Conference Awards

The Southwest Conference on Disability periodically recognizes individuals or organizations that have made outstanding contributions to aspects of disability. The National Distinguished Disability Research Award is given on an annual basis. The remaining awards are presented periodically when warranted. NOTE: The Award categories and criteria have changed this year!

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Follow this link if you would like to nominate someone for an award.

Award Categories

The National Distinguished Disability Research Award recognizes outstanding disability-related research conducted in the United States. This research could be basic, social science or translational. The award may be presented to a single individual, or a group of individuals, including teams of faculty and students. The 2010 recipient of this award has already been chosen; the deadline for nominations for the 2011 award is October 6, 2010.

The Disability Advocacy Award recognizes an individual, business, organization, or government agency that has made a positive and sustained impact on the quality of life of New Mexicans with disabilities. Disability advocacy could be demonstrated through innovative programs, services, or supports in the areas of employment, education, health, programmatic and physical accessibility or community involvement.

The Outstanding Student with a Disability Award recognizes a New Mexican undergraduate or graduate student with a disability who is enrolled in an institution of higher learning or is a senior in high school preparing to attend college who through his or her efforts exemplifies the characteristics of an outstanding student. The awardee will receive a $500 honorarium and a registration scholarship to attend the 2010 conference.

The Alex Abeyta, Jr. Distinguished Public Servant: The Disability Memorial Award From time to time, the Southwest Conference honors an individual who made significant contributions in some aspect of the disability field during his or her lifetime. This year, the award will honor the late Alex Abeyta Jr. The award recognizes a New Mexican with at least ten (10) years of outstanding public service in government on the local, state or federal level who,through his or her efforts, has increased the quality of life of New Mexicans with disabilities.

Nomination Deadlines and Procedures

The deadline for nominations is August 3, 2010 for all awards (except for the National Distinguished Disability Research Award which is October 6, 2010). Nominations should include the following information:

The name and contact information (address, email and phone number) for both the nominee and the nominator;
The award category;
A brief statement describing how the nominee meets or exceeds the criteria ;
The names and contact information (address, email and phone number) of two individuals who can speak to the nominee’s contributions; and
Nominations for the National Distinguished Disability Research Award must also enclose copies of relevant articles, reports, or other scholarly work written by the nominee(s).