Invitation

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

I am excited to invite you to join me at the 2019 AUCD Conference, “Leading Change Together,” in Washington, DC, on November 17–20. This year’s theme reflects the work being done across our network on research, policy, practice, and advocacy that impacts the broad spectrum of disability. With more than 1,000 attendees from across the US and Territories, this event attracts a diverse national audience of leaders from multiple disciplines, researchers, scientists, advocates, and policy experts. We are all leading change through our work with diverse communities, disability types, and programming, and I hope that this conference can serve as a place to exchange ideas as well as celebrate accomplishments.

The world is an ever-changing place of ideas, trends and economic and political forces, and our network is well-positioned to respond to these changes as they happen. Through our collective work, AUCD’s member centers and programs can play a leadership role in innovating and evolving to meet the needs of our varied stakeholders. I hope that this conference will energize you, introduce you to new ideas, and serve to improve our practice.

We will kick off the conference with an informative and energizing panel at the opening plenary of thought leaders in the disability space. The conversation will center on people with disabilities who are impacted by the work that we do and who can help shape our priorities. Throughout the week, diverse panels, concurrent sessions, and poster sessions will educate us and provide opportunities for new collaborations. I encourage each of you to check out the various committees, SIG’s, and Councils and join their important work. The AUCD Conference would not be complete without our awards ceremony to honor leaders in this space and a fun party to follow! We will wrap up on Wednesday by once again taking our collective voices to Capitol Hill where we will be debriefed on critical policies, then meet with our respective members of Congress to educate them about pressing issues facing the disability community.

Join me at this year’s exciting AUCD Conference where we can all lead change together.

Sincerely,

Sachin Pavithran

AUCD Board President-Elect and 2019 AUCD Conference Chair
Policy Director, Center for Persons with Disabilities, Utah State University