AAIDD is home to researchers, practitioners, policy analysts, community service providers, and others. We are looking for a wide array of presentations that are aligned with the 2027 conference theme which highlights the social inclusion and belonging of people with IDD. AAIDD seeks proposals from community service providers, in addition to scholarly proposals, to present at the AAIDD 151^st Annual Meeting.

Social inclusion is the combination of meaningful community participation and reciprocal relationships that lead to a sense of belonging. Community service providers have expertise in what does and does not work in this area, and sharing this knowledge can improve systems across the country.

Submitting a Proposal

Conference presentations are intended to share new, innovative, and evidence-based strategies along with lessons learned. What new program, practice, intervention, or way of providing supports have you tried? What kind of data (assessments, surveys, feedback) do you have to show what worked or didn’t work? Intrigued, but unfamiliar with the process? Here is some guidance when submitting a presentation proposal about your practice.

To learn more,

• See the video, Community Providers: Submitting AAIDD Conference Proposals  (7:24).
• Attend a Proposal Writing Workshop.

Presentation types:

• Individual presentation (presentation in a concurrent session, about 15 minutes)
• Issue brief (presentation with a few slides and about 5 minutes to speak)
• Poster symposia (a smaller group of posters with about 7 minutes to speak)
• Poster presentation (an hour-long poster session where people come to you)

Background & Purpose/Aims (150 words)

• What is the topic, and why is it important? What are key facts and features of the topic? What do we not know about the topic (that your project addressed)?
• Clearly state the purpose of the project.
  • Therefore, the purpose of this (study/intervention) was to (identify/evaluate/analyze) the (effect/impact of the intervention/program) for (participants) in (setting).
• State how your project is expected to contribute to the field.

Description/Design (250 words)

• Describe your project activities and materials in detail.
  • Describe how your project was designed (using evidence-based/best practices), the participants, and how your design supported desired outcomes.
• What data did you collect? How did you collect and analyze the data? (Be concise.)
  • Qualitative interviews, surveys, focus groups, and/or observations?
  • Quantitative assessments, measurements, and/or surveys?
  • Analysis: descriptive statistics, thematic analysis of qualitative data, etc.
  Pro Tip: Community providers often use performance metrics and analytics for organizational performance. These may be your project’s data for the proposal.

Outcomes/Findings (100 words)

• What were the outcomes (benefits) experienced by participants and others? (Be specific.)
  • For qualitative data, describe your key themes. For quantitative data, what were the important statistical results?
  • What feedback did you receive from participants and/or other stakeholders?
  Pro Tip: Did your program/project achieve what was intended? Explain what you learned from the data analysis you described above in the Description/Design section.

Implications & Impact (100 words)  

• Summarize your lessons learned so they are easy to understand. Describe the impact of what you learned in as many areas as you can.
• Clearly state the potential impact on the field and/or the lives of people with IDD.
  • Offer practice, policy, and further research/evaluation suggestions.
  • Identify suggestions within and/or across systems, cultures, or countries.
  Pro Tip: Show what worked or didn’t work. What did you learn and what can the field learn from you?