About

LOCATION

The response_ability conference will be hosted in Toledo, Ohio, at the Crowne Plaza Toledo located downtown on the Maumee River.

Crowne Plaza Toledo
444 North Summit Street
Toledo, OH 43604
1.888.444.0401

Single/Double (Conference Rate): $99 / night
Conference rate will be available until
April 25th, 2010.

Please make sure you request the “AIGA”
group rate.

www.crownplazatoledo.com

Reservations:
1.888.444.0401





Directions:
Whether you are flying into Detroit Metro (approx. 50 minutes from downtown Toledo), Toledo Express Airport (approx. 30 minutes from downtown Toledo), driving into the city or taking public transportation, the Crowne Plaza Toledo has directions available at their web site.

http://www.crowneplazatoledo.com/directions.html

Things To See and Do in Toledo

Toledo Art Museum
Since 1901, the Toledo Museum of Art has earned a global reputation for the quality of their collection, their innovative education programs, and their architecturally significant campus. Within this celebrated environment, they invite you to personally discover the power of art: to delight, to inspire, to engage, and even to transform viewers of all ages and backgrounds.

Toledo Glass Pavillion
Opened in 2006, the postmodern Glass Pavilion is the new home of the Toledo Museum of Art’s world-renowned glass collection, featuring more than 5,000 works of art from ancient to contemporary times. Designed by Tokyo-based SANAA, Ltd., the Glass Pavilion received Travel + Leisure’s 2007 Design Award for “Best Museum.”

Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers. The current team is one of several professional clubs that have existed in Toledo since 1883. The name "Mud Hens" was first used in 1896, after the team was bought by Charles Strobel. The Mud Hens currently play at Fifth Third Field, at 406 Washington St. The stadium, built in 2002, was named the best minor league ballpark in America by Newsweek on Aug. 5, 2002.

Metroparks of the Toledo Area
Metroparks of the Toledo Area is a public agency serving the citizens of Lucas County by providing a regional system of clean, safe, natural parks. The Metroparks preserves many of the region's most significant natural areas, from the Oak Openings to the Lake Erie coastal zone, and green corridors along the Maumee River, Ottawa River and Swan Creek. Within these 10,500 acres are beautiful scenery, rare and endangered plants and animals, trails, significant historical sites, shelters and indoor facilities, playgrounds and open spaces. Open 7 a.m. to dark. every day.

The Toledo Zoo
With over 6,000 animals representing over 760 species, The Toledo Zoo is one of the world’s most complete zoos—it’s also the region’s top family destination! Let The Toledo Zoo take you from the Arctic tundra to the wilds of Africa, from the tropical rainforest to the Sonoran Desert and all points between—all in one great day.

The Docks
Whether you have a taste for the freshest seafood in town, a succulent steak hot off the grill, tantalizing Mexican cuisine or spicy Italian, The Docks offer a dining experience guaranteed to suit the most scrupulous of tastes. Located directly on the waterfront in Downtown Toledo, a unique ambiance combines with an exceptional dining selection at The Docks. Four restaurants and a wine and martini bar, each featuring original fare, overlook the river and evening lights of Downtown Toledo. Cousino’s Navy Bistro, The Real Seafood Company, Tango’s Mexican Cantina, Zia’s Italian and Eileen’s Wine & Martini Bar combine to form an unforgettable evening - or afternoon - out.

The Toledo Walleye
The Toledo Walleye are a professional ice hockey team based in Toledo, Ohio. The Walleye are members of the North Division of the American Conference of the ECHL. The Walleye play their home games in downtown Toledo at Lucas County Arena, which opened in October 2009. The Lucas County Arena is the nation’s first LEED certified professional sports arena. The arena's signature green design element is a 900-square foot "green wall" outside of the building, which features the use of plant life on the exterior of the building to help cool the arena by shading the glass-enclosed main entrance of the arena. The arena's location next to mass transit systems, use of a light-colored roof membrane that reflects sunlight and underground cisterns collecting rain water to re-use for landscaping purposes around the arena are also emphasized to acquire LEED points for the project.

The Sandpiper
The Sandpiper is a 100 Passenger cruise vessel located on the Maumee River. The Sandpiper was built in 1984 in Maumee, Ohio. She has spent her entire career plying the waters of the Maumee River, however she has paid a visit to Monroe, Michigan, and many Detroit River locations. It is constructed of welded steel and is inspected annually by the U.S. Coast Guard. The boat is available for private and public rides from May through October.

Bowling Green State University (BGSU)
Established in 1910 to educate teachers, BGSU, located in Bowling Green, Ohio, is the 14th largest producer of teachers in the country. The university boasts more than 20,000 students involved in 200 undergraduate majors and programs on the main campus. This year, U.S.News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" ranked BGSU 11th in the nation for its strong commitment to teaching undergraduate students. This new honor follows several consecutive years of being cited for outstanding first-year programs and residential living/learning communities.

University of Toledo (UT)
The University of Toledo, a student-centered, public metropolitan research university, is one of 13 state universities in Ohio. Established in 1872, UT became a member of the state university system in 1967. The University of Toledo and the Medical University of Ohio merged July 2006 to form the third-largest public university operating budget in the state. UT offers more than 250 undergraduate, graduate and professional programs to 20,000+ students.

The Toledo Symphony
For the 66th consecutive season, the Toledo Symphony will bring music to the regions of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. In 2009-2010 it will continue its mission of service and quality and present over 400 performances to nearly 300,000 music listeners. Performances take place in classrooms, concert halls, churches, auditoriums, senior centers, and theatres in nearly 100 communities in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. In its commitment to provide excellent music to the largest possible audience, the Toledo Symphony remains an essential force in the quality of life throughout the region.

SCHEDULE

PARTICIPATE

Call for Readers

We are initiating a “Call for Readers” in an effort to make the response_ability conference as inclusive as possible. Conference readers will be involved in the process of evaluating abstract proposals for inclusion in the conference program.

Reader Criteria

• must have a minimum of two presentations or publications in the area or specialization in which they are applying to serve as a reviewer.
• must have a minimum of 5 years full time teaching experience.
• must have a rank of Associate Professor level or higher.

Reader Responsibilities

• must be available to review 5-7 proposals within the publication deadlines.
• must be willing to provide constructive feedback for abstracts in Jan/Feb for both accepted and rejected submissions.

To express interest in serving as a reader by email:

• email subject line should read "response_ability Reader".
• in the body of your email, provide the following: full name, title, affiliation, phone numbers, and specify your discourse area(s) of expertise.
• include an attachment of a PDF document of your current bio and CV. Please name this file: CV_yourlastname_schoolinitials.pdf. (ex: CV_smith_bgsu.pdf).

Reader Application Deadline is January 15, 2010

Reader Notification is January 18, 2010

Call for Papers

Who Should Submit
Design, communication, media and sustainability educators, administrators, and students, as well as artists, sustainability gurus, and designers, are encouraged to submit papers.

What To Submit
Papers should address one of the discourse areas (see discourse area descriptions on home page) or another relevant aspect of ethics and/or sustainability.

Selection and Notification
Abstracts due: January 22, 2010
Notification of abstract acceptance: February 15, 2010
Full paper/presentation due: May 10, 2010

You will need to include:

• a written abstract of no more than 1,500 words with no reference to your name or institution within the title or body of the abstract. Include any supporting visuals within here.
• an abbreviated bio, 150 words or less, to be published in the schedule should your paper be accepted.

All abstracts will be juried and selected by a blind, peer review process. Notification of abstract acceptance: February 15, 2010

To maintain uniqueness and integrity from one conference to the next, submissions or proposals previously presented at AIGA or DEC conferences CANNOT be accepted.

Suggested Abstract Guidelines

• Include both general and specific keywords common within the discipline.
• Be brief, summarize. Think bare bones. Abstracts can be no more than 1500 words.
• Focus on your main claims and argument.
• Place your content within a timeframe and location (one studio, three years of projects, etc.).
• Think of the target reader, in this case design educators.
• Abstracts are necessarily dry. No need to entertain.
• Use a clear, “no frills,” direct writing style. Avoid bureaucratic prose and passive constructions.
• Make sure the topic can be addressed within the time limit offered (15 - 30 minutes).
• A good summary on writing abstracts can be found here.

If abstract is accepted, paper/presentation due: May 10, 2010

Call for "Digital Posters"

Have a project or experience you want share with your colleagues at the conference, but don't want/need to submit a full paper or presentation? Consider creating a digital poster to be projected for all attendees to see at the conference and view on the conference website. Your submission should be a 1024 x 768 single-page, "high-quality print" pdf.

To maintain uniqueness and integrity from one conference to the next, submissions or proposals previously presented at AIGA or DEC conferences CANNOT be accepted.

Call for Roundtable Moderators

To volunteer to organize a working lunch roundtable, submit an abstract and CV via our contact form.

Call for Session Panels

Have a topic you feel should be covered in the conference? To moderate a formal panel discussion, submit an abstract and CV, use our contact form.

• must have a minimum of two presentations or publications in the area or specialization in which they are applying to serve as a reviewer.
• must have a minimum of 5 years full time teaching experience.
• must be willing to solicit panel members and provide a cohesive abstract submission for all speakers.
• To maintain uniqueness and integrity from one conference to the next, submissions or proposals previously presented at AIGA or DEC conferences CANNOT be accepted.

Do you have an idea for a session but are unable or unwilling to moderate? Please let us know what you are thinking via our contact form.