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2026 Disability Summit

In 2024, Michigan State University hosted its first Disability Summit and since it has become an annual part of the university's landscape. We are excited to announce the theme of this year’s Disability Summit as the Future of Disability in Higher Education. In years past we have examined the history and current lived experience of disability in higher education and now we shift our focus towards the future. We look forward to providing a space for the MSU community to come together and discuss possibilities for a future that is truly disability-centered. 

This year, we will gather in the MSU Union for a full day of programing on Friday, October 2, 2026, and will offer virtual sessions from 12:15 - 1:00 pm EST each Friday in October following the Summit. The Summit will include a keynote presentation and a planned disabled student, faculty, and staff panel. We will also be featuring accepted presentations, flash talks, poster presentations, panel discussions, and workshops. The keynote and many of the breakouts will be offered in a hybrid format. We hope these varying sessions will encourage broadened dialogue across the MSU community. We encourage proposals from students, staff, and faculty!  Session proposal guidelines and the submission deadline are provided below.

Additional details will be shared soon.  Stay informed by joining the Disability Connection email listserv. To subscribe, send an email to listserv@list.msu.edu and include the command below in the body of the message (leave the subject line blank):  SUBSCRIBE MSU-DISABILITY-CONNECTION

  • Call for Proposals Deadlines:

    Important Dates:  

    • Submission Deadline: Friday, May 29, 2026, at 11:59 pm (EST) 
    • Determination Notification: Wednesday, July 15, 2026, by 5:00pm (EST) 
    • Disability Summit: Friday, October 2, 2026 
  • Topics and Audience:

    We are specifically looking for session proposals that center the lived experiences of disability and accessible practices. All relevant sessions are encouraged and will be reviewed. Outlined below are some specific topics we are interested in exploring:  

    • Accessible pedagogy and classroom design  
    • Accessible and inclusive practices 
    • Disability in the workplace 
    • Disability identity formation   
    • Disability studies and research 
    • Sense of belonging 
    • Disability perspectives across degree and career levels  
    • Anything relevant to the topic of disability inclusion and belonging 
  • Submission Guidelines:

    Please submit your proposal using our application form. Submissions are due Friday, May 29th at 11:59 pm (EST). If you need assistance completing this form or encounter accessibility issues, please contact Evalyn Yanna (OCR.evalynyanna@msu.edu).  

    Download a Word document equivalent of this submission form for those who prefer to prepare their proposal in advance and/or copy and paste into the form.  

     

    All proposals must include the following information: 

    • Presenter(s) information 
    • Session title (10-word limit) 
    • Session description 
    • Positionality and Inclusion Statement 
  • Selection Criteria
    All sessions will be reviewed by a committee of staff and students from across campus utilizing a robust evaluation rubric. Please review our rubric (automatic download) for further information. Determinations will be sent on Wednesday, July 15th by 5:00 pm (EST).  
  • Presenter Expectations
    • Mark your calendars for Wednesday, July 15th for determination information. 
    • Presentation materials will be due ahead of time to allow our interpreter and captioning team time to review. The exact date will be included with the determination notice. 
    • Videos must be captioned.  
    • Presenters should verbally describe any visual aids/photos used during a session. 

Accessibility