Building Bridges: Expanding Collaboration and Access:
A Call for Proposals
Deaf education continues to evolve within increasingly complex and
dynamic linguistic, educational, social, and systemic contexts. In this
educational landscape, Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Hard of
Hearing (DDBDDHH) students experience both opportunities and
persistent inequities. Education equity reaching beyond traditional
notions of access and compliance calls for broader and more intentional
approaches to how schools, programs, and communities to design
learning environments that truly support student success.
Education research examines educational practice including but not
limited to: teaching and learning spaces for our youngest students,
education workforce development efforts, system-level policies and
practices, and how they are inextricably linked to one another. The
Building Bridges: Expanding Collaboration and Access theme emphasizes
the importance of collaboration and partnerships across roles and
disciplines to support the experiences, work, and knowledge of current
and future scholars, practitioners, and students. This collective effort
supports DDBDDHH students in thriving academically, socially, and
linguistically while ensuring their voices and experiences remain central to
educational decision-making.
Proposal Submission Information
Scholars, researchers, educators, education administrators, interpreters, related service providers, families and caregivers, advocates, graduate students, and community partners are invited to submit proposals to present at the ACEDHH Conference in Boston in January, 2027. We extend the call to invite insights from individuals and communities who do not identify with hegemonic identities such as those who identify as Indigenous, Black, Brown, LGBGTQ, and/or disabled. We also welcome submissions from those who seek to present for the first time. Please consider submitting a presentation proposal aligned to the strands and addressing at least one of the following guiding questions.
Strand 1: Teaching and Learning
● Language
● Communication
● Pedagogy
This strand focuses on research that addresses long-standing or emergent discourses surrounding pedagogical decision making processes: what is taught and the art of teaching practices. This strand addresses student-centered and culturally sustaining and responsive pedagogical practices to promote equity. Proposals related to ASL, English language learning, and spoken language development among multilingual students. We welcome contemporary pedagogical practices such as translanguaging to help deaf students develop their content knowledge and communication strategies.
Strand 1: Guiding questions to consider:
● What does intentional pedagogical practice look like and how does it
shape an equitable classroom?
● What promising practices support Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and
Hard of Hearing multilingual students with varied learning and
communication profiles?
● What research directions support expansive dialogue about equitable
Deaf education?
Strand 2: Program Transformation and Program Development
● Program transformation
● Workforce development
● Teacher preparation
● Programming
This strand centers research on transformative practices in PK - 12 schools, higher education, and teacher preparation programs as well as in advocacy, mentoring, and systems-building spaces. It invites submissions that critically examine a range of leadership practices that strengthen programs, influence policy, and build sustainable educational environments prioritizing Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Hard of Hearing student success.
Strand 2: Guiding questions to consider:
● How are schools, universities, and organizations developing the next
generation of Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Hard of Hearing
education professionals?
● How can leaders build programs that are both innovative and responsive
to community needs?
● In what ways can research support transformation effectiveness for
sustainable workforce development?
Strand 3: Systems Work
● Equity
● Access & Inclusion
● Policy
● Partnerships & Collaborations
● Systems Change
This strand examines the policies, practices, and systems that foster equitable opportunities for DDBDDHH students. It explores how access and inclusion go beyond compliance and the ways Deaf education is shaped by institutional decisions, educational structures, and broader systems of power.
Strand 3: Guiding questions to consider:
● In what ways are persistent barriers related to race, disability,
socioeconomic backgrounds, language, geography, or educational
placement addressed?
● What advocacy and policy efforts are driving and shaping access,
expanding services, and informing education equity?
● To what extent have partnerships & collaborations demonstrated
effectiveness in driving transformational change?