Inclusion and Accessibility

Accessibility and Accommodations

NASPA strives to foster accessible spaces during the NASPA Annual Conference. Our team can help identify if the current accessibility protocols will meaningfully support your access needs or if additional accommodations are necessary.

Here’s what’s already built as part of our conference planning process:

Auditory:

• Keynote and plenary sessions will have live captioning.
• Virtual sessions will be closed captioned using Zoom auto-captioning.
• NASPA contracts with a provider for ASL and CART services to ensure individual attendee accommodations are met during breakout sessions.
• Speakers will use microphones for all sessions.
• NASPA will work with individuals who request accommodations after selecting a service provider to identify their session selection.

Mobility:

• All meeting and event spaces are accessible to wheelchair and scooter users.
• Elevators are marked, and NASPA staff will be able to help you identify elevators to navigate to your next session or meeting.
• Our hotel team works with attendees who need hotel accommodations.

visual:

• The conference schedule and information are available with the NASPA Events App, which is accessible on mobile devices and desktop/laptop computers. The app works with screen readers as well.
• A PDF of the program book will be available upon request.
• All visual information presented during the keynote and plenary sessions will be communicated verbally. We have asked presenters to make their presentations accessible by verbally indicating what is on their slides.
• If you are attending with a colleague who will be providing sighted assistance in navigating the conference spaces and would like to visit the space before the conference begins, please let us know.

Additional spaces:

• Attendees will have access to a nursing lounge/lactation room.
• There will be all-gender restrooms located throughout the event space.
• Prayer rooms will be available throughout the event.
• Shuttles to and from the conference hotels to the event space will be available throughout the day.

If at any point that you recognize a need to request accommodations for the Annual Conference, please follow the process described below to do so. Everyone interested in attending the NASPA Annual Conference is welcome to seek accommodations at any time in preparation for the conference. 

You are not required to disclose your disability (mobility, auditory, sight, sensory, etc.) or identity status (Disabled, Deaf, Autistic, Chronically Ill, Mentally Ill, etc.) but are welcome to do so if you believe this information will influence the later discussion surrounding your access needs and/or accommodation requests.

Ready to make your accommodations request? 

Option 1: Complete your Annual Conference registration

• In the “Access Accommodations” section of the registration process, please indicate what type of accommodation NASPA can provide at the event: auditory, mobility, or visual.
  • Additional notes can be added in this section to provide individual clarification on the accommodation.

Option 2: If you need to make a change after registering, please reach out to customer service 

• The team will help get your information updated and connected to the folks providing accommodations.
  • Accommodation requests can be made at any time. However, certain accommodations will need advance notice to secure services. 

A NASPA Accessibility Contact will follow up with you, whether you requested accommodations via the conference registration form, the NASPA Accommodation Form, or via email. In this follow-up, the contact will confirm your needs and identify the best plan moving forward to provide your accommodations.

Some accommodations may require that NASPA requests your desired schedule at the Annual Conference to provide the appropriate accommodations in individual sessions. Changes to your schedule onsite are accommodated as resources permit but cannot be guaranteed.

Note: While requests are welcome at any time, please also recognize that requests will most effectively be supported if they are submitted as soon as possible, and where possible, 30 days before the event.

Thank you to the American Anthropological Association (AAA) for being leaders in event accessibility accommodations. NASPA borrowed from their website as a guide for our accommodations planning process.

Supporting a Safe and Respectful Environment

NASPA is dedicated to providing a welcoming environment and strives to address the interests of its members and the student affairs profession. We seek to foster a positive environment built upon a foundation of trust, respect, open communications, and ethical behavior.

NASPA's Non-Discrimination Statement

NASPA does not discriminate on the basis of race; color;, national origin; religion; sex; age; gender identity or expression; affectional or sexual orientation; veteran status; disability; marital status; personal appearance; family responsibilities; genetic information; educational status; political affiliation; place of residence or business; source of income; caste; matriculation; credit information; status as a survivor or family member of a survivor of domestic violence, a sexual offense, or stalking; reproductive health decision making; or any other basis protected by law in any of its policies, programs, publications, and services. NASPA prohibits discrimination and harassment at any time, including during its events or within publications and online learning communities.  

Event Conduct Policy

NASPA participants are expected to conduct themselves in all NASPA capacities, events, and settings with:

• Consideration and respect in their speech and actions and in their personal, professional and business conduct toward participants, NASPA and venue employees, exhibitors, and sponsors;
• Honesty in their professional relationships, including refraining from taking credit for the work of others without specific acknowledgement and authorization;
• Courtesy and respect for individuals’ personal boundaries; and
• Behavior that is free from:
  • Demeaning, discriminatory, insulting, or harassing language or actions, or language and actions that enforce dominance, in person or online;
  • Harassment of any kind, including but not limited to unwelcome sexual advances, sexual imagery and language, requests for sexual favors, deliberate intimidation, stalking, and other verbal or physical harassment;
  • Content recording without the permission of the participants; and
  • Sustained disruption of sessions or events.

NASPA GUIDING PRINCIPLES and CODE OF ETHICS

All NASPA Annual Conference participants agreed to the Guiding Principles and Code of Ethics when registering for the conference. Visit the NASPA Website for the NASPA Guiding Principles and Code of Ethics.

NASPA Global Health, Safety, and Responsibility

Updated March 4, 2025

Event Safety During Ongoing Public Health Emergencies

With ongoing public health emergencies, NASPA is prepared to manage our place-based events with the health, safety, and well-being of our attendees, staff, presenters, exhibitors, sponsors, and speakers in mind. All participants, including, but not limited to, attendees, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, NASPA staff, service providers, and others are expected to abide by our code of conduct and all polices in effect for any event sponsored by the Association.

We will continue to monitor and update safety precautions for all of our conferences regularly and coordinate with trusted national resources, state and local public health agencies, and the hotels/venues hosting our events.

In all cases, we will continue to assess the risks in the area local to the event and the current status in the United States. In keeping with the Association's duty of care and the responsibility as host, NASPA has implemented safety requirements for many of our place-based convenings.

We reserve the right to modify these policies and procedures at any time given the rapidly changing nature of any current and ongoing public health emergencies. 

Attending a NASPA Event

Before leaving home to attend a NASPA Event, please follow relevant guidance on all communicable disease (flu, COVID-19, etc.) from the WHO, CDC, and/or your local health authority regarding exposure, testing, and quarantine recommendations. You should adhere to government issues travel restrictions and guidance to/from the regions you will be traveling.

Before Leaving Home

• Stay home if you feel unwell.
• Stay home if you are knowingly exposed to the flu, COVID-19, or develop symptoms and/or test positive for any communicable disease within 14 days prior to a NASPA event.

Onsite During an Event

• Follow guidance from the local health authority for everyday preventative actions to help prevent the spread of viruses including:
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or an alcohol-based sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol
• Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. Throw unused tissues in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces with wipes.
• If you so choose, wear a properly fitting, CDC recommended face mask during the event. Face masks should cover from the bridge of your nose to past your chin.
• Adhere to protocols put in place by the Association, the venue, or the local health authorities.
• If, at any time during an event, you feel unwell, learn that you have been exposed to the flu or COVID-19, etc. prior to the event, develop symptoms, or test positive for a communicable virus, do not attend the meetings. Please remain in your hotel room or at home and seek medical advice.

NASPA strongly encourages individuals to be tested for the flu or COVID prior to traveling to any NASPA event. Individuals who test positive should stay home and cancel your registration. If you are on-site and test positive for any flu or COVID illnesses, please contact NASPA staff by emailing [email protected]. 

Please contact Stephanie Gordon, vice president for professional development, and Amy Shopkorn, executive vice president, at [email protected], for more information.

Venue and Location Safety Information

NASPA event planners will work with vendors, facilities, and local areas to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal requirements and recommendations regarding cleaning surfaces, food service, air flow and circulation, sanitation of common areas, housekeeping services for lodging rooms, and other environmental health and safety. 

NASPA contracts event space from the venue and therefore is able to maintain rules and regulations for that space alone. The Association is not responsible, nor are we able to, require masks or vaccination for the other spaces or areas where events and meetings are being held. NASPA is not able to require vaccinations of the venue’s staff, but we can require masking of staff working NASPA contracted space, should the local area require it.

Building Community During Your Conference Experience

NASPA has many Knowledge Communities (KCs), steering committees, and groups, which are member-driven networks that empower you to explore key topics, professional functions, and personal identities alongside other student affairs educators. 

You can learn more about the Knowledge Communities here. Many of the sessions during the conference will be sponsored by specific Knowledge Communities, and many KCs will also host receptions and open business meetings that you can attend to learn more and get involved. 

Transportation

NASPA will be providing an ADA shuttle, available upon request, for transportation between the Convention Center and conference hotels. If an attendee needs to procure wheelchair accessible transportation from the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to the conference, the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau has recommended the following options:

• One Bunch Hookup, 504-309-1973 . Bookings/reservations may be made through their website.
• Alert Transportation and Limousines, 504-525-0500. Bookings/reservations may be made through their website.
• Exquisite Medical Transportation, 985-228-1258. Bookings/reservations can be made by calling the phone number and choosing #1 to be connected to dispatch.