AHEAD and PEPNet:

Coming Together as a 'Community of Practice'

Submitted by Dianne Brooks, Director, PEPNet-Northeast

The Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and the Postsecondary Education Programs Network (PEPNet) will co-convene a national conference in Denver, Colorado, July 12 -17, 2010. This milestone event will mark AHEAD's 33rd annual international conference and PEPNet's seventh biennial conference. We also hope that it will signal the beginning of a dynamic and vibrant "community of practice."

Why have we decided to co-convene this conference? Both organizations have notable, successful histories of providing expertise and resources to educational institutions and service providers. By hosting one conference together, we have the opportunity to bring together a vast network of professionals in education, rehabilitation, disabilities, and related disciplines that share the common goal of advancing equal access to educational opportunities for people with disabilities.

About the Organizations

AHEAD is a professional membership organization for individuals involved in developing policy and providing quality services to meet the needs of persons with disabilities in all areas of higher education. Since 1977, the AHEAD network has trained higher education personnel through conferences, workshops, publications, and consultation activities. AHEAD's 2,500 members represent a diverse crosssection of individuals from both the United States and abroad.

Since its initial 1996 funding through the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), PEPNet has provided numerous activities designed to enhance secondary and postsecondary access and support services for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Under a National Strategic Plan, PEPNet's four regional centers-located in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and West-have been leaders in offering cutting-edge technical assistance and consultation, training, professional development opportunities, online training products, and multimedia resource materials to educational institutions, including but not limited to two- and four-year colleges, universities, secondary education programs, community rehabilitation programs, continuing education programs, adult basic education programs, and vocational and technical training programs.

Benefits to Stakeholders

A long-term alliance between AHEAD and PEPNet as a "community of practice" will allow knowledge and expertise to be applied in ways that may well yield innovative solutions to recurring and new challenges. Such a joint initiative also has the potential to significantly stimulate and enhance the quality, relevance, and application of services, products and training models across the entire disability spectrum.

Conference participants can share information and experiences, learn from colleagues in related disciplines, and develop themselves personally and professionally. Professionals in the field of deafness often study and adapt practices used in providing services to consumers with other types of disabilities. Being able to discuss services, strategies, issues, and solutions with a larger group of colleagues will provide a much richer experience for all participants.

We encourage you to join us in Denver on July 12-17, 2010 for this exciting opportunity. For more information, please contact: pepnetwest@pepnet.org

www.pepnet.org