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AUCD Policy Forum and Disability Policy Seminar Canceled

March 11, 2020

We appreciate your patience as AUCD and partner organizations of the Disability Policy Seminar has continued to monitor developments related to COVID-19, particularly as states of medical emergency have been declared in several states in the past few days. We continue to hold the safety, health, and well-being of our attendees, speakers, and staff (and their families) as our top priority.

We have made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel the AUCD Policy Forum and Disability Policy Seminar. We will not be hosting any in-person activities at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. If you have not already cancelled your travel arrangements, please do so unless you are intending to be in DC for other reasons.

Our decision was made after consulting with our board chair, the event planning committee, and new recommendations from the CDC and health departments within the DC metropolitan region. We also considered our high cancellation rate, feedback from attendees regarding the evolving university travel policies, concerns for employee safety, and newly confirmed cases in the Washington DC area.

AUCD will offer three virtual options in the place of our planned events.

  1. AUCD Policy Forum: Scheduled on Sunday 3/22 from 2:30 - 6pm will now be held Monday 3/23 via webinar (times and links to come)
  2. AUCD Public Policy Committee Meeting: Schedule on Monday 3/23 from 12:30 - 2:30 will now be held Tuesday 3/24 (time and link to come)
  3. Hill Visit Day:
    • Scheduled by you on Wednesday 3/25. Contact your Member of Congress' staffers to switch visits to phone meetings.
    • AUCD will provide scripts, materials and guidance to host a National Virtual Hill Day.

Please check the event webpage for additional information as it becomes available including

  • agendas,
  • details related to DPS registration refunds
  • details related to hotel cancellations, and
  • the remote access information.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Know that we've made this decision as quickly as we were able, given rapidly evolving circumstances, and we wanted to communicate this information immediately to enable participants to revise travel plans. If you have questions, please contact Rylin Rodgers, [email protected] or Sarah Mueller [email protected]. We look forward to seeing you virtually!