Policies

The safety of our guests and attendees is very important to the NAD. By registering for and attending #NAD2024, you agree to abide by and comply with all health and safety protocols that are asked of you while you are attending the conference. Proactive measures must be taken in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The NAD continues to monitor the situation through updates from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Illinois Department of Public Health. The NAD is following guidelines from the CDC and asks all attending to take health precautions for everyone’s safety. 

COVID-19 Personal Responsibility Statement

Anyone who registers for the in-person event is agreeing to the COVID-19 Personal Responsibility Statement as follows:

I understand and agree that NAD cannot guarantee that I will not be exposed to or contract a communicable disease, such as COVID-19, at the #NAD2024 Biennial Conference. As a participant in the upcoming #NAD2024 Biennial Conference, I agree to follow all established and applicable COVID-19-related requirements, advisories, policies, procedures, and protocols of the #NAD2024 Biennial Conference during the event.​ I understand the risk that I may be exposed to or infected by a communicable disease by attending the #NAD2024 Biennial Conference. I assume all such risks and assume full personal responsibility for my participation. By registering for #NAD2024 Biennial Conference, I release the NAD and their staff and contractors from liability should I become ill to any extent, directly or indirectly, as a result of my participation in the event. Further, if I register any other person or bring any other person to the #NAD2024 Biennial Conference, I also agree to convey to such person(s) of these terms and agreements, and also release the NAD and their staff and contractors from liability should such person(s) become ill to any extent, directly or indirectly, as a result of their attendance.

Events

• Workshops (July 1-6), $40
• Senior Citizens Luncheon (July 3), $80
• NAD@Night Opening Ceremony (July 3), $75
• Youth Luncheon (July 4), $80
• NAD@Night Pitch Competition (July 4), $75
• BIPOC Luncheon (July 5), $80
• NAD@Night College Bowl (July 5), $75
• LGBT Brunch (July 6), $80
• NAD Certificate of Attendance, $30
• DIG Certificate of Attendance, $30
• NDEC CEUs, $100
• RID CEUs, $100

*Note: Full Combo package tickets and all luncheons tickets must be purchased by May 31, 2024. All other events are available for purchase from now until the conference. 

Each person must be registered to be able to attend any NAD Conference events:

• Regular – 4 years and older
• Infants – 0-3 years old

Registration is required for all events, including for the Exhibit Hall, which is free.  Registration CLOSES for all events on May 31, 2024 and will resume onsite for most individual events on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. No packages with meal events will be sold on-site.

To pick up your conference badge and be admitted, all attendees 18 years of age or older will be required to present a government-issued photo ID or a passport. No one will be allowed to pick up another person’s badge, except parents for their children under the age of 18. Your badge is yours only, and we ask that you do not give it to someone else to attend in your place, not even temporarily. Registered attendees must wear their badge at all times for admittance to and remaining in all Conference events. In addition, you will be given a sticker to get into any specific events that you purchase such as:

• Senior Citizens Luncheon
• NAD@Night Opening Ceremony
• Youth Luncheon
• NAD@Night Pitch Competition
• BIPOC Luncheon
• NAD@Night College Bowl
• LGBT Brunch

Registrants who lose their conference badge must pay the full replacement cost of their registration to continue attending the conference. We will not accept an admission sticker for any event without the conference badge. 

You may transfer your registration to someone else prior to May 31, 2024. All transfer requests must be emailed to [email protected] by May 31, 2024.

If you need to cancel your registration, refunds will be allowed according to the registration refund schedule below. If you wish to cancel your registration, please email [email protected]. Exceptions will be made for a medical emergency or a death in the immediate family as long as appropriate written documentation is provided:

• Before April 1, 2024 = 75%
• April 1-30, 2024 = 50%
• May 1-31, 2024 = 25%
• After May 31, 2024 = 0%

Purchase Orders are accepted as payment for registration if arranged prior to May 31, 2024. Purchase Orders must be paid in full prior to June 30, 2024 in order for the registration to be valid. We will not accept Purchase Orders on site. Please email your purchase order request to [email protected] by May 31, 2024.

The NAD reserves the right to refuse admission or remove any person from the NAD Conference at any time in its sole discretion, including but not limited to attendees behaving in a disorderly manner or failing to comply with any of the conference terms and conditions.

We value access and make every effort to make our meetings accessible and welcoming to all participants. All of the presenters have been provided with guidance on making their presentations accessible. We also provide auxiliary aids and services to meet individual needs during the conference sessions. If you made a request on your registration for an auxiliary aid or service and have any questions, please visit the #NAD2024 Info Desk.

If you have any accommodation or auxiliary aid or service requests, be sure to include them when you register. To best ensure that we can meet your request, please email [email protected] by May 31, 2024.  If you have any updates to your requests between your registration and the time of the conference, please email those changes to [email protected] as soon as possible. All presentations at the NAD Conference will be in American Sign Language (ASL).  Most NAD workshops, sessions, events, etc will be voice interpreted and CART/captioned. If the presenter is not using ASL then we will have an ASL interpreter available next to the presenter as well as captioning services. Some workshops may not have CART and interpretation and will be indicated in the program book and mobile app. Seating at workshop and event sessions is on a first-come, first-served basis with the exception of attendees that request accommodations.

We ask that everyone attending the conference not wear any perfumes or colognes or other chemicals that have a scent. Perfumes, colognes and other scented chemicals cause allergic reactions in some people, including serious physical illness or death. Different people are affected by different products in different ways. The common factor is that the reaction, whatever the type, is very strong and disabling. The NAD requests that all participants do not use such fragrances or only use unscented personal care products to provide a safe environment for everyone.

Due to food allergy concerns, the NAD Conference is a peanut/banana-free conference. The NAD requests that all participants avoid bringing in peanuts and bananas (in any form) throughout the Conference (this includes all events, workshops, Exhibit Hall, and luncheons).

Solicitation or selling of items or services is not allowed at the NAD Conference, except by Exhibitors at their designated booth in the Exhibit Hall. Authorized exhibitors, presenters, and conference attendees are not to engage in unauthorized business promotions or solicitation at the NAD Conference outside the Exhibit Hall. Attendees who violate this rule may be asked to leave the NAD Conference.  

The NAD Conference is intended to be a safe, secure, and enjoyable place for all attendees and participants with the purpose of encouraging productive discussions, maintaining full accessibility, and promoting tolerance for the expression of diverse and respectful views. All attendees and participants are expected to conduct themselves in a professional and courteous manner, and to show respect to everyone at all times without any form of harassment.

The NAD does not tolerate harassment on any basis including but not limited to: race, national origin, age, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, religion, or political affiliation. The NAD reserves the right to remove from the conference any person who engages in a violation of this conduct policy. The NAD also reserves the right to ban such person from all future NAD events. No refunds will be given to any person who has been expelled from the conference for violating this conduct policy.

The NAD also requires that all attendees and participants of the NAD Conference not bring weapons of any kind into any part of the conference areas. Any attendee or participant will be immediately removed from the conference and premises if they bring any weapon such as but not limited to: firearms, munitions, knives or any form of sharp metal item, tasers or any form of electrical shock equipment, night sticks or batons or clubs, baseball bats, or any other item that are designed to cause harm. Possession of any such items will be cause for immediate removal from the premises as well as a ban from all future NAD events.

If anyone experiences harassment, inappropriate conduct, or possession of weapons, please report it as soon as possible. If any person’s behavior has made you uncomfortable, or if you witness inappropriate conduct towards someone else, please immediately contact any staff or security affiliated with #NAD2024. You may also come to #NAD2024 Registration Desk. If necessary, we will contact local law enforcement, provide escort, offer a safe place or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to make sure they feel safe for the rest of #NAD2024.

The National Association of the Deaf grants media access to the #NAD2024 Biennial NAD Conference only to approved media teams. Media organizations seeking credentials to cover the NAD Conference must fill out the Media Policy and Agreement by May 31, 2024.

By attending the NAD Conference, you agree and understand that you are giving permission to the National Association of the Deaf to obtain and use photography, audio and video recordings at the NAD Conference, without restriction or limitation for such use. You also agree and understand that you will not be compensated for the use of such photographs, or audio or video recordings. You further agree and understand that if you do not want to be photographed or recorded in audio or video, you will notify [email protected] prior to June 30, 2024.

The violation of any NAD Conference policies by any person, attendee, participant, exhibitor, sponsor, or guest, may constitute grounds for expulsion from the NAD Conference. Should you be expelled for such a violation, your conference registration/exhibit booth payment will not be refunded.