2024 Networking, Meetings, and Social Events

AHEAD works hard to provide multiple opportunities throughout the Conference for attendees to gather, meet, and build their professional, as well as personal, networks. These optional gatherings are intended to help AHEAD members connect about issues important to them and create ties that last beyond the conference.

Tuesday Evening

Welcome Reception

5:30-7 pm

Location: Eutaw Street Outdoor Promenade - Hilton Hotel

The Welcome Reception will kick off the main Conference on Tuesday evening. Join us for this first night in Baltimore! Mingle with your colleagues for some wonderful food and beverages, entertainment, and a nice opportunity to connect or reconnect!


Back to Top

Wednesday Morning

First-Time Attendees Breakfast 

7:15-8:45 am (Breakfast Provided)

Location: Holiday Ballroom, Hilton Hotel

First-time attendees are encouraged to begin your conference week over breakfast with AHEAD leaders and other first-time conference attendees. Please join us there to kick off your first AHEAD conference experience! 

Wednesday Lunchtime

12:45-1:45 pm (Bring-Your-Own Lunch)

AHEAD Knowledge and Practice Community Meetings

Knowledge and Practice Communities (KPCs) bring together AHEAD members who share a common interest in a specific subject area. They support the Association by connecting members, sharing information, and developing resources. Meetings are open to anyone interested in attending.

  • Visual & Performing Arts Knowledge and Practice Community (KPC), Latrobe (Hilton, Level 1)
  • Health Science Knowledge and Practice Community (KPC), Peale A+B+C (Hilton, Level 1)
  • Disability Identity Studies and Culture Knowledge and Practice Community (KPC), Ruth (Hilton, Level 1)

Meet Ups

Meet-ups are opportunities for institutions serving similar student populations to come together to get to know one another.

  • Tribal/Native American Serving Institutions Meet-Up, Johnson A+B (Hilton, Level 1)
  • Asian American/Alaskan/Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANH/AANAPISI) Meet-up, Calloway A+B (Hilton, Level 2)

Vendor Lunch and Learns

Lunch and Learns are an opportunity for attendees to hear from vendors about what their products can offer.

Meet EdPros - Support And Expertise For All Things Disability Resource and Accessibility

Ian Kunkes, CEO – EdPros

Location: Convention Center, Room 340

Learn about EdPros, Higher Ed’s premier partner for disability resource and accessibility support. We provide access to a network of experienced professionals for support with case management/ accommodation determination, leadership, alt formatting/accessible text, AT, trainings, and external reviews. We will also introduce EdPros’ Health Check, a time and cost-effective approach to assessment and benchmarking your office against national standards and peer institutions.

From Unsung to Hero - A Roadmap to Championing UDL Across Campus

Sam Robins, Customer Success Team Manager, Glean
Mais Wilsher, Senior Account Executive, Glean.
Michelle Shaw, Director, ADAC, Florida Atlantic University

Location: Convention Center, Room 336

Across the US, disability professionals are the unsung heroes of inclusion. Yet access isn’t confined to one department. We’ll share exactly how to embed practices across your institution with a tried and tested roadmap for success; including identifying students in need, gathering key stakeholders, and tips for funding and procurement.

Transforming Equity of Experience: A New Approach for the Inclusion and Empowerment of Students and Staff with Disabilities

Dr. Gregory Burke, founder, AccessAble
Michael Barnes, Director of Campus Accessibility, Princeton University

Location: Convention Center, Room 338

Learn about AccessAble’s work globally with 100+ universities transforming Equity of Experience. Hear from AccessAble’s founding partner in the US, Princeton University, where pan-disability Detailed Access Guides empower the campus community with information to plan and access buildings based on their abilities. Developed by, with and for people with disabilities.

    •  Please find resources for this session by using the conference app.

Demystifying the Symplicity Accommodate Implementation Process

Charlotte Wilkins, Implementation Manager, Symplicity
Alicia Freeland, Lead Client Manager, Symplicity

Location: Convention Center, Room 337

Have questions about what implementing Symplicity Accommodate looks like? We’ll share our process from building relationships, providing exceptional support and helping clients meet their goals for smoother and beneficial accommodation management for both new clients in initial implementation as well as for current clients looking to enable additional modules/processes.

Navigating Forward in the Wake of the ADAAA Title II Updates and the Removal of the AccessText Network

Heather Jakubczyk, Vice President, Services, GrackleDocs 
Ann Knettler, Ed.D., Vice President, Consulting, GrackleDocs

Location: Convention Center, Room 339

As we all navigate the new ADAAA Title II digital accessibility requirements, and their associated tight turn-around deadlines, in addition to the recent removal of the AccessText Network two main areas are often top of mind. First, how can institutions best plan for manageable, sustainable, and equitable digital access? Second, how can we - to the greatest extent possible - manage the demand for accessible PDF files internally without incurring high outsourcing costs. During this session, Dr. Ann Knettler, Vice President of Consulting for GrackleDocs, will provide attendees a high level overview of the foundational elements of digital accessibility planning and Ms. Heather Jakubczyk, Vice President of Services for GrackleDocs, will share an in-depth workshop on point-and-click PDF remediation using state of the art GracklePDF software. In addition to the training, attendees will also receive a free month of GracklePDF to use on their campuses. 

Wednesday Evening

Exhibit Hall and President’s Reception, 5:30-7 pm

Location: Key Ballroom Foyer Exhibit Space, Hilton Hotel

The President’s Reception will include a selection of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, hosted soft drinks, and live entertainment, all held in conjunction with the opening of the Exhibit Hall. Come learn from innovative vendors and sponsors, and meet-and greet old friends and new! 

Drag Queen Bingo & Trivia Night, hosted by Ambrosia Rosia, 7:00-9:00pm 

Co-hosted by the Disability Identity, Studies & Culture (DISC) Knowledge and Practice Community and the LGBTQA Knowledge and Practice Community

Location: Holiday Room, Hilton Hotel

What better way to wind down from a long day of conference sessions than an exciting night of Drag Bingo and Trivia? To celebrate Disability Pride Month (July), dress to impress in the vibrant colors of the Disability Pride flag—red, gold, white, blue, green, and black, or however you choose to express your Disability Pride! Entry and bingo play are free, but your generous tips and donations will benefit local non-profits through the "The AHEAD Giveback" (TAG) campaign. Light refreshments and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided at no charge, and ASL interpretation and CART captioning will be available. Mark your calendars for a fabulous evening of games and laughter! 

There are a limited number of Bingo supplies available (accessible versions for blind/low vision attendees available as well), so those will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. Others who do not want to participate in Bingo are welcome to come and enjoy the show! Once room capacity is reached, the doors will be closed to late attendees to ensure everyone's safety.

Feedback Survey

Back to Top

Thursday Morning

8:30-10:00 am (Breakfast Provided)

Deaf/HH Student Services Networking Breakfast

Location: Douglass Room,  Hilton Hotel

The Deaf/Hard of Hearing Knowledge and Practice Community (KPC) and the National Deaf Center jointly invite anyone interested in deaf student needs to a networking breakfast. Interpreters and CART will be provided to allow all attendees to interact together. 

Thursday Lunchtime

12:45-1:45 pm (Bring-Your-Own Lunch)

Knowledge and Practice Community Meetings

Knowledge and Practice Communities (KPCs) bring together AHEAD members who share a common interest in a specific subject area. They support the Association by connecting members, sharing information, and developing resources. Meetings are open to anyone interested in attending.

  • ADA Coordinators Knowledge and Practice Community (KPC), Latrobe (Hilton, Level 1)
  • Private Colleges and Universities Knowledge and Practice Community (KPC), Calloway A+B (Hilton, Level 2)
  • Community Colleges Knowledge and Practice Community (KPC), Peale A+B+C (Hilton, Level 1)
  • Research Knowledge and Practice Community (KPC), Johnson A+B (Hilton, Level 1)
  • Autism Spectrum Knowledge and Practice Community (KPC), Poe A+B (Hilton, Level 2)

Meet Ups

Meet-ups are opportunities for institutions serving similar student populations to come together to get to know one another.

  • Hispanic Serving Institutions Meet-Up, Ruth (Hilton, Level 1)
  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) Meet-Up, Paca (Hilton, Level 3)

Vendor Lunch and Learns

Lunch and Learns are an opportunity for attendees to hear from vendors about what their products can offer.

Making Accommodations Easy for Schools and Students

Ruth Patten, Director of Client Development and Peyton Jackson, Account Executive, Medicat

Location: Convention Center, Room 339

Breaking down barriers to student success requires effective tools. Manually keeping track of accommodations creates huge administrative burdens, gaps and delays in support, and a confusing student experience. Schools can streamline accommodations management with modern technology – join us as we show exactly how it works! 

Mind Mapping: Assistive software for essay writing, note taking, task mgmt. etc.

Brandon Conrad, Matchware

Location: Convention Center, Room 336

In this interactive presentation, attendees will be guided through Mind Mapping best practices on how to visually organize topics, research, cite and reference information, and export data in any academic format, such as APA, MLA, etc.  Furthermore, we will illustrate when Mind Mapping is paired with technology how it can enhance creativity, clarify thinking and improve understanding of the subject at hand.

Smarter Learning, Wider Reach: The Rise of AI-Driven Accessibility in Higher Education

Nick Mingione, Otter.ai

Location: Convention Center, Room 338

Learn how AI tools like Otter.ai are increasing accessibility in higher education. See how schools like Duke and UC Davis use Otter’s real-time features like live captions, lecture summaries, and note-taking to support diverse learners and create a more inclusive learning environment.

Inaccessible Material & ReadSpeaker: A Winning Combination

Colleen Sandquist, Strategic Partnership Manager
Ginger Dewey, Educational Development Manager

Location: Convention Center, Room 337

Are learners struggling to read documents in your LMS? Join our Lunch Learn session, to gain insight into ReadSpeaker solutions to smooth the way! Whether these documents are inaccessible, unreadable, or uneditable, our ReadSpeaker/OCR combo will provide the access your students need for success! Join us to learn how!

Thursday Evening

Equity & Excellence Celebration hosted by the REDD KPC, 5:00-7 pm

Hosted by the Racial and Ethnic Diversity and Disability (REDD) Knowledge and Practice Community

Location: Stadium Ballroom, Marriott Inner Harbor Hotel

This reception is the perfect way to celebrate the week with new and old friends with an evening of eating, socializing, and community building. The remaining awards will be presented to AHEAD members who have served the Association and impacted the profession through their innovation, service, and scholarship, including the prestigious Ronald E. Blosser Award for outstanding service to AHEAD. 

Back to Top

Friday Lunchtime

12:45-1:45 pm (Bring-Your-Own Lunch)

Knowledge and Practice Community Meetings

Knowledge and Practice Communities (KPCs) bring together AHEAD members who share a common interest in a specific subject area. They support the Association by connecting members, sharing information, and developing resources. Meetings are open to anyone interested in attending.

  • REDD Knowledge and Practice Community (KPC), Johnson A+B (Hilton, Level 1)
  • Technology Knowledge and Practice Community (KPC), Ruth (Hilton, Level 1)

Informational Meeting

Seizure Recognition and First Aid Training and Certification

Location: Carroll A+B (Hilton, Level 3)

Shelley Sasser, MPH, Co-Chair, Epilepsy Foundation of South Carolina Community Engagement Board
Thometta Cozart, MPH, MS, MCHES, CPH, Multicultural Outreach and Health Equity Director, Epilepsy Foundation of America

About 1 out of 10 people will have a seizure during their lifetime. Some disability professionals may not be aware of Seizure Action Plans or other resources. Join this training to learn skills to recognize seizures and safely provide aid. To earn formal certification, you must (1) visit the Epilepsy Foundation  website prior to the session to complete the pre-course assessments, (2) attend the entire session, and (3) complete the online post-course assessments on the Epilepsy Learning Portal. Certification is valid for a two-year period. You may also attend the session to be trained without earning formal certification. 

Vendor Lunch and Learns

Lunch and Learns are an opportunity for attendees to hear from vendors about what their products can offer.

The Future of Assistive AI: Removing Barriers to Learning with Text-to-Speech

Mattia Basile, Head of Education at Speechify

Location: Convention Center, Room 336

For 8+ years, Speechify has been on the cutting edge of supporting dyslexic and vision impaired students with AI. We are excited to share our outlook on the future of assistive technology, in addition to how you can create an AI-powered accessibility ecosystem with Speechify.

Back to Top