2021 Gypsy Lore Society Annual Meeting and Conference on Romani Studies – Book of Abstracts

Text of panels and abstracts accepted for the international conference of the Gypsy Lore Society held in Prague in 2021 (GLS Annual Meeting and Conference on Romani Studies 2021, 8.-10. 9. 2021 - https://gls2021.ff.cuni.cz/). Introducing the context of the organization of the conference in 2021 and Romani studies structures in the Czech Republic, the book features three studies presenting: currently documented effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Romani communities worldwide (Tatiana Zachar Podolinská); the historical context of the establishment of the Seminar of Romani Studies at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University in 1991 and its developments until today (Helena Sadílková, Pavel Kubaník); a summary of Romani studies research, publications and theses focused on the Roma at the Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Sociological Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University (Zdeněk Uherek). The book includes an index of names of all contributors of the conference – authors of individual papers and panel convenors.

Human Factors Engineering: Designing for Diversity and Accessibility

As the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee enters its fifth year, it continues to encourage the society, annual meeting attendees, and human factors professionals to improve diversity and equity within the field. At the center of this field are humans and their widely varying needs and abilities. While HFE professionals devote themselves to these needs, their details are often overlooked in order to design for what is assumed to be a majority of users. These assumptions can then lead users to be rejected by products, systems, or objects. This rejection indicates a lack of accessibility, which affects millions worldwide. In this panel, experts in the areas of universal design, healthcare, and accessible design will discuss how to “do” accessibility while demonstrating that accessibility should be considered a required component of usability.

“I Know Just How He Feels”

This essay is written in the ethnographic present. It is based on research in South Carolina carried out in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the cooperation and consent of the residents of the John’s Island Community. All lines from the games and songs were sung during the presentation October 18, 2019, 2:30 P.M. at the American Folklore Society Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD. The description of the Vulture’s gait and the Ranky Tanky body shake were demonstrated.