways it will be relatable to as many people as possible (ref)
• Give things descriptive names. Avoid x, foo, bar, baz etc (ref)
  • Where single letter variable names are common practice (eg i, k, v etc), explain what they stand for (ref)
• Did you say something is simplified? Demonstrate what was simplified
• not normal → common, typical, frequent (ref)

For In person Events

Speaking at or Sponsoring

• Refuse to speak if there isn’t a diverse lineup of speakers (ref)
• Refuse to speak at or attend an event with a homogenous lineup. (ref)
• If you choose not to speak, recommend a systemically underrepresented individual (ref)

Organizing

• Discuss Code of Conduct (CoC) on event pages and in opening announcements
  • Include event organizer or CoC team contact info if harassment takes place
• Have “no photos” stickers available at badge pickup
• Have pronoun stickers available at badge pickup
• Avoid sexually explicit branding and humor
• Designated sensory-friendly quiet space
• alcohol should never be the main part of the social hour
• Warn before discussion/images of triggering/traumatic topics AND allow people to leave (ref)
• Ensure panels of people are equally or more diverse than the group they represent.
• Enlist people of color to speak about topics other than diversity issues. (ref)
• Look for speakers far beyond your personal network (ref)
• Invite systemically underrepresented individuals FIRST and avoid tokenism. (ref)
• Prestigious titles should not be a factor in choosing a speaker (ref)
• Have your speakers use microphones even if you think the room is small enough
• Provide sign language interpreters (ref)
• Provide Captioning (ref)
• Ensure the location is Induction Loop (or Hearing Loop) equipped and use it (ref)

Accessibility (a11y) is a right

Accessibility is a right. Yes, literally it is the law in some countries. Many of these items will be guided by: Web Accessibility Laws & Policies

Saftey

• warn for rapidly-flashing lights (ref)
• warn for loud noises
• warn for anything that could make someone dizzy
• include timestamps for where to skip to to avoid warned content

Percievable

People should be able see and read even with impaired vision

• Images have Alternative Text (ref)
• Tested with Screen Reader (test here) (ref)
• AA or AAA level color contrast ratios (test here)
• Avoid “fancy lettering” and odd capitalisation (ref)
• Include transcripts for audio content (ref)
• Include subtitles for video content (ref)
• Don’t rely on bold/italics/strikethrough to convey meaning (ref)
• Use rem and em instead of px (ref)

Operable

• Keyboard navigation works (ref)
• Responsive (ref)
• Works on different devices and browsers (ref)
• Works with Assistive Technology (ref)

Organized

Arranged in a way that makes sense and use language that most people understand

• Headings used appropriately (ref)