Here is a list of accessibility related conferences I have attended or would recommend.
| Name of Organization | Access Technology Higher Education Network (ATHEN) | Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) | California State University-Northridge (CSUN) Assistive Technology Conference | EDUCAUSE IT Accessibility Constituent Group (ITACCESS) |
| Organization Info | ATHEN is a network of higher education professionals committed to improving accessibility for students, faculty, staff, and administrators | AHEAD is the premiere professional association committed to full participation of persons with disabilities in postsecondary education. | n/a | EDUCAUSE® is a nonprofit association and the foremost community of IT leaders and professionals committed to advancing higher education. |
| Great for Help With | accessible books, accessible technology, captioning, Section 508 standards | accommodations, legal, general technology, job postings, surveys. | n/a | admin or IT level accessible books, accessible technology, captioning, Section 508 standards |
| Homepage | Access Technology Higher Education Network | Association on Higher Education and Disability | n/a | IT Accessibility Constituent Group |
| Conference Value | High for those new to disability / technology within higher education | High for those new to disability | High for those new to disability / technology and have a role that is pretty techy | Unsure, Krista has not attended |
| Conference Webpage | Accessing Higher Ground Conference | AHEAD Conference | CSUN Conference | EDUCAUSE Conference |
| Month, Location of Conference | November, Colorado | July, varies year-to-year | March, California | Oct-Nov, varies year-to-year |
| Length of Conference | Mon-Fri, 2 day pre-conference, 3 day conference | Mon-Fri; 2 day pre-conference, 3 day conference | Mon-Fri, 2 day pre-conference, 3 day conference | Tue-Fri, 1 day pre-conference, 3 day conference |
| Listserv | ATHEN listserv | AHEAD listserv | n/a | ITACCESS Listserv |
| Notes | Largest disability, technology, higher ed | Largest disability in higher ed conference | Largest assistive tech conference | Largest IT Professional and higher ed conference |
Here are some other professional development opportunities.
| Name of Conference | Michigan State University Accessible Learning Conference | Online Learning Consortium Accelerate | ICT Accessibility Testing Symposium and Bootcamps | M-Enabling Summit Conference | The Digital Accessibility Legal Summit |
| Conference Webpage | Accessible Learning Conference | OLC Accelerate | ICT Accessibility Testing | M-Enabling Summit Conference | The Digital Accessibility Legal Summit |
| Month, Location of Conference | December, Michigan | November, Florida | March & November, Virginia | June, Washington DC | March, California |
| Length of Conference | Thurs-Fri, 2 day conference | Wed-Fri, 3 day conference | Varies | Mon-Wed, 3 day conference | Tues, 1 day conference |
