Virtual Accessible Bilingual Conference Planning: The Parks Accessibility Conference.

Virtual events have become more popular recently, and while these events have the potential to be inclusive to a broader range of attendees, there is limited information available on how to plan and deliver a virtual, accessible, and bilingual event. The objective of this paper is to share how our team planned and delivered a virtual conference that was fully bilingual and accessible to individuals with disabilities by incorporating closed captions, sign language interpretation, language interpretation (audio), regularly scheduled breaks, and a multi-sensory experience. We describe our approaches to planning the conference, such as including individuals with disabilities in decision-making, selecting virtual conference platforms, captioners, and interpreters, and how we incorporated a multi-sensory experience. The paper also summarizes feedback we received from our attendees using a post-conference evaluation survey and our team's reflections on positive aspects of the conference and opportunities for improvement. We conclude by providing a set of practical recommendations that we feel may be helpful to others planning virtual accessible bilingual conferences in the future.

A Survey of the Challenges Faced by Individuals with Disabilities and Unpaid Caregivers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected many individuals. In particular, it is likely that individuals with disabilities and unpaid caregivers were disproportionately affected, however, its exact impact is largely unknown. The primary objective of this work was to identify challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and unpaid caregivers. A secondary objective was to identify potential solutions to the major challenges experienced by both populations. Two surveys were administered online to individuals with disabilities and unpaid caregivers, respectively between September 2020 and January 2021. We used an inductive thematic analysis within an interpretivist paradigm to analyze survey responses. A total of 111 survey responses were collected amongst both surveys. Separate thematic maps were created for individuals with disabilities and unpaid caregivers, and maps were drawn to compare challenges. Potential solutions to mitigate the challenges experienced by both populations include revising financial assistance programs and improving awareness of support programs that are available.

Comparing alignment methods for inferring the history of the new world lizard genus Mabuya (Squamata: Scincidae).

The rapid increase in the ability to generate molecular data, and the focus on model-based methods for tree reconstruction have greatly advanced the use of phylogenetics in many fields. The recent flurry of new analytical techniques has focused almost solely on tree reconstruction, whereas alignment issues have received far less attention. In this paper, we use a diverse sampling of gene regions from lizards of the genus Mabuya to compare the impact, on phylogeny estimation, of new maximum likelihood alignment algorithms with more widely used methods. Sequences aligned under different optimality criteria are analyzed using partitioned Bayesian analysis with independent models and parameter settings for each gene region, and the most strongly supported phylogenetic hypothesis is then used to test the hypothesis of two colonizations of the New World by African scincid lizards. Our results show that the consistent use of model-based methods in both alignment and tree reconstruction leads to trees with more optimal likelihood scores than the use of independent criteria in alignment and tree reconstruction. We corroborate and extend earlier evidence for two independent colonizations of South America by scincid lizards. Relationships within South American Mabuya are found to be in need of taxonomic revision, specifically complexes under the names M. heathi, M. agilis, and M. bistriata (sensu, M.T. Rodrigues, Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia 41 (2000) 313).

Phylogenetic relationships and limb loss in sub-Saharan African scincine lizards (Squamata: Scincidae).

Skinks are the largest family of lizards and are found worldwide in a diversity of habitats. One of the larger and more poorly studied groups of skinks includes members of the subfamily Scincinae distributed in sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan African scincines are one of the many groups of lizards that show limb reduction and loss, and the genus Scelotes offers an excellent opportunity to look at limb loss in a phylogenetic context. Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed for a total of 52 taxa representing all subfamilies of skinks as well as other Autarchoglossan families using sequence from six gene regions including; 12S, 16S, and cytochrome b (mitochondrial), as well as alpha-Enolase, 18S, and C-mos (nuclear). The family Scincidae is recovered as monophyletic and is the sister taxon to a (Cordylidae+Xantusiidae) clade. Within skinks the subfamily Acontinae is monophyletic and sister group to all remaining skinks. There is no support for the monophyly of the subfamilies Lygosominae and Scincinae, but sub-Saharan African scincines+Feylinia form a well supported monophyletic group. The monophyly of Scelotes is confirmed, and support is found for two geographic groups within the genus. Reconstructions of ancestral states for limb and digital characters show limited support for the reversal or gain of both digits and limbs, but conservative interpretation of the results suggest that limb loss is common, occurring multiple times throughout evolutionary history, and is most likely not reversible.