2021 Equity & Excellence Call For Proposals

AHEAD enthusiastically seeks proposals for its 44th annual international conference, Equity & Excellence: Access in Higher Education. While it is impossible to know how the pandemic will impact us next year, AHEAD is planning for an in-person, socially distanced event and will work individually with presenters should the conference need to transition to a virtual format. Proposals accepted at this time are for in-person presentation.

The Program Committee is committed to providing conference content for a diversity of participants and highly interested in presenters from diverse, multi, including novice (new to the field), intermediate (some years of experience and skills), and highly experienced audiences. We are especially interested in innovative sessions that challenge seasoned professionals with advanced content. We hope to see an increase in the number of proposals submitted from presenters with diverse lived experiences and will offer mentor support to newer presenters. Presentations from partnered colleagues from different institutions are also highly encouraged.

Available Presentation Formats. Proposers will select their preferred format but may be offered a different format if selected.  

• Concurrent Sessions. 60 and 90-minute single-topic presentations
• Research Panel. Two to three research studies will be presented during a concurrent time frame, with each presenter having approximately 20-minutes to describe their research and share implications for practice.
• Research Poster. Researchers will have the opportunity to share their work with approximately 500 conference attendees. The hallmark of this format is the opportunity to engage in on-to-one conversations while displaying research results in a poster.
• Program/Resource Display (Non-research poster). An opportunity to present a resource or innovative program in a “poster” setting. Presenters will describe their resource/program and discuss it with conference attendees during a 90-minute time frame.  
• Preconference Institutes. Half-day (3hours), full-day (6.5 hours) and two-day (13 hours) in-depth presentations on Monday and Tuesday.

Proposers will choose ONE area to represent their presentation and assist the program committee in balancing the conference program.

• Accessibility:Accessibility: Web accessibility, purchasing, accessible curricular materials, learning management systems, collaborations, etc.
• Assistive Technology (AT).Assistive Technology (AT). AT evaluation, training, and implementation; best practices, policies, and procedures for supporting students with AT; new and innovative AT developments; AT that addresses notetaking, text-to-speech, executive skills, etc.; free and low-cost AT solutions; etc.
• Campus Collaboration/Outreach. Campus Collaboration/Outreach. Innovative strategies for partnering and consulting with campus stakeholders: faculty, administrators, student affairs offices (vets, study abroad, career services, housing and dining services, learning and teaching center, etc.), facilities personnel, etc.
• Distance/Online Education. Distance/Online Education. Best practice in supporting accessible distance learning opportunities.
• Diversity/Social Justice. Strategies for creating office and campus environments that value and design for diversity and understand and appreciate intersectionality.
• Leadership & Influence. Strategies for gaining leadership skills to increase effectiveness in building relationships, articulating a vision, mobilizing others, and influencing change within the office, across campus, and beyond the work environment.
• Legal/Policy. Foundational and emerging guidance based on legal principles, case law, settlement agreements, Dear Colleague Letters, etc. and guidelines for developing and promoting best practice policies.
• Promising Practices. Strategies and innovation in for working within a disability resource office to create a truly equitable student experience. 
• Other. An open category to share innovative practice in any area, resources, strategies, policies, collaborations, etc. Please specify your primary topic.