Thursday Morning
8:30-10:00 am (Breakfast Provided)
Deaf/HH Student Services Networking Breakfast
Location: Tower Court C (I.M. Pei Building, Second Level)
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
State & Local Involvement: A Strategy to Impact the Lives of Disabled People (1:00 pm-3:30 pm)
Location: Plaza Ballroom (Plaza Building, Concourse Level)
Join Jo Anne Simon, a member of the New York State Assembly, to learn more about ways to make your voice heard at the state level to defend disability rights protections in your state. Jo Anne will begin by sharing information on the legislative process and strategies for interacting with elected officials and becoming a go-to expert on disability issues in your state. After the 30-minute orientation at the Sheraton (you can bring your lunch and eat during this half hour), the group will walk/roll (or Uber/Lyft) the .4 mile to the Colorado State Capitol for a tour and meeting with one or more state legislators. Don’t miss this opportunity to spend time learning about how to become involved politically and positively impact disability rights in your state. (Participants will miss Block 6.)
1-1:45 pm (Bring-Your-Own Lunch)
College Autism Network (CAN)
Location: Governor’s Square 11 (Plaza Building, Concourse Level)
Hosted by Lee Burdette Williams
The College Autism Network invites you to bring your lunch and join us for a chance to meet CAN members and hear about the benefits of being part of our Network. CAN is the premier professional organization for those who work with autistic and other neurodivergent students. Our members include program directors, disability services specialists, advisors, faculty, researchers, employers and coaches. CAN provides “tools for your toolbox” through online events, publications, monthly research presentations and campus consulting. CART will be provided. Sign language interpreters are available on request.
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. CART will be provided. Sign language interpreters are available on request.
- Visual and Performing Arts KPC, Plaza Court 2/3 (Plaza Building, Concourse Level)
- ADA Coordinators KPC, Plaza Court 4/5 (Plaza Building, Concourse Level)
- Veterans KPC, Governor’s Square 10 (Plaza Building, Concourse Level)
- Career Planning KPC, Director's Row H (Plaza Building, Lobby Level)
Minority Serving Institution Meet Ups
Meet-ups are opportunities for institutions serving similar student populations to come together to get to know one another. CART will be provided. Sign language interpreters are available on request.
- HBCU meet up, Tower Court D (I.M. Pei Building, Second Level)
- Hispanic Serving Institutions meet up, Tower Court A (I.M. Pei Building, Second Level)
Vendor Lunch and Learns
Lunch and Learns are an opportunity for attendees to hear from vendors about what their products can offer. CART will be provided. Sign language interpreters are available on request.
5 Essential Insights on Student Knowledge Retention
Presented by Sam Cock, product specialist (employed) Pro-AT
Location: Governor's Square 12 (Plaza Building, Concourse Level)
This presentation explores five key insights into student knowledge retention: spaced repetition enhances memory, active recall boosts understanding, creative thinking encourages engagement, speed and efficiency strengthens connections, and regular study sessions refine comprehension. These strategies empower educators to foster lasting learning and support students in retaining knowledge more effectively over time.
ReadSpeaker leads the way: Inclusivity. Engagement. Agency.
Presented by Paul Stisser, Readspeaker, VP of North American Education, Beth Muhollon, Director of Disability Services, Galen School of Nursing
Location: Governor's Square 15 (Plaza Building, Concourse Level)
As classrooms become increasingly diverse, both in learning preferences and student needs, administrators and educators are turning to innovative technologies to foster inclusivity and engagement. This session will explore how ReadSpeaker's comprehensive suite of audio-enabled learning tools breakdown barriers students with varying educational needs, through inspiring real-world examples shared by Beth Mulhollon of Galen School of Nursing. In addition to expanded integration and new technology, you’ll learn how ReadSpeaker elevates content in your LMS ecosystems. Join us to learn actionable insights and tools to make learning more accessible—and successful—for all students. Learn how ReadSpeaker elevates content in your LMS ecosystems. Join us to learn actionable insights and tools to make learning more accessible—and successful—for all students.
Modernizing Accessibility: Meeting Today’s Challenges with Tomorrow’s Tools
Presented by Michael Toguchi- Chief Strategy Officer, Jerit Sciorra- AMS Product Lead
Location: Governor's Square 12 (Plaza Building, Concourse Level)
Orchestrate AMS empowers your team to leave behind outdated legacy platforms. In this challenging environment, disability centers need modern solutions in the face of constantly growing needs. Purpose-built for higher education, Orchestrate AMS delivers a superior user experience to students, faculty and especially your hard-working staff. The flexible platform offers feature-rich modules, including AI tools, allowing you to scale and integrate across campus. By automating processes and streamlining workflows, you can increase productivity and achieve long-term savings - all while delivering faster, more effective support services. We delivering the business intelligence and compliance tools for you to make effective, data-driven decisions.
Enhancing, Not Replacing: How AI Supports Human Expertise in Real-Time Captioning
Presented by Tony Baltayan, Higher Education Accessibility Specialist, Aberdeen Broadcast Services
Location: Governor's Square 14 (Plaza Building, Concourse Level)
AI is transforming accessibility by enhancing human captioning with tools like automatic machine translation, voice dubbing, and content summarization. This session explores how AI can complement, not replace, human expertise to create more inclusive events. Through real-time demonstrations, attendees will see AI in action and learn how to integrate these tools effectively.
Thursday Evening
Celebration Reception, 5:30 -7:00pm
Co-hosted by the Racial and Ethnic Diversity and Disability (REDD) and the LGBTQIA Knowledge and Practice Communities
Location: North/South Foyer, I.M. Pei Tower, 2nd floor
This reception is the perfect way to celebrate the week with new and old friends. We invite you to an evening of eating, socializing, and community building. Dress is casual or as fun as you'd like it to be. Winners of the #TAG drawing will be announced.
Comedians With Disabilities Act, 8:00 – 9:30 pm
Featuring Nina G., Mean Dave, and Michael Beers
Location: Plaza Ballroom (Plaza Building, Concourse Level)
The Comedians with Disabilities Act is a fabulous collection of comedians who have disabilities, both seen and unseen, and bring forth the humor they find in their experiences. The lineup of shows includes disability representation including stuttering, dyslexia, Dwarfism, amputation, addiction recovery, OCD, depression, anxiety, PTSD, Autism, Tourette's syndrome, spina bifida, spinal muscular atrophy, multiple exostoses, hearing loss, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and blindness. This diverse group of comedians raises awareness and make audiences laugh and rethink what they know about disability. All proceeds donated by the generous attendees at the Comedians with Disabilities show will benefit AHEAD scholarship funds directly. Sign language interpreters and CART will be provided.
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