About Accessing Higher Ground

Accessing Higher Ground focuses on the implementation and benefits of:

• Accessible media, Universal Design and Assistive Technology in the university, business and public setting;
• Legal and policy issues, including ADA and 508 compliance;
• The creation of accessible media and information resources, including Web pages and library resources.

For institutions of Higher Education:

• there is a strong focus on campus accommodation and policies, alternate format production, Universal Design and curriculum accessibility.

For businesses and other audiences:

• there are numerous sessions on best practices for web design, reaching untapped audiences through accessible design, and compliance with existing and anticipated Section 508 and ADA stipulations.

Typical Program

View last year’s (2025) program (in calendar format) or the list of 2025 sessions in linear format to see the scope of topics typically covered at AHG.

Watch a Sample of Session Videos from 2021 — 2025

2025

• 2025 Keynote Talk: A Political War on Disability: Eugenics, the Ugly Laws, and How We Can Fight Back Mia Ives-Rublee, Senior Director for the Disability Justice Initiative at American Progress
• Leveraging AI for Accessibility: Wins, Warnings, and What’s Next (2025) Terisa ODowd, Instructional Accessibility Designer, Texas Woman’s University
• The Accessible Math Guide (A 2025 update) Darrin Evans, Director Virtual Learning Community Professional Development Center, North Carolina Community College System

2024

• 2024 Keynote Talk: Cyborg Concerns & Disability Services Ashley Shew, Associate Professor of Science, Technology, and Society at Virginia Tech and cofounder of the Disability Community Technology (DisCoTec) Center there.
• Just in Time! Assistive Technology Tools for Organization, Time Management, and Stress Reduction Michelle Brodsky, ATRC Campus Service Coordinator & Rachel Gramig, Assistive Technology Service Provider, Colorado State University
• Developing and Sustaining an Effective Campus-wide Accessible Course Jim Stachowiak, Accessible Technology Strategy and Operations Lead, Northwestern University

2023

• 2023 Keynote Talk: Once Upon An Accommodation Nina G., Comedian, Author, and Professional Speaker
• Accessibility Testing: Don’t Just Rely on What Automated Tests Tell You Mike Williamson, Assistant Director, & Marisha Lamont-Manfre, Accessibility and Usability Assessment Coordinator, University of Colorado Boulder
• Microsoft vs Google: A Comparison of Accessibility Features in Documents and Slides Terrill Thompson, Manager, IT Accessibility Team & Gaby de Jongh, Document Accessibility Specialist, University of Washington

2022

• 2022 Keynote Talk: Envisioning Disabled Audiences Elsa Sjunneson, Deaf/Blind Author and Editor

2021

• 2021 Keynote Talk: Roots in Resistance: A Social History of Captioning Dr. Jaipreet Virdi, Assistant Professor at the Department of History at the University of Delaware, historian of medicine, technology, and disability
• Website Liability Legal Update (Including Winn-Dixie) Ken Nakata, Converge Accessibility, LLC
• WAI Curricula on Web Accessibility (ASL version ), Daniel Montalvo, Accessibility Education and Training Specialist, W3C

Pictures from past conferences

(Note: this link will take you to our facebook page)

Who Should Attend

This conference is intended for:

• individuals who need to design or provide accessible Web, media, information resources and technology in the academic and business environment;
• faculty and administrators interested in ADA & Section 508 compliance;
• faculty and other professional interested in incorporating Universal Design content or UDL into curriculum;
• faculty and other professionals who wish to ensure that their curriculum is accessible.

In the past, audiences have included:

• web designers & project managers
• assistive technologists
• ADA coordinators
• human resource personnel
• persons with disabilities
• disability specialists
• faculty
• course designers
• media specialists and programmers
• IT and communication managers

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