AHEAD is thrilled to welcome our presenters to this year's Equity and Excellence Conference. The conference registration is now open! All presenters must register for the Conference, unless you plan to attend only your own session and not stay for anything else scheduled that day.
Session Descriptions and Presenter Bios:
If you need to make changes to your session's description or your personal bio, please reach out to Elisa Laird at elisa@ahead.org All changes to session descriptions must be received by May 30 to be included in the printed conference program book. Bios will not be printed, but will be available online, and can be edited anytime.
Uploading Presentation Materials by June 19:
AHEAD makes all presentation handouts/presentation materials available to attendees in advance, for disability access reasons. All presenters must upload your slides (or handouts, if you prefer not to share the slides themselves) by no later than June 19—thank you in advance for helping make sure the Conference is accessible and inclusive of all attendees.
Creating Accessible Materials:
AHEAD will have the materials reviewed for accessibility before posting them, but presenters are expected to make every effort to ensure the materials submitted are fully accessible, in accordance with AHEAD’s Presentation Accessibility Guidance. To assist presenters with this, AHEAD is providing short videos illustrating how to make your materials accessible, as well as some additional references and tips here. Please review AHEAD’s Commitment to Digital Accessibility for additional information and resources.
PowerPoint templates:
Feel free to use one of these templates from AHEAD, but you may also use another template you prefer.
Accessibility Guidance
Short video tutorials:
To assist with making your presentation as accessible as possible, AHEAD has created video tutorials covering various aspects of presentation accessibility. Please take the time to view these, to ensure your presentation is fully accessible to every attendee.
Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility Video Table of contents:
- Font choice and size - 1:40
- Slide layouts - 3:14
- Slide headings - 7.08
- Image descriptions - 10:45
- Accessibility Checker - 32:28
Accessibility checklist for slide decks:
- It is much easier to build accessible slide decks in Powerpoint than in Google Slides or other programs.
- Use appropriate Powerpoint slide layouts (instead of starting with a blank slide).
- Make sure each slide has a heading and that headings are unique.
- Add alt text for all images.
- Use fonts of 24 point or greater. (If font is smaller than 24, break content into more slides.)
- Use good contrast.
- Instead of pasting URLs, provide meaningful links.
- Run the accessibility checker and correct errors.
Accessibility checklist for documents:
Thank you for joining us in making this year the most accessible AHEAD Conference ever! We can't wait to see you there!
Showing video during your presentation
If you plan to show a video or other web-based item, you must download it to your own laptop’s local drive, rather than streaming it, to help ensure a smooth presentation. The wi-fi at any conference is notoriously unreliable, and with well over 1,000 people sharing it in Portland, our conference will be no exception.
Any video shown must include captions.
Logistics for showing your presentation slides
If you plan to use slides during your presentation, please have those ready on your own laptop.
The Audio/Visual (A/V) support at the conference will include an HDMI cable to connect your laptop to the projector. If the laptop you will use to present your slides does not have an HDMI Type A port, you MUST bring your own adapter with you to Portland. The A/V company does not have loaner adapters. (NOTE: All necessary connecting cables to the projector will be provided—the only need would be for a small HDMI adapter for your computer. Please see below for additional information.)
How do I know if I have an HDMI port?
You should look at both sides of your laptop. Here is a guide to the different kinds of ports that may help you identify what you have. And here is a YouTube video demonstrating how to look for your HDMI port (with auto-generated captions). Be careful: one type of port, the “Standard DisplayPort” that some computers have, looks similar to an HDMI port, but will not fit an HDMI plug. Please check carefully!
If you have an HDMI Type A port (the most common HDMI type) built into your laptop, you will be able to use the connection cables provided in Cleveland and no further action is needed. All connecting cables to the projector will be provided.
What if I don’t have an HDMI port on my computer?
You will need to bring an adapter with you that fits the output port on your computer. Therefore, you need to determine what your computer’s port type is, then purchase the correct adapter. Make sure you are purchasing a “male to female” adapter. Some of the most common include:
USB-C to HDMI Adapter
Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (common for Apple)
Standard DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter
Micro HDMI to HDMI Adapter
The above Amazon links are for reference purposes ONLY! This is not an endorsement, nor a requirement to purchase those. They are linked here solely to provide a visual reference. There are other types of computer ports and adapters—this is not an exhaustive list, just a sample. Adapters are sold at many retailers and have many price points, so please shop for yourself.
If you need assistance, you might consider taking your laptop to an electronics store and letting an employee help you find the correct HDMI adapter for your needs.
Poster Presentation Guidance
To make your poster session interesting and informative, please consider the following suggestions:
- Design a visual poster on recyclable materials that contains key components of your topic, program, or project.
- Prepare a handout that provides greater detail of the topic, project outcomes, names of contacts for further information (optional, but helpful). Please upload handouts (if you have any) here by June 19 so that we have time to check them for accessibility and can make them available electronically for those who can’t access them on paper. You may also upload the digital version of the poster itself, if you like—we can also post that online.
- The posters themselves and any related materials should only consist of biodegradable materials, because AHEAD is required by the Oregon Convention Center to comply with their sustainability requirements. This means that foam core poster boards and laminated posters cannot be used, unless you plan to pack and take them home with you. Paper posters may be pinned to the boards AHEAD will provide.
- During the poster session time, be prepared to answer questions, provide information, and engage in discussion as participants stop at your exhibit table.
- If you need a chair, captionist, interpreter, or other accommodations to be able to deliver your poster session, please contact profdev@ahead.org .
Poster presenters will be provided with the following:
- A 6 foot table
- A bulletin board for displaying visual materials, size: 4 feet high by 8 feet wide
- “T” pins to fasten your poster materials to the board
- A designated location in the Exhibit Hall during a specific time block
Electricity, Internet access, and AV Equipment are NOT available from AHEAD for Poster Sessions. If you use a laptop or tablet you should fully charge it.
Tips for Preparing a Poster Session from New York University