2008 Conference General Information
Thank you for your interest in California State University, Northridge Center on Disabilities' 23rd Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference.
This event will be held in Los Angeles, CA from March 10-15, 2008. Visit our web site regularly for conference information updates at: http://www.csun.edu/cod
Table of Contents
- Who Should Attend
- Conference Schedule
- Conference Fees
- Pre-Conference Days
- General Conference Days
- Speakers
- Exhibit Days
- Discounts
- Hotel Information
- Information in Alternative Formats
- Parking At the Hotels
- Hotel Shuttle Service
- Shuttle Vans
- Room Temperature
- Headset
- Official Language
Who Should Attend?
- Persons with disabilities and family members
- Special education teachers
- University professors and researchers
- Occupational and physical therapists
- Alternative & Augmentative Communication clinicians
- Manufacturers, distributors, and developers
- Community agency personnel
- Government policy makers
- Private and public rehabilitation service providers
- Rehabilitation engineers
- Assistive Technology practitioners and suppliers
- Speech and Language clinicians
- Human Resource specialists
- The general public
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TENTATIVE Conference Schedule
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Pre-Conference Registration 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Monday, March 10, 2008
Pre-Conference Registration 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Full-Day Pre-Conference Workshops 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Pre-Conference Workshops Half-Day 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Lunch Break 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Pre-Conference Workshops Half-Day 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Registration 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Full-Day Pre-Conference Workshops 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Pre-Conference Workshops Half-Day 9:00 PM - 12:00 PM
Lunch Break 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
Pre-Conference Workshops Half-Day 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Registration 6:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Opening Breakfast and Keynote Address at Renaissance Hotel 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM
General Sessions 9:20 AM - 5:20 PM
Lunch Break 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Continental Breakfast 8:00 AM - 10:20 AM
Registration 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
General Sessions 10:40 AM - 5:20 PM
Opening of Exhibit Halls 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Lunch Break 12:30 AM - 1:45 PM
Friday, March 14, 2008
Registration 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
General Sessions 8:00 AM - 5:20 PM
Exhibit Halls Open 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Lunch Break 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Registration 7:30 AM - 3:00 PM
General Sessions 8:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Exhibit Halls Open 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Conference Adjourns 5:00 PM
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Conference Fees
GENERAL CONFERENCE REGISTRATION - Cancellation Request must be made in writing & received by February 22, 2008. A $50 processing fee will be accessed. There will be no refunds after February 22, 2008. All no-shows will be charged.
EARLY BIRD - $450 (by February 1, 2008)
REGULAR - $500 (after February 1, 2008)
LATE - $545 (after February 22, 2008 & On-Site)
SPEAKER REGISTRATION- Cancellation Request must be made in writing & received by February 15, 2008. A $75 processing fee will be assessed. There will be no refunds after February 15, 2008. (NOTE: Speakers must register by February 22, 2008 - there will be no on-site speaker registration).
EARLY BIRD - $375 (by January 4, 2008)
REGULAR - $425 (by February 1, 2008)
$450 (by February 22, 2008)
ONE DAY PRE-CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FEE
EARLY BIRD - $275 (by February 1, 2008)
REGULAR - $300 (after February 1, 2008)
LATE - $350 (after February 22, 2008 & On-Site)
HALF DAY PRE-CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FEE
EARLY BIRD - $185 (by February 1, 2008)
REGULAR - $210 (after February 1, 2008)
LATE - $260 (after February 22, 2008 & On-Site)
ONE DAY CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FEE (Wed., Thurs., Fri.)
EARLY BIRD - $280 (by February 1, 2008)
REGULAR - $320 (after February 1, 2008)
LATE - $350 (after February 22, 2008 & On-Site)
ONE DAY CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FEE (Saturday Only)
EARLY BIRD - $200 (by February 1, 2008)
REGULAR - $240 (after February 1, 2008)
LATE - $260 (after February 22, 2008 & On-Site)
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Pre-Conference Days
Pre-Conference Workshops will be offered on Monday, March 10, 2008 and Tuesday, March 11, 2008 for Full-Day and Half-Day Sessions. These workshops are designed to give in-depth training on specific topics. Registration materials will be available in early January 2008.
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General Conference Days
The general conference begins on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 and continues through Saturday, March 15, 2008. Throughout these four days, more than 275 sessions will be presented and over 135 exhibits will be displayed.
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Speakers
For those interested in giving a presentation during the General Sessions, the Call For Papers is now closed.
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Exhibit Days
The exhibits will be open Thursday, March 13, 2008 through Saturday, March 15, 2008. Exhibit hours are as follows:
Thursday, March 13, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday, March 14, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday, March 15, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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Discounts
Student Discounts
Full-time students are offered a 50% discount when a Registration Form is accompanied by verification of current enrollment. (class schedule or letter form registrar). Payment in full must accompany the Registration Form.
CSU Discounts
CSU Faculty and Staff are offered a 50% discount; payment in full must accompany the Registration Form
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Scholarships
A limited number of scholarships (waiver of conference registration fees only) are available from the Center on Disabilities. The criteria is as follows:
- People who are first-time attendees at the conference
- Persons with disabilities OR guardian of a dependent with a disability
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International Participants
For those needing an official letter of invitation to obtain a visa, we strongly suggest requesting the letter at least 180 days in advance of the conference. Before applying, be sure to contact your nearest Embassy to obtain information about documents required for a visa application.
Due to the large number of national and international participants who attend and contribute to the conference each year, we regret that we are unable to provide any assistance in locating sponsors and booking travel arrangements.
Please note: Individuals receiving letters are responsible for their own expenses and arrangements ( registration fees, hotel accommodations, meals, travel, transportation, personal care attendants, etc.).
Due to organizational capacity restraints we are only able to send one letter directly to participants. We are unable to process letters directly to the Embassy. All requests must be made in writing by January 18, 2008. Any requests received after this date cannot be processed.
If you would like to receive your letter sooner, please complete and submit your Request Conference Invitation.
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Hotel Information
The official hotels of the conference are the Los Angeles Airport Marriott and Renaissance Montura Hotels. It is suggested that reservations be made early to secure a room. The hotels will honor the discounted conference rate until February 21, 2008, provided there are rooms available within the CSUN room block. Please refer to CSUN Center on Disabilities when making reservations.
Los Angeles Airport Marriott
5855 West Century Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90045
310/641-5700 (V)
310/337-5358 (Fax)
800/228-9290 (V)
800/228-7014 (TTY)
Rooms: $133 discounted conference rates, single or double occupancy.
Renaissance Montura Hotel Los Angeles
9620 Airport Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90045
310/337-2800 (V)
310/261-6618 (Fax)
Rooms: $139 discounted conference rates, single or double occupancy.
Please let the hotel know of any special accommodations needed at the time the reservation is made. All hotels offer free accessible shuttle bus service between LAX airline terminals and the hotel.
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Information in Alternative Formats
The Center on Disabilities' conference materials are available in alternative formats including Braille, Large Print, Disk (ASCII), and CD (DAISY). Sign Language Interpreting Services and Assistive Listening Devices are also available. Please check the appropriate box on the preregistration form to indicate your needs. Please note: Speakers and exhibitors are responsible for providing their own handouts and promotional materials in alternative formats.
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Parking at the hotels
Please note: Bring your parking ticket to the Conference Registration Desk at the hotel where you parked to validate for discounted parking.
Marriott Registered & Visiting Guests
$10 self park
$17 valet parking, per day
Renaissance Registered & Visiting Guests
$12 self park
$17 valet parking, per day
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Hotel Shuttle Service
All hotels offer free accessible shuttle bus service between LAX airline terminals and the hotel. To arrange for an accessible airport shuttle van use one of the phones at the hotel accommodation phone banks, located in the baggage claim area.
Renaissance, contact (310) 337-2800
Marriott, contact (310) 337-5385
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Shuttle Vans
During conference hours, an accessible shuttle service is available at the entrance of the Marriott and Renaissance for those who need assistance in commuting between the two conference sites.
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Room Temperature
Temperatures in session rooms vary. For comfort, it is recommended that layered clothing be worn.
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Headset
It is recommended that you bring your favorite headset to gain access to audio output on computers in the Computer Labs.
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Official Language
We appreciate the extensive participation of the international community in this conference. The official language of the conference is English.
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