Call for Workshop and Commission Presentations
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is seeking proposals for
exciting, informative and forward-looking education, training and public
policy presentations at the 50th Biennial NAD Conference to be held at the
Philadelphia Marriott-Downtown hotel, July 6-10, 2010 in Philadelphia, PA.
The conference theme is “Celebrate Our Heritage. Invest in Our Future.”
Conference Attendees
Biennial national conference attendees consist of deaf, hard of hearing,
late deafened, deaf blind and hearing participants who are diverse and from
all walks of life, of all ages and backgrounds, from across the nation.
These will include federal, state and local government employees and
employers, private sector and community leaders and service providers,
educators, parents, professionals, college students, senior citizens as well
as youth who are already exercising their leadership potential or want to
expand on such.
Workshop and Commission Tracks
Traditionally, biennial national conferences have welcomed education and
training workshops on a variety of topics, with tracks that are relevant and
appeal to all ages – ranging from youth to those who are young at heart.
This general focus will continue, with the inclusion of skills development
and advancement strategies appropriate for the workplace.
For the first time, we will have issues-oriented commisssion tracks that are
geared to national trends, challenges, opportunities and recommendations
that can advance the public policy efforts of the NAD. Focus on
issues-oriented tracks are tied to the mission of the NAD which is to
preserve, protect and promote the civil, human and linguistic rights of deaf
and hard of hearing people in the USA. Workshop and commission presentations
should also be tied to the principles of self-determination,
self-representation and self-expression which resulted in the establishment
of the NAD in 1880 and guides its work to this day.
Workshop Tracks
• Grassroots Advocacy
• Economic Empowerment
• Technologies for Everyday Life
• Youth Leadership
• Additional Areas of Interest
Commission Tracks
• Civil & Employment Rights
• Educational Rights
• Health & Human Rights
• Linguistic Rights
• Technological Rights
Screening and Selection Process
Workshop and commission proposals are selected on the basis of overall
quality and relevance in addition to the three C’s (clarity, conciseness and
completeness) by conference screening committees knowledgeable in content
areas for all tracks. Proposals should offer content that is interesting to
a variety of attendees and promotes audience participation (workshops) or
elevates awareness on advocacy issues of national importance (commissions).
Past evaluations show that attendees prefer presentations that are relevant,
interactive and forward-looking.
Proposals that are accepted for one-hour (60 minute) presentation slots will
be scheduled with careful attention to conference program balance, starting
at 1:30 pm on Wednesday, July 7, 2010 and ending at 4:00 pm on Saturday,
July 10, 2010. Prospective presenters should be prepared to present during
this timeframe, as assigned by the conference scheduling committee.
Please understand that we cannot accept all proposals that are submitted.
Proposals that are not clear, specific, or complete will not be considered.
Presentations that market specific products or services are not permitted;
the Exhibit Hall is available for this purpose.
All presentation proposals must by submitted online, using the required
form. Prospective presenters are encouraged to prepare their own MS Word
files and then copy/paste content to the online form to prevent accidental
loss of information.
Presenter Requirements
Approved presenters are required to bring their own PC-compatible USB flash
drive containing MS Office content for visual presentation and they must be
prepared to describe presentation content fully to ensure accessibility.
Videos that are displayed during presentations must be open-captioned. CART
and interpreting services in addition to LCDs, PC laptops loaded with MS
Office and projection screens will be provided for all workshops and
commissions. Presentation handouts must be provided in hard copy as well as
accessible format; the NAD will provide guidance in this regard. Approved
primary and co-presenters are required to pre-register (active NAD
membership is encouraged) for the conference by May 15, 2010, and are
responsible for their own travel and accommodations. For conference
registration specifics, click here.
Important Deadlines
Presentation submissions – February 15, 2010
Notification of approval – March 31, 2010
Pre-registration deadline – May 15, 2010
Contact
Questions may be sent to [email protected].
Submit Your Proposal Now!
Click here to submit your online workshop or commission proposal.