Get Involved!

Webinars 

AHEAD offers full webinar series every spring and fall, where members can select individual topics or subscribe to the entire series. There are also occasional short webinar series on a particular topic. AHEAD actively solicits ideas about webinar topics and presenters. In fact, the webinars that attendees most appreciate have always come from member suggestions—send us your idea for a webinar you could present!  To discuss webinar presentation proposals, email profdev@ahead.org.  

AHEAD Conference presentations 

Every year, over a hundred of AHEAD’s members offer presentations on topics about which they have skills and expertise. This allows AHEAD to offer content that is immediately useful and relevant to a wide variety of schools, disability types, and professional roles. Member-to-member presentations are vital to sharing up-to-date knowledge and practices—please share what you know with your colleagues at our annual conference! In early fall a Request for Proposals is announced, with proposals due in late fall. Review and selection is done over the winter, with selection announcements typically made in February. Watch the AHEAD Member Community discussions for announcements. Review conference presentation proposal criteria and important deadlines. 

Accessing Higher Ground Conference presentations 

The AHG Conference is held each November in Denver, Colorado. Presented and hosted by AHEAD, and conducted in collaboration with ATHEN, AHG focuses on accessible media, universal design, best practices for web and media design, accessible curriculum, alternate format and other topics related to accessibility and usability in higher education and other environments. A Request for Proposals for presentations from AHEAD and ATHEN members is announced each spring—check the AHG website for details, and look for announcements in the AHEAD Communities.  

Short articles 

AHEAD’s monthly newsletter is always seeking new authors! Do you have a success story from your campus that other schools could learn from? Have you been thinking about ways that we can innovate our work? Do you know of new resources that AHEAD members or students could benefit from? Do you want to interview a colleague who is doing great work that you think others should know about? The Hub wants to hear from you! Review past Hub editions and pitch your great new ideas.  

Research papers 

AHEAD is the sponsoring organization for the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability (JPED), which publishes research and contemporary best practices related to college students with disabilities, college and university disability services offices, disability educators, and disability studies.  Each article includes practical implications for disability services educators in colleges and universities. The JPED is peer-reviewed and uses a masked-in-both-directions review process. How to submit an article to JPED. 

Practice Briefs 

In addition to research, JPED also publishes shorter articles focused on sharing innovative and effective approaches to disability resource/service work. If you are involved with work that you’d like to share with others in this field, consider submitting it as a Practice Brief! Practice Brief submission information.  

Get involved in a Knowledge and Practice Community, or start a new one 

Knowledge and Practice Communities (KPCs) bring together AHEAD members who share a common interest in a specific subject area. They offer members ways to connect, share information, and develop resources. There are nearly 20 active KPCs—check out which you might like to become involved with! Don’t see any there that suit your interests? Members are invited to establish new KPCs. How to get involved in KPCs (or create a new ones).  

Help review and select presentations for Conferences 

Want to shape the conference but not sure you want to be a presenter? AHEAD recruits dozens of members each year to review the submissions for the conference to choose which will be invited. Having member input helps ensure that the offerings at the conference reflect the presenters and topics that AHEAD members most want to hear! Process for conference proposal reviewers. 

Volunteer during the annual Conference to be a session moderator 

If you plan to attend the Conference, consider volunteering to moderate a session. Conference Presentation Moderators will reach out to concurrent presenters before the conference to welcome and thank them and answer questions about the conference; provide support to concurrent session presenters and participants during the conference; and be recognized in the conference program. 

Information will be disseminated on the AHEAD Community approximately three months before each Conference. Conference planners will try to match you with presenters/presentations that fit your interests. 

Run for a Board position 

The AHEAD Board is comprised of members elected by their peers for three year terms. Board members set the policy and direction for AHEAD. Elections are held annually each summer for the Board seats that are up for renewal. View the schedule and process for Board elections.