Poster Presentations and Concurrent Sessions.
Submissions Open: September 3, 2013
Submissions Deadline: October 15, 2013
The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AG Bell) is seeking submissions for concurrent sessions and posters at its 2014 Convention in Orlando, Fla., June 26-30, 2014, at the Walt Disney Swan and Dolphin in Orlando, Fla.
The Education Program Committee for the 2014 AG Bell Convention is seeking submissions for presentations that focus on the past, present and future of the content areas outlined below. Preference will be given to presentations that reflect and convey the Convention’s overall theme—“Magic Made Real: Celebrating Our Heritage, Transforming Our Future.”
Content for poster submissions must present evidence-based research, practice or information pertaining to one or more of the topics listed below. The committee is also seeking session presentations that incorporate a mix of delivery formats, including, but not limited to, lecture, interactive discussion, panels, small work groups, etc.
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Poster presentations provide an opportunity to display materials on current research, showcase study results, or share special projects (including research/studies/projects still in progress) with Convention attendees.
Posters should not be promotional in nature. Preference will be given to proposals that apply principles of evidence-based practice (EBP). For more information regarding EBP, see descriptions on the following websites: Council of Exceptional Children or ASHA.
If your posted is selected, it will be displayed in the main Exhibition Hall in order to increase visibility and awareness about academic and/or scientific issues relevant to the community of people with hearing loss.
CONCURRENT SESSIONS (90-minute sessions)
There are five tracks in the 2014 Convention’s education program. Please make your session submission within the track that most closely reflects your presentation content. Selected sessions may be shifted to a different learning track at the program committee’s discretion.
Submissions must fall into one or more of the following learning tracks and include information related to:
1) Educational, Therapeutic and Clinical Management – including, but not limited to:
Educational Management
- Acoustics (classroom, workplace, etc.)
- Certification/teacher preparation/professional standards
- Educational transitions (early intervention to school, middle to high school, specialized school to local school, etc.)
- Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) education for special populations
- Educational services, accommodations & modifications (IDEA vs. Section 504, etc.)
Therapeutic/Clinical Management
- Therapeutic management of special populations
- Family education, support and resources
- Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI)
- Speech and hearing science
- Hearing preservation
- Multicultural populations
- Health literacy among families and other consumers of hearing health care
- Adult, teen, pediatric aural (re)habilitation
2) Professional Practice – including, but not limited to:
- Trends in professional preparation for LSL practitioners and mentors
- Shifts in professional practice/work environments and caseloads
- Adherence to educational policy (response to intervention, Common Core Standards, etc.)
- Audiological trends and practices
- Reimbursement for services and technology
- Applying principles of evidence-based practice /clinical research models
- Professional ethics
3) Living with Hearing Loss – including, but not limited to:
- Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) identity considerations (within the changing landscape of deafness)
- Self-advocacy for children with hearing loss
- Advocacy for adults
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations, captioning, loops, etc.
- Educating others about hearing loss
- Self-advocacy in work and social environments
- Career advancement
- Advocating for new legislation or accommodations
- Health care advancements/shifts affecting the DHH community
- Hearing aids, cochlear implants, insurance, etc.
- HealthCare for America Plan (“Obamacare”)
- Connecting DHH mentors with mentees and/or families (interactive panels or networking sessions)
- Life transitions (high school to college, school to work life, work to retirement, etc.)
- Support for siblings or significant others of children/adults with hearing loss
- Raising children/teens with hearing loss
- Legal rights in school, work and health care environments
4) Communication – including, but not limited to:
- Social media
- Telepractice
- Networking/collaboration/information sharing (between professionals, families, adults with hearing loss, children with hearing loss, etc.)
- New Health Insurace Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) legislation
5) Technology – including, but not limited to:
- Hearing Technology Issues
- Advancements in hearing technology
- Hearing technology basics
- Updates and programming strategies in hearing aids
- Testing/programming software for audiologists
- Audiological techniques and strategies in obtaining optimal access to spoken language
- Optimizing programming of technology
- Implantable devices (cochlear implants, bone anchored auditory implants, auditory brainstem implants) and processing strategies
- Assistive listening devices and classroom acoustics
- Audiological management for special populations
Assistive and communication technology
- Relay service, Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART), closed captioning, FM loops, etc.
- Advances in therapeutic technology (use of apps, computers, etc., in therapy and/or LSL strategies using technology)
- E-resources for those with hearing loss and the professionals who support them
- Technology for children, teens and adults – communication and connectivity to phones, apps, tablets, etc.
- Generational differences & preferences in technology use
If selected, presenters will be asked to sign a presenter agreement based on the following requirements:
- All presenters (including co-presenters) are required to register for the Convention, unless they are attending only their presentation. If you are planning to attend only your presentation, please notify AG Bell in your presenter agreement in order to receive a designated badge.
- Unless specifically designated, AG Bell sessions are noncommercial forums. Individuals should refrain from the use of brand names and specific product endorsements—especially presenters who wish to have their sessions submitted for CEU approval.
- Presenters must provide their own laptop for presentations. AG Bell will provide LCD projectors and CART transcription services for each session and pre-convention workshop.
- Wireless Internet WILL NOT be provided for presentations. Hard wired Internet access for presenters may only be available in limited supply and must be requested in writing by March 10, 2014.
- Presenters agree to provide AG Bell with session materials by early June 2014.
