#NAD2020 Workshop Interest

June 30-July 4, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois

The National Association of the Deaf invites YOU to submit a proposal for a workshop or panel to be presented at our biennial conference in July 2020! 

The NAD Conference includes workshops given by community-driven leaders and industry experts to share their knowledge and expertise with the deaf and hard of hearing community, especially those who attend the conference. 

If a Presenter is chosen to give a workshop alone or with one other Presenter, then each Presenter will receive $100 discount towards their conference registration. If a person submits to present a panel, then the Presenter is eligible for a $100 discount towards one conference registration, and another $100 is available to be split among the panelists for a discount on their respective registrations.

Presenters are listed on the website and in our event materials. Workshop topics, take-aways, and important discussion points are shared via social media during the conference. Presenters from all over have hosted sessions at the NAD Conference! We have plenaries, workshops, and important panels that take place through-out the week.  

There are eight workshop breakout sessions happening at the same time, each are 75 minutes.

Past NAD conference attendees have shared how much they cherish the workshops and panels — we want you to submit your ideas to be one of these prize presenters!

Submit your presentation proposal now!

How Speakers Are Selected

We review all workshop entries to make sure there is no missing content before passing completed workshop entries over to a group of community raters for their review. Community ratings help us determine which workshops to select. The raters come from all four regions, national affiliates, and marginalized communities. They rate each workshop entry with a criteria that includes: clarity and organization of the proposal, how applicable the workshop would be to daily life, originality, innovativeness, and creativity.

Tips for a Great Proposal
  • Make sure your workshop title and description are clear, and not vague. We want you to be very specific.
  • Workshops that focus on specific topics are favored and preferred over general overviews.
  • We encourage hands-on training sessions that teach attendees HOW to do something. People love demonstrations!
  • Explain more on what people can learn and use from your workshop.This is preferred than a workshop that focuses on your research or studies.
Topic Ideas

Your topic doesn’t need to be on this list, but there are several topics that we’d like to see covered at #NAD2020:

  • Additional Areas of Interest
  • Advancing ASL: Linguistics & Aesthetics
  • Civil Rights & Legal Advocacy
  • Education
    • Assessment and Curriculum
    • Current Trends
    • Educational Technology
    • Education Leadership
  • Employment & Entrepreneurship
  • Health
  • History
  • Inclusion & Intersectionality
  • Innovation & Government Engagement
  • Interpreting
  • Organizational
  • State & Local Level Advocacy
  • Technology: Accessibility & Usability

Preparing for your Workshop Proposal

In order to submit your workshop, you will need the following information ready before you start completing the form: 

  • Determine and explain which track your workshop would fit best. Note: it may be re-assigned to a different track if the workshop committee believes it’s a better fit.
  • Workshop Title (up to 60 characters).
  • Workshop Description (up to 2,000 characters): Share what you envision will take place during your workshop. This information will be used internally for the workshop committee. You can submit a YouTube link of your description in ASL (limit to 3 minutes or less)
  • For Education track proposals, include a description of a 30 minute interactive format for the participants. Examples could be role playing, discussion groups, or a Q/A session. Please include at least two references from publications here (REFERENCE, YEAR). For this track, we need to ensure that your topic shows the use of evidence-based practices. However, you don’t need to include citations in your proposal. 
  • Workshop Abstract (up to 2,000 characters): This is what people will read to decide whether to attend your workshop So make it interesting and exciting! This information will be printed in the program book and shared online. 
  • Workshop Objectives: What will your participants be able to do during or immediately after your workshop?
  • Workshop Results & Assessment: Describe how you will know if attendees at your workshop are achieving or learning the workshop objectives. 
  • Media/Materials: Explain if you will use print, audio, visual materials in your presentation. 
  • Target Audience, who should go to your workshop? Can anyone and everyone learn the topics you present in your workshop or is it better for people who have some training in the field?
  • Each presenter’s name, email, phone number, preferred pronoun, city and state, biography (up to 2,000 characters), communication preference, any accommodations needed, and a high resolution photo.
  • Other role(s) you may have during #NAD2020 that we should be aware of to avoid workshop scheduling conflicts.

Optional: download an editable .doc file to work with so you can save your progress before using our online form to submit.

Presenter Terms & Conditions

By submitting a workshop, you agree to follow our terms and conditions:

  • You are a NAD member in good standing as of June 30, 2020. You can check with our membership department to make sure.
  • I consent to having videos and photographs taken of me and my workshop during the conference.
  • I give permission for my PPT and presentation materials to be made available to conference attendees after the conference. Note: you can provide us a different PPT that is for public sharing.
  • I will use the provided conference PC laptop and not my own laptop, because the conference laptop will show both my PPT presentation and captioning through CART that is pre-programmed on the laptop.
  • I will use the provided PPT template and not my own.
  • I will submit my final PPT by May 1, 2020. 
  • I will ensure my PPT is accessible for DeafBlind people. I will make adjustments to the PPT if the NAD determines changes are needed for such access.
  • If I cannot host my session or need to cancel for any reason, I will notify the NAD staff as soon as possible and recommend a replacement speaker. I understand that the NAD may or may not accept my suggestion and may cancel the workshop entirely.

Presenter Conference Registration

Accepted workshop presenters will be provided with a special registration link with a custom discount code to use. Up to two Presenters and up to five Panelists (including the Moderator/Presenter) will receive a discount, the value of which will depend on the number. 

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT YOUR WORKSHOP INTEREST: February 15, 2020