CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Call for Proposals - Now open!​

We invite proposals for presentations, creative sessions, and other formats for our two-day conference focused on disability inclusion in community-based participatory research (CBPR). This gathering highlights innovative, community-driven approaches to research and uplifts the leadership and lived experiences of people with disabilities. We encourage submissions that reflect diverse voices, untraditional research methods, and accessible, community-rooted ways of creating and sharing knowledge. 

This conference supports equity. Submissions from people with disabilities, indigenous peoples, people of color, LGBTQ+ presenters, community members, emerging scholars, artists, and others whose voices are historically underrepresented in research spaces are strongly encouraged. 

Conference themes

​We’re seeking proposals for sessions that explore themes such as:

Inclusion From Step 1: Encouraging the engagement of people with disabilities in every step of research– guiding, shaping, and leading conversations.
  • Disability inclusion and leadership in CBPR
  • Inclusion of people with disabilities not simply as research subjects, but as subject-matter experts. 
Community-Driven Knowledge: Emphasis on community relationships, shared decision-making, and collective wisdom. Learning from each other and learning from experience. 
  • Lived experience as expertise
  • Community-university partnerships
Creative & Untraditional Methods: Engaging research that breaks the “norms” in order to access knowledge in a different way– arts-based methods, story circles, photovoice, journey mapping, sensory methods, etc.
  • Creative, arts-based, and untraditional research methods
  • Storytelling, narrative methods, or participatory media
Action-Oriented: Taking real action! We want participants to leave with real tools, strategies, and connections to transform their engagement with research and community.
  • Research-to-action strategies
  • Hands-on learning activities or demonstrations
Accessibility: Access made a priority for both researchers and participants throughout research, from the environment to the engagement. Research isn’t whole when voices are missing from the conversation.
  • Inclusive research design, data collection, and analysis
  • Radical accessibility and universal design

If your work centers people with disabilities, challenges traditional research boundaries, or expands how we understand, create, and share knowledge — we want to hear from you!

Deadline to Submit: January 7th, 2026

  • Session Formats
  • Review Criteria and Requirements
  • How to Submit
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Session formats

​We welcome a wide variety of session styles. If your idea doesn’t fit neatly into one of the standard formats, we encourage you to submit in our Creative Session category! We are looking to showcase nontraditional, interactive, and community-led session designs, so let your imagination run wild! 
  • Poster Sessions: Presenters share their projects visually on printed posters and engage with attendees in an informal setting. 
  • Paper Presentations (25 minutes): Presenters give an oral presentation of their research accompanied by slides, followed by an audience Q&A. Limited slots available. 
  • Creative Sessions: This is an open category for audience-interactive sessions, unique formats, or formats that do not fit into other categories. This could include: visual mapping, photovoice, story paths, walking conversations, creation workshops, maker spaces, roundtables, etc. When selecting this format, you must provide a clear description of the session, learning objectives, session length, and space required.
​If you would like to discuss an idea with a member of our team before submitting, please email [email protected].

Review Criteria 

We hope to accept as many submissions as possible that meet the review criteria for this conference. Proposals will be reviewed based on: 
  • Adherence to one or more conference themes noted above
  • Clear purpose and learning objectives
  • Representation of diverse voices and perspectives, including lived experience, community partnerships, and the elevation of underrepresented voices in research.  
  • Creative and/or "untraditional" research, including methods, analysis, and dissemination. 
  • Accessibility and Inclusion - all proposed sessions must commit to meeting basic accessibility guidelines, see more on this below.   

Session Accessibility requirements

In order to create a welcoming and inclusive conference for all to enjoy, all presentations and sessions must be made accessible. All presentations, posters, and printed material should consider: 
  • Large-print font sizing 
  • High contrast colors
  • Plain language when possible
  • Verbal descriptions of all visuals, including images, charts, tables, etc. 
  • Share content in advance if possible. ​
Below are links to some resources you can use to ensure accessible presentations and materials:

How to submit a proposal

To submit a proposal, click the blue button above that reads, "Submit a Proposal." On the Submit a Proposal form, you will need to include the following information:
  1. Names, emails, and affiliations for all presenters
  2. Session title
  3. Preferred session format
  4. Abstract - a 150–250 word description of your session
  5. ​How your session reflects inclusion, community participation, and/or creative or untraditional methods
  6. A short description of steps will you take to make your session inclusive and accessible. ​
Submission Deadline: January 7th, 2026
We hope to accommodate as many submissions as possible into our schedule that meet the criteria. Some formats may fill up, so we encourage you submit early! All notifications of decisions will be sent no later than January 15th, 2026. 

If you have any questions about how to submit, or need help with your submission, please email [email protected]. 
This work is supported by the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities through a grant from the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Washington, D.C. 20201, with a 100% federal funding award totaling $6,161,072. Council efforts are those of the grantee and do not necessarily represent the official views of nor are endorsed by ACL, HHS, or the U.S. government.
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