(Re-sending to this list because I screwed up subscribing before. A handful of women, lgbt, and accessibility lists were on the original.) Ohio LinuxFest is hoping to receive more proposals from a more diverse range of participants in the FOSS arena than ever before. Last year I sent out an email blast like this to a handful of women's groups, and the result was that even after turning down over half the women's submissions, over 35% of accepted presentations were from women. Despite lack of outreach to accessibility groups (sorry!), 5% of speakers identified as disabled. Recognising there is more to diversity than gender (and that there are more distros than Debian/Ubuntu), the email blast has gotten bigger this year. Please pass this along to any other mailing lists you are aware of for minority groups within the community (and let me know about them). There is also a Diversity in Open Source workshop scheduled for Sunday. The cost is $20 including a brunch. Information about that can be found here: http://ohiolinux.org/dios The conferences does have a Diversity Statement: "The Ohio LinuxFest is dedicated for making Open Source truly open to everyone. We do not discriminate based on ethnic background, religion, gender, sexuality, body shape, disability, or even what operating system you use. We also do not tolerate harassment based on discrimination. We understand that some people need special assistance to fully enjoy our conference. If we can help you find a wheelchair, arrange for an ASL translator or a guide for the sight impaired, or any other special need, please let us know at assist@ohiolinux.org." It's a great conference for first-time presenters, so don't be shy! ==== The CFP deadline grows near for the Ohio LinuxFest's 9th Conference, to be held September 9-11, 2011, in Columbus, Ohio. The CFP deadline is May 1. The biggest Free & Open Source conference in the Eastern part of the US is looking for proposals to talk about a variety of topics, all relating to the free and open use of computers. Talks in the past have been for the experienced, the professionals, the hobbyists and those just looking to learn. Talks in the past have covered topics from embedded systems, Linux kernels and authentication to documentation, video games, politics, project management and so much more. We encourage people who are new to speaking but are experienced in their field or hobby to submit a proposal. Go here to submit your proposal today: http://www.ohiolinux.org/talksubmit The Ohio LinuxFest Institute seeks experienced instructors for our professional quality training. In the past classes have been geared towards system administrators but we are willing to look in other directions as well. Classes may be half day or full day and will take place on Friday, September 9. Go here for further information, including requirements and pay scale, and to submit your proposal: http://www.ohiolinux.org/tutsubmit -- Mackenzie Morgan -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-women+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-women+help@opensuse.org