Call for Speakers Closes December 31, 2025!
2026 Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action Leadership Conference
July 22 - 23, 2026
Call for Speakers
Thank you for being willing to share your stories, your skills, and your expertise with DSAIA members and attendees at our 2026 Annual Leadership Conference. The target audience for this conference is staff and board members of Down syndrome organizations throughout the nation. Your audience could include a volunteer Board President from an organization with a budget of $50,000 who serves 75 families to a paid Executive Director of a $1,000,000+ budget organization who serves over 1000 individuals. When developing your proposal, be sure to address the organization size and capacity targeted for your session.
Timeline for Workshops Call For Speakers:
- October 1, 2025 - Call for speakers opens
- December 31, 2025 - Call for speaker proposal submission deadline
- February 13, 2026 - All those that submitted will be notified on if the proposal was approved or declined.
- March 4, 2026 - Early registration and hotel opens for accepted speakers.
- March 10, 2026 - General registration and hotel opens to all.
Please note the schedule is subject to change.
Before you begin your proposal submission, please note:
▪ All presenters must be registered for the conference. This year, DSAIA speakers will pay a discounted rate of $100 for up to 2 presenters for each session accepted.
▪ Be sure to check out the proposal review criteria below.
▪ Review the proposal categories carefully. If you are having trouble selecting a category for your proposal, consider revising your content to better align with our target audience.
▪ You can choose from two session types: Sessions (60 minutes) and spotlight sessions (30 minutes). Choose the format that best fits your content.
▪ The proposal review panel reserves the right to request changes to your proposal which may include a change in category, session type, or other changes that the review panel feels are necessary in order for your proposal to be accepted. During proposal confirmation, you will have the opportunity to review and approve any requested changes.
- March 4, 2026: Early registration and hotel opens for accepted speakers.
- March 10, 2026: General registration and hotel opens to all
- All presenters must be registered for the DSAIA conference. This year, DSAIA speakers will pay a discounted rate of $100 per speaker.
Proposal Review Criteria:
Your proposal will be reviewed using the following guidelines. Each proposal will be reviewed by at least three members of the 2026 DSAIA Conference Committee.
- Relevance to DSAIA Attendees: Proposal establishes that the content to be provided is current, needed, and would be of interest to DSAIA attendees (e.g., staff, board members, volunteers). Content is distinctly different from the content one would expect at conferences
for parents, policymakers, or educators. - Skill/Expertise ofPresenter(s): Presenter(s) demonstrates mastery of the content and is the right person to deliver this content.
- Organization of proposed Session: Presenter has provided a clear outline for the session. The proposal is logical,
well-written, thoughtful, thorough, and clearly described. The content is substantial and can fill the session time appropriately. - Ability to Engage the Audience: DSAIA attendees want to be engaged as learners and leave with information they can apply in their daily work. Reviewers will expect to see concrete strategies you will use to encourage active learning.
Proposal Categories
DSAIA is looking for proposals in each of the following seven categories. Within each category, we are looking for presenters who can provide best practice procedures, examples relevant to DSAIA attendees, and practical information that attendees can use. Presenters may be staff or board members who can share successful programs, documents, or experiences within their local organizations. DSAIA is also looking for presenters with professional qualifications who can apply their expertise to Down syndrome organizations. For example, an accountant presenting best practices for budgeting who can providing an example of a budget from a Down syndrome organization. If you have questions, please contact tiffany@ndsccenter.org.
Board Development While many topics in this category are for Board members, topics also include skills and strategies that staff use to support strong Board functioning. Examples include board engagement, recruitment, and governance structure.
Communications & Marketing Select this category for proposals that describe effective strategies to communicate your mission and programs. Topics may include social media, marketing plans, websites, branding, or contact management.
Development & Fundraising Generating revenue is the important topic in this category. Topic may include grants, annual development plans, fundraising, events, donations, or other sources of income. Working with donors (e.g., cultivation, engagement, tracking) is of particular importance.ProgrammingProposals that share a specific program idea, discuss program structure, needs assessment, program evaluation are included in this category. This is the place to share successful or innovative programs that could be replicated by other Down syndrome organizations or describe how you used data to improve desired outcomes
Finances Topics such as financial policies and procedures, risk management, and budgets are included in this category which includes any proposals that address an organization’s financial responsibilities.
Human Resources For programs with staff, hiring/firing, position descriptions, contracts, staff development, and employee evaluations are important topics in this category.
Organizational Management This category includes all of the nonprofit practices required to run an effective organization. Proposals that address policies, procedural safeguards, taxes, nonprofit status, and insurance are of particular interest.
Programming: Proposals that share a specific program idea, discuss program structure, needs assessment, program evaluation are included in this category. This is the place to share successful or innovative programs that could be replicated by other Down syndrome organizations or describe how you used data to improve desired outcomes. Choose this category if you have expertise in program implementation. DSA leaders could benefit on tips to execute a copy/paste program like iCan Bike, iCan Swim, iCan Dance, WDSD Kits, Buddy Up Tennis/Pickleball, other established programs, etc. Other desired topics are : programming and inclusion of bilingual families, contract basics for programming and project management tools and resources.
