Apply to Present at the 2021 Move United Education Conference

Move United is seeking experts in the adaptive sport industry to develop and deliver curriculum at the Move United Education Conference.

Deadline to Submit: January 15, 2021
Questions?

The Move United Education Conference is a unique opportunity that aims to enable sport providers with the education, awareness, and skills to serve individuals with disabilities in both recreational and competitive sport opportunities. Due to the success of the 2020 Virtual Move United Conference, reaching over 1,800 people from over 900 unique organizations, we are excited to offer our attendees a hybrid conference model this year. From May 10-12, 2021 we will be hosting several small group, skills-based workshops, in Colorado Springs, CO and from June 1-3, 2021, we will be hosting sessions focused on education and awareness around how sport providers can collaborate to be champions for athletes with disabilities in their communities.

The target audience is professionals and emerging leaders in the in the sport and recreation industry who serve, or are looking to serve, individuals with disabilities in their programs. Historically, attendees have represented a variety of affiliations including Move United member organizations, general sport organizations, city parks & recreation departments, non-governing bodies, VA hospital staff, general hospital therapists, disability resource groups, and more.

Please complete the Presenter RFP after reading the descriptions below:

May 10-12 in Colorado Springs

• Skills-Based Workshops (targeted training needed to gain the knowledge and abilities necessary to fulfill the specific requirements of particular sport/recreational programming)
• Presenter/Facilitator must be willing to travel to Colorado Springs. In the event, that the conference pivots to a fully virtual format, we ask that presenters & facilitators also have a contingency plan present virtually (as much as possible) if need be.
• Due to limited workshop capacities, attendees may need to fulfill certain skill pre-requisites
• Examples: 3-day adaptive kayaking skills workshop, 1-day  wheelchair football coaches and referees training, 2-day adaptive climbing instructor training

June 1-3 online

• Education & Awareness Sessions
• Presenter(s) will present online
• Sessions must align with one of following session tracks
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – Recognizing that there are inequities within the Disability community, this track will focus on what it means to provide equitable access to all, the importance of this concept as well as emphasis on existing gaps, and how to progress towards a more inclusive community.
  • Inclusive Sport Fundamentals – Understanding that both inclusive and adaptive sports provide equally important opportunities for athlete with disabilities, this track will focus on how to enable and empower community programs become more inclusive, as well as to provide adaptive sports programs with the tools and resources to be leaders and resources for their community programs.
  • Adaptive Sport Fundamentals – Understanding that both inclusive and adaptive sports provide equally important opportunities for athletes with disabilities, this track will focus on providing education around sport and technology specifically designed for athletes with disabilities, the value of this space, and how community programs can collaborate with adaptive sport programs
• Within each track, various session will be offered to accommodate different audiences (i.e. general sport provider new to working with individuals with disabilities, inclusive sport provider, adaptive sport provider – for more details on what these terms mean, please refer to the conference home page)

Please refer to the Presenter FAQ’s at the bottom of the page for additional information.

Applications closed on January 15th, 2021. Please contact Cayla Hammaker at chammaker@moveunitedsport.org with any questions.

Presenter FAQ’s:

What are the objectives of the sessions?

Conference sessions should strive to:

• Engage the audience with virtual meeting/or webinar, utilizing tools such as chat, Q&A, polls, collaborative documents such as Google Docs, encouraging sharing & questions
• Appeal to different learning styles
• Highlight innovative, groundbreaking developments
• Promote evidenced-based practices
• Incorporate anecdotes to reference actual experiences in the field
• Collaborate with co-presenter(s) where it would be beneficial to add value to the session
• Include an experiential component if appropriate
• Provide attendees with key takeaways

What are the objectives of the workshop?

Conference workshops should strive to:

• Engage the attendees with group activities, hands-on learning, encouraging sharing and questions to ultimately assist in skill-development that will enhance their ability to serve athletes with disabilities
• Appeal to different learning styles
• Highlight innovative, groundbreaking developments in the field
• Promote evidenced-based practices
• Incorporate anecdotes to reference actual experiences in the field
• Collaborate with co-presenter(s) where it would be beneficial to add value to the session
• Include an experiential component

Can you share some examples of session topics?

Skills-based workshop topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Sport-specific skills
• Technology-specific skills
• Management skills

Virtual session topics should focus on education and awareness around the evolving collaborative narrative of adaptive and inclusive sports. The sessions must align in some way with the tracks: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Adaptive Sport Fundamentals, and Inclusive Sport Fundamentals.Sessions can cater to a variety of attendees – from those with no experience working with athletes with disabilities to those with much experience. Possible topics could include but are not limited to:

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Disability Etiquette/Awareness (geared towards introductory level)
  • Bringing DEI to your organization (geared towards a group looking to be inclusive)
  • Creating long term structures for success (geared towards an adaptive sport organization)
  • Practical risk assessment
  • Shared use of public and/or private property to expand opportunities for recreation & physical activity for people with disabilities
  • Screening & Assessment for Adaptive Sports; establishing minimum eligibility requirements
• Inclusive Sport Fundamentals
  • Inclusion Workshop – Where to start? (Geared towards introductory level)
  • How to establish programmatic structure that will include all athletes (Geared towards program looking to be inclusive)
  • How to elevate existing programs (geared towards adaptive sports program)
  • Mobility in wilderness and back country environment
  • Universal design & accessibility in parks and other outdoor spaces
• Adaptive Sport Fundamental
  • Partnering with local adaptive sports program (geared towards introductory level)
  • Tools/Resources to become an expert in your community – (geared towards group looking to become more inclusive)
  • How to establish your organization as a leader in your community (geared towards an adaptive sports organization)
  • Use of technology in rehabilitation through adaptive sport
  • Developing Technology: research & prototypes

Can you please help me understand the difference between adaptive and inclusive sport?

Both adaptive and inclusive sport are equally important for athletes with disabilities and serve different purposes in varying spaces. Adaptive sport, by definition, is sport specifically designed and/or modified for athletes with disabilities. In adaptive programs, athletes are typically participating alongside other athletes with disabilities. Inclusive sport, by definition, is sport in which both athletes with and without disabilities participate in the same sport alongside each other at the same time. The purpose of this year’s conference will be to provide a better understanding of the importance of each of these versions of sport and how sport providers in each space can better collaborate.

Will presenters be compensated?

For the skills-based workshops in Colorado Springs, compensation will be awarded on a case by case basis. For the virtual sessions, presenters will participate on a voluntary basis. Presenters will be provided with a thank-you gift after participation in the conference.

How will Move United be selecting presenters?