Dear Members and Registrants,
I write to everyone today with the disappointing, but I think, prudent decision by members of ABLE’s Board of Directors to cancel our upcoming conference this June at the University of California – San Diego.
This decision was made at an emergency Board Meeting on Tuesday. Board of Director members, including our conference hosts, found there was no possible way to hold a conference or even delay this decision considering the very uncertain future we are all facing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Board of Directors has also made the following decisions as a result of this cancellation:
- Registration fees will be refunded in full to those that already registered. If you would also like to have your ABLE 2020-2021 membership fees refunded (https://www.ableweb.org/membership-information/), please email treasurer@ableweb.org to request this. By remaining a member for the July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 year, you’ll receive all member benefits including discounted registration for the ABLE 2021 conference at the University of Victoria.
- Registrants seeking refunds for housing or travel will need to contact their provider(s) directly to inquire.
- Charlie Drewes Waiver of Registration Grants have been cancelled for this year. We thank all who took the time to submit applications.
- ABLE Travel Grants have also been cancelled for this year. Again, we thank all who took the time to submit applications.
- Roberta Williams Laboratory Teaching Initiative Grants will proceed. Details and the submission portal is here: https://www.ableweb.org/roberta-williams-laboratory-teaching-initiative-grant/
- Major Workshops have been cancelled. We will defer acceptance of major workshops to next year’s conference provided that A) you re-submit your proposal at https://www.ableweb.org/conferences/able-major-workshops by the deadline (October 31, 2020), and B) next year’s host has the facilities and resources to support your workshop. A sincere thanks to all those that took the time to write and submit proposals.
- Mini Workshops have been cancelled. We will defer acceptance of mini workshops to next year’s conference provided that A) you re-submit your proposal at https://www.ableweb.org/conferences/able-mini-workshops by the deadline (November 30, 2020), and B) next year’s host has the facilities and resources to support your mini workshop. Again, a sincere thanks to all those that took the time to write and submit proposals.
- Posters have been cancelled and the submission portal has been closed for this year.
- Finally, the current election of three board members will continue with results to be announced via email to the general membership in the coming weeks. Members should check their email inboxes for voting directions.
Sincerely,
Mark Wolansky
ABLE President 2019-2021