Menu
Log in
Forgot password


Log in



WHA CONFERENCE ACCESSIBILITY:

TRAVEL, LODGING, AND MORE

BEST PRACTICES FOR ACCESSIBLE PRESENTATIONS

.

PLANNING FOR THE CONFERENCE

WHA PROGRAMS

Programs will be available to download in PDF format. The program is word searchable and supports screen readers. Please visit the 2025 Conference Program page.


WHA LARGE-PRINT PROGRAMS

Large-Print programs (for the inset *Program of Sessions* only) will be available on a limited basis by request only. Please send your request to our office before September 8 and make plans to pick it up at the registration desk in Albuquerque.


Please Note: This is for requests for a printed inset of the program of sessions only, not the entire program.


WHA BEST PRACTICES FOR PRESENTERS

A best practices guide for conference presenters is available here and on the 2025 WHA Program page. 


WHA TOURS and ACCESSIBILITY

Due to the nature of the tours, they each have their own level of accessibility. Please review this information in the program or at westernhistory.org/2025/travel. Contact the WHA if you have any questions before booking the tour. 


WHA ON-SITE QUESTIONS

If you have any immediate needs or requests during the conference, please stop at the registration desk and we will have staff on site to assist you.


PERSONAL ASSISTANTS OR INTERPRETERS

Any personal assistants or interpreters needed for accessibility purposes will receive complimentary conference registration. Out of courtesy to the WHA staff, please make these requests by September 8. The WHA will have a registration packet and name badge ready at the registration desk.


PLANNING YOUR TRIP

AIRPORT

Out-of-state visitors to the conference will fly into the Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ). You can find the accessibility guide for the airport HERE. The Albuquerque Airport offers all-gender, family bathrooms next to most single-sex bathrooms. Please note that there is not an all-gender restroom on the 3rd level near the TSA checkpoint.


There are three designated pet relief areas in the Sunport. Pre-security locations can be found on the baggage claim level on both east and west sides of the building. The post-security relief station is located at gate A7.


ALBUQUERQUE

Planning on exploring the city during your trip? Albuquerque provides a resource guide for accessibility that you can visit HERE.


PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) is accessible to wheelchair users and incorporates braille, English, and Spanish. Please consult the city's public transportation Accessibility website for more information. The Sun Van Paratransit Service is also available to people who are unable to ride the fixed route service. Visitor eligibility process and advance reservations required.


COVID PRECAUTIONS

The WHA recommends getting fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to the conference. Complimentary masks will be available at the registration desk for those who wish to wear one. 

THE CLYDE HOTEL

Please scroll down for information about the Albuquerque Convention Center

ADA ELEVATORS

The Clyde's main elevators are located on the west side of the lobby and access the guestrooms and meeting spaces. 

NURSING ROOM

Stay tuned for more information about the exact location!

ALL-GENDER BATHROOMS

Stay tuned for more information about the exact location!


AIR FILTRATION

Stay tuned more information!


SERVICE ANIMALS

Service animals are welcome at the Clyde Hotel. There are no designated pet relief areas.


ACCESSIBLE HOTEL ROOMS

Please inform the hotel that you require an accessible hotel room when you book your room; the Clyde Hotel staff will be happy to help!


ABQ CONVENTION CENTER

ADA ELEVATORS

The Convention Center's main elevator is located to the southeast of the 3rd Street Entrance and reaches all three floors. All areas of the Albuquerque Convention Center are accessible to people with mobility impairments.

NURSING ROOM

Stay tuned for more information about the exact location!

ALL-GENDER BATHROOMS

Stay tuned for more information about the exact location!


AIR FILTRATION

Stay tuned for more information!


SERVICE ANIMALS

Service animals are welcome at the Albuquerque Convention Center. There are no designated pet relief areas.


ACCESSIBLE ROOMS

Breakout rooms will be designed with adequate room for wheelchair users. 


WHA ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT

The Western History Association (WHA) is committed to fostering an environment that is inclusive and open to all. It strives to produce a conference that is accessible and provides for maximum participation in all conference events. To that end, our annual conference will aim to meet the needs of all attendees through inclusive design and accommodation.

WHA CONFERENCE ACCESSIBILITY

The Western History Association is taking more steps to improve accessibility services offered at the annual conference. This is work that needs to and will continue beyond the year 2025, especially with the establishment of the WHA COMMITTEE ON ACCESSIBILITY. The items the WHA will be able to accomplish this year merely serve as a foundation upon which to build in the future. Please contact the individuals listed below if you are interested in accessibility advocacy. 


Conference registrants may notify the WHA office at any time to discuss accessibility needs for the conference. You may also note these requests on the physical and/or online registration form. To ensure that our staff is able to meet everyone's needs in a timely manner, we ask that all requests reach our office by September 8 (pre-registration deadline). Email wha@westernhistory.org or call us at 785-864-0860. 


If you have any immediate needs or requests during the conference, please stop at the registration desk and we will have staff on-site to assist you.

WHA COMMITTEE ON ACCESSIBILITY

The WHA is grateful for the advocacy, dedication, and work of our members who bring these issues to the forefront of the WHA's short and long-term initiatives. Thank you for your patience as we make an institutional shift to become a more accessible--and therefore inclusive--organization.


"The Standing Committee on Accessibility aims to increase the presence and participation of disabled scholars as well as the presence of scholarship on disability within the WHA. It is our goal to make the WHA an inclusive and accessible environment for disabled scholars at every level and be an organization that embraces many different historical perspectives on the history of the American West. The committee supports all WHA organizations to achieve and foster inclusion."

  • Co-Chair: Alida Boorn, Independent Historian 
  • Co-Chair: Juliet Larkin-Gilmore, Penn State Abington
  • James Boorn, Independent Researcher and Accessibility Advocate
  • Samantha Smith, Michigan State University
  • Miguel Juarez, University of Texas at El Paso
  • Catharine Franklin, Texas Tech University
  • Sarah Ashley Whitt, University of California Irvine
  • Meagan A. Evans, University of Oklahoma

The Western History Association is committed to making our conference accessible for all members. Please continue to visit this page to review details about accessibility in Albuquerque, at the Clyde Hotel, and during the WHA Conference.


Western History Association

University of Kansas | History Department

1445 Jayhawk Blvd. | 3650 Wescoe Hall

Lawrence, KS 66045 | 785-864-0860

wha@westernhistory.org 


The WHA is located in the Department of History at the University of Kansas. The WHA is grateful to KU's History Department and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for their generous support!