2025 Virtual Conference

2025 AHEAD Virtual Conference July 23-July 25, 2025

AHEAD understands that not everyone will be able to join us in Denver this year for the 2025 Conference, therefore, AHEAD is excited to offer a virtual conference option on Wednesday through Friday, July 23-25, 2025.  
 
The three-day Virtual Conference will feature 30 different concurrent sessions, selected from the Denver conference, as well as multiple opportunities to network with other disability professionals from around the country through roundtable discussions on various topics. You’ll even get to experience a live keynote presentation from Samyuktha Neeraja! 
 
We want to ensure there is something for everyone, so the concurrent sessions selected for the Virtual Conference will include content relevant to all stages of a disability professional’s journey, specific fields, student populations, and more. Content will range from legal frameworks and the nitty-gritty of accommodation decision-making to campus-wide alliances and topics pertaining to the issues happening on campuses right now.  
 
Most sessions of the virtual program will be recorded so that you can join live or catch up on presentations via recording whenever it’s convenient. CRCC and RID CEUs will be preapproved for both the in-person (Denver) and Virtual Conferences, and certificates of attendance for other types of CEUs are available.

For those already registered for the in-person conference in Denver, but also interested in catching additional sessions you couldn’t attend there, registration for the Virtual Conference can be added to the in-person Denver conference registration for just $25! 


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2025 AHEAD Virtual Conference

 

 

Schedule (all times Eastern)

Wednesday, July 23 

Keynote: 11:00 -12:00 pm 
  • Fairness and Justice: A Shared Responsibility (Samyuktha Neeraja, MPH, CAE)    
Virtual Block 1: 12:30 - 1:30 pm 
  • V1.1: Empowering Students: Changing Our View on Family Involvement 
  • V1.2: No Disability Cultural Center? No Problem! How to Do Disability Cultural Programming on Your Campus! 
  • V1.3: Regulatory Crystal Ball 
  • V1.4: Lab and Practical Exams in Health Science Programs: Identifying Barriers and Determining Accommodations 
Virtual Block 2: 2:00 - 3:30 pm 
  • V2.1: OCR Year in Review 
  • V2.2: Advocating for a More Accessible University Using Research and Assessment 
  • V2.3: Revitalizing Campus Teamwork: Collaboration that Inspires 
Roundtable Discussion Block 1: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm 
 
  • R1.1: LGBTQA Roundtable Discussion 
  • R1.2: Community Colleges Roundtable Discussion 
  • R1.3: Disability Identity, Studies, and Culture KPC-Led Roundtable Discussion 
  • R1.4: TBD Roundtable Discussion 

Thursday, July 24 

Virtual Block 3: 11:00 - 12:30 pm 
 
  • V3.1: ADA Coordinator Duties: A Discussion of Standalone vs. Combined Roles at Public and Private Institutions 
  • V3.2: Transformative Tech: Navigating Emerging Technology Trends on Campus as a Disability Professional 
  • V3.3: Artificial Intelligence and Disability Resource Offices: An Extra Sous Chef, or Too Many Cooks? 
  • V3.4: TBD 
Virtual Block 4: 1:00 - 2:00 pm 
 
  • V4.1: Ten Years with a Campus-wide Committee on Accessibility: Accomplishments and Lessons Learned 
  • V4.2: Supporting Students with Intersecting LGBTQ+ and Disabled Identities 
  • V4.3: Testing Accommodations: Sharing and Discussing Best Practices 
  • V4.4: Stop the Revolving Door: Using Competency-Based Professional Development Planning in Staff Retention 
Virtual Block 5: 2:30 - 3:30 pm 
  • V5.1: Beyond Reasonable Accommodations: Working Toward a Neuroinclusive Community College Campus 
  • V5.2: Under-Resourced Disability Offices and the Misguided “Self-Care” Panacea – What to Do About It! 
  • V5.3: Navigating Time as a Barrier: Fostering Accessibility for College Students with Disabilities   
  • V5.4: Accommodations Beyond the Borders: Academic and Housing Accommodations Abroad 
Roundtable Discussion Block 2: 4:00 – 5:00 pm 
 
  • R2.1: Autism Roundtable Discussion 
  • R2.2: Visual and Performing Arts Roundtable Discussion 
  • R2.3: Private Colleges KPC-led Roundtable Discussion 
  • R2.4: TBD Roundtable Discussion 

Friday, July 25 

Virtual Block 6: 11:00 - 12:30 pm 

  • V6.1: Empowering Accessibility in Higher Education: How ChatGPT/AI Supports Students with Disabilities 
  • V6.2: Grievance and Appeals Procedures in Disability Services: Insights from Diverse Institutions 
  • V6.3: 50 First "Intakes": Strategies and Considerations for Meeting with New Students
  • V6.4: Centering Campus and Community Scholarship: the Impact of Disability Studies for Disability Services 
Virtual Block 7: 1:00 - 2:30 pm 
 
  • V7.1: Legal Year in Review 
  • V7.2: Students Transferring from 2-Year to 4-Year Institutions: How Three States are Smoothing the Process 
  • V7.3: Game On! How Academic Coaching Engages and Empowers Students with Disabilities! 
Sponsored Lunch-and-Learns: 2:45 – 3:15 pm 
 
Virtual Block 8: 3:30 - 5:00 pm 
 
  • V8.1: What I Know Now That I Wish I Knew Then 
  • V8.2: Breaking Barriers: Transforming Preconceived Notions to Empower Nursing Students with Disabilities 
  • V8.3: Supporting Faculty in Understanding and Implementing Accommodations 
  • V8.4: Bridging the Gap: Collaborative Strategies for Supporting Students from K-12 to Higher Education 

Registration Costs

  • Member Pricing, Virtual Conference only: $349.00
  • Non-Member Pricing, Virtual Conference only: $499.00
  • Virtual Conference Add-on to the Denver In-Person Conference: $25
 
For the Virtual Conference Only registration, there is a 10% discount on registration of 10 or more people from the same institution. To enquire, please email ahead@ahead.org.
 
Event links and information will be sent the week before the virtual conference.
 
Registration for the Virtual Conference should be treated like registration to an in-person event- each registration supports access for one person to the virtual event. A single registration cannot be shared with any other individuals to access the Virtual Conference.
 
Links to recordings cannot be shared. To receive access to the recordings, you must be registered for the virtual conference.
 
No refunds are available because recordings of most sessions will be available to all registrants to watch at their convenience.

Register Online

Technology & Accessibility

Technology:

  • All conference sessions will be hosted in Zoom. All conference participants should download the most recent version of Zoom prior to the conference start date.
  • AHEAD is pleased to offer an enhanced virtual conference experience via the conferencing software, CVent Attendee Hub. Information about logging in will be sent to all registrants prior to the virtual conference.

Accessibility:

  • All concurrent presentations and Sponsored Lunch-and-Learns will include captioning and ASL interpreting. NOTE- captioning and ASL interpreting services must be requested for any Roundtable Discussions. 
  • All slides and other presentation materials will be posted to the CVent registration system prior to the virtual conference.  
  • Most concurrent sessions will be recorded. Any concurrent sessions NOT recorded will include a disclaimer in the description. The Roundtable Discussions will NOT be recorded. 
  • For any other accommodation requests, please email profdev@ahead.org. 


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