Call for Proposals

Presenting at The Arc’s National Convention puts your work in front of one of the most engaged and influential audiences in the disability community. 

Attendees include: 

• people with disabilities 

• family members 

• The Arc chapter staff and volunteers 

• disability service providers 

• nonprofit leaders 

• policy and advocacy professionals 

• researchers and thought leaders 

If you have an approach, lesson, or perspective that could help someone else move forward, this is the place to share it. 

Accepted presenters receive $100 off National Convention registration. 

We welcome proposals from: 

• people with disabilities 

• family members 

• chapters of The Arc 

• disability professionals 

• nonprofit leaders 

• researchers 

• public policy and community leaders 

• cross-sector partners 

First-time presenters are encouraged to submit. We especially encourage proposals led by people with disabilities and family members, people of color, and others whose expertise hasn’t always been centered on national stages. Lived experience is expertise. We want sessions that are informed by it, shaped by it, and accountable to it.

Strong proposals: 

• address an urgent issue, emerging challenge, or promising solution 

• offer practical tools, lessons, or strategies people can use 

• center people with disabilities and families 

• reflect accessibility, equity, and inclusion 

• clearly fit one of our conference tracks 

• avoid product promotion or sales pitches 

• Speaking Up and Speaking Out: Policy and Advocacy 

Sessions on public policy, grassroots organizing, systems change, civic engagement, and advocacy strategies that help people turn lived experience into action. 

• Connected Communities: Family-Centered Support and Services 

Sessions on programs, supports, and community-based solutions that help people with IDD and their families live full lives in the community of their choice. 

• Telling Our Story and Funding the Future 

Sessions on communications, storytelling, fundraising, audience growth, and public engagement that strengthen mission-driven work and expand impact. 

• Building and Sustaining Resilient Organizations 

Sessions on nonprofit leadership, operations, board development, workforce, growth, collaboration, and sustainability that help chapters and organizations thrive. 

• AI and Tech for All 

Sessions on technology and AI that increase access, strengthen independence, improve inclusion, and help organizations work smarter without leaving people behind. 

We welcome proposals on topics such as: 

• federal and state policy updates 

• grassroots advocacy and community organizing 

• innovative programs and supports for housing, jobs, education, and community living 

• inclusive education programs and practices 

• family support and empowerment 

• developing self-advocate leaders 

• disability justice initiatives 

• communications, digital engagement, or marketing campaigns 

• fundraising and donor growth 

• ethical, practical uses of AI and technology 

We’re accepting proposals for: 

• 25-minute sessions 

• 60-minute sessions 

All sessions are in person. There’s no virtual presentation option. We encourage interactive formats and built-in time for audience engagement and Q&A. 

For questions about the proposal process, contact Carrie Hobbs Guiden at guiden@thearc.org or Ashley Glears at glears@thearc.org.