At our events, we use interaction badges.
Come Talk To Me
A person wearing a green badge is actively seeking interaction. They may have trouble initiating conversations, but it’s okay to come up and start a conversation with them.
A white circle on a green background with the word “GREEN” beneath.
Do I Know You?
A person wearing a yellow badge only wants to talk to people they recognize. Unless you’ve met this person face-to-face before, please don’t start a conversation with them. If they start talking to you, you’re welcome to talk back with them.
A white triangle on a yellow background with the word “YELLOW” beneath.
Not Right Now
A person wearing a red badge does not want anyone to talk to them. They may approach others to talk, in which case it’s okay to respond. Unless you have been told otherwise, please don’t start interacting with them.
A white square on a red background with the word “RED” beneath.
Interaction badges were first developed in Autistic spaces and conferences. They help people tell everyone who can see their badge about their communication preferences.
The card that is currently visible is the active card. The other two are hidden behind the first one, accessible to the person if they should need them.
The default is green if no card is displayed.
If you see someone wearing a yellow or red card, please respect their wishes. If you are wearing a red or yellow card and someone is harassing you by not respecting your preference, find the nearest staff member.
We recently designed our own set of interaction badges, borrowing heavily from the fine iterative work done by Midwest Furfest and WordCamp Philly.
Color Communication Badges are an accommodation to support social interaction for people with a variety of disabilities and communication needs. Color communication badges were first developed by Autism Network International, and popularized by the Autistic community in Autistic spaces and conferences.
Color Communication Badges offer those who use them an opportunity to communicate explicitly the degree to which they want to participate in new social interactions and with who. They offer a universally designed way of making a conference, university, event or other space more accessible to those who may not find typical nonverbal social cues accessible. Many non-disabled people report that this system also benefits them too.
Color Communication Badges
Learn about the history and use of interaction badges in this piece.
Providing interaction badges is one of our five ways of welcoming people to our learning spaces and events.
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