In-Person Conference & Event Space

All convention centers and hotels the conference occupies are accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). All rooms at the conference are wheelchair accessible and have seats in the first row and back row marked as reserved for individuals with accessibility needs. Please use these accommodations if you need them and we ask that no one question anyone’s use of this accommodation as some disabilities are invisible.

Space has been left for two wheelchairs in the front and back of each meeting room. Please keep designated wheelchair areas and aisles clear for person who may be using wheelchairs, canes, crutches, or motorized scooters. Space should be left around the doors and aisles to allow access.

Convention Center & Event Space Limitations

AWP works closely with the hotels and convention center to plan the conference and assure Americans with Disability Act (ADA) and related accessibility compliance. However, AWP does not control or oversee the building’s accessibility for the hotels or the convention center. The hotels and convention centers are responsible for the accessibility of all common areas, building entrances and exits, room entrances and exits, hallways, bathrooms, roll-up doors and air walls, escalators, and elevators. AWP does not have the authority to make alterations to these spaces or their fire codes and security policies. While AWP has taken numerous steps to ensure these properties adhere to the guidelines set forth in the ADA, including multiple assessments of each property, as well as obtaining contractual language guaranteeing ADA adherence, we rely on the hotel and convention center staff at these venues to make sure the buildings themselves are accessible. Each building has ADA accessible entrances as outlined in this document, but some other entrances must be locked to the outside for all attendees to ensure the security of the building for all attendees.

Mobility Constraints

Due to the large size of the AWP Conference & Bookfair, the sessions are often spread out, and distances between sessions may be considerable. Please remember in your travel plans to bring any mobility equipment you may need to help navigate throughout the conference, including between the convention center, hotels, and surrounding areas. If you find you need to rent equipment on-site, please see the Scooter & Wheelchair Rentals section of this document. If you require help navigating the conference, please see the Attendant and Assistants and Volunteer Assistance sections of this document.

Registration Services

AWP’s online registration system provides attendees with the opportunity to indicate if they have accessibility needs. If you indicate that you have accessibility needs when registering, an AWP staff member will contact you to follow up and help ensure those needs are met.

AWP does not require that any conference attendee disclose a disability; however, we can better meet specific needs if we know well ahead of time that a reasonable accommodation will be needed. Onsite registration, located in the exhibit hall of the Kansas City Convention Center, will have an a specific wheelchair-height Accessibility Services Desk for attendees with disabilities or those who cannot stand in long registration lines to pick up their registration materials.

For any questions regarding the registration process, please email registration@awpwriter.org.

On-Site Accessibility Contact

An onsite contact for questions about accessibility services will be posted in January 2024.

On-Site Accessibility Tour

The Accessibility Tour is scheduled at 3:00 p.m. on February 7. Please meet at 3:00 p.m. at the Accessibility Services Desk, located in Exhibit Hall E on Level 3 of the Kansas City Convention Center.

Accessibility Desk

Requests for help on-site are best addressed directly to the Accessibility Desk. While the conference is in session, AWP’s small staff cannot monitor social media for requests. The Accessibility Desk will be located in Exhibit Hall E on Level 3 of the Kansas City Convention Center. If you require assistance after-hours, or are unable to get to the Accessibility Desk, please see the On-Site Accessibility Contact section of this webpage.

AWP conference staffers will be available at the Accessibility Desk from 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, and from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday to offer assistance.

Service Animals

All service animals are welcome in all spaces at the AWP Conference & Bookfair.

Attendees are reminded that service animals are working animals and should not distract or attempt to pet them.

Interpreters and CART

Interpreters, including American Sign Language, Cued Speech Alliteration, and Computer Assisted Real Time Captioning (CART) are available.

AWP can provide interpreters and CART services for any on-site conference event, including the bookfair, from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm.

Arrangements for interpreters and CART require advanced planning for a conference as large as AWP’s. Interpreters can best meet interpreting and CART needs when requests are received for the specific events you will attend in advance. To make a request for an interpreter, contact Conference Staff at conference@awpwriter.org by Wednesday, January 24, 2024, with a list of the events you plan to attend. AWP makes every effort to accommodate requests that arrive after January 24, but sometimes interpreters are unavailable unless booked well in advance of our conference.

All featured events will be ASL interpreted and live-captioned. All virtual events will include captions.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services

In addition to scheduling interpreters and/or CART services, assistive listening devices will available. If you would like an assisted listening device scheduled for a certain room or session, please reach out to conference@awpwriter.org.

Blind and Low-Vision Services

The conference program is provided in multiple formats to accommodate multiple accessibility needs. Large format and plaintext digital versions of the schedule will be available closer to the conference. A limited number of printed plaintext versions of the schedule will be available at the Accessibility Services Desk. Additionally, conference presenters are encouraged to describe themselves and any visual aids they might use.

The Kansas City Convention Center uses a mix of florescent and LED lighting inside the facility. The meeting rooms all include LED lighting, as does the exhibit hall. The bathrooms throughout the facility are a mix of LED and florescent.

If you do need a dark private space, please use room 2525A, located on Level 2 of the Kansas City Convention Center, directly outside of Ballroom A. This area includes two sliding doors into a small seating area, and additionally has a backroom with a latched door. This backroom will be unlocked and completely darkened for those needing this accommodation.

Attendants & Assistants

Registered attendees requiring an attendant or assistant to facilitate their participation and accessibility needs will be granted one complimentary registration for an attendant/assistant. To register an attendant/assistant, please email registration@awpwriter.org.

Volunteer Assistance

Volunteers are available for those who may require assistance throughout the conference. Volunteers can provide assistance with note taking, navigation, and other tasks. AWP can best meet volunteer assistance needs when requests are sent by Wednesday, January 24, 2024, to Conference Staff at conference@awpwriter.org. AWP makes every effort to accommodate requests that arrive after January 24.

Attendees requiring specific problem solving and on-site assistance during the conference should request it from personnel at the Accessibility Desk. Please see the Accessibility Desk section of this document for directions.

In-Person Zoom & Technology

AWP welcomes those unable to attend the conference due to a disability to Zoom in as a presenter via the virtual conference platform.

AWP is able to provide internet, a projector, and screen for Zoom if the organizer of the event emails Events Coordinator Aubrey Kamppila at events@awpwriter.org before September 15, 2023 to make the request. If contacted before September 15, AWP can almost certainly provide this technology.

Unfortunately, AWP is not always able to fulfill technology requests that come after September 15. In cases where presenters request to Zoom in after September 15, organizers can purchase internet for their event and use a personal laptop or tablet to Zoom in their remote presenter.

Email events@awpwriter.org if you have questions.

Presentations & Handouts

Please see the Presenter Guidelines webpage for more information about how best to fulfill obligations to the audience, including attendees with accessibility needs.

Hallway Seating & Quiet Space

AWP will add hallway seating throughout the Kansas City Convention Center where possible per fire codes.

AWP will also designate a meeting room as a Quiet Space for attendees needing a respite from the hustle and bustle of the conference. Please check the #AWP24 schedule for this room assignment in October 2023.

Weather

Kansas City, Missouri in early February has an historic average temperature high of 39-44 degrees, and a low of around 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Please prepare accordingly and visit a source such as AccuWeather for the most up to date Kansas City weather forecast.

Allergy Accommodations & Fragrances

As a courtesy to attendees with chemical sensitivities, attendees should refrain from using scented products to help ensure the comfort of everyone at the conference. The Kansas City Convention Center uses only unscented products throughout the facility, with the exception of scented toilet cleaner.

Some conference hotels offer allergen-free rooms, cleaning products, and bedding, as well as a mini-fridge, upon request. Please contact the hotel of your choice for more information.

Hotel Rooms

All AWP conference hotels are ADA accessible and should be contacted directly for reservations. Hotel contact information may be found on the Hotel & Travel webpage. These hotels have a limited number of rooms available for guests with accessibility needs. Given the number of attendees, and attendees with accessibility needs at the conference, AWP hotels often sell out months in advance as reservations are made on a first-come, first-served basis. If you require an ADA room, please make reservations as soon as possible. If you are having difficulty securing an ADA room, please contact Conference Staff at conference@awpwriter.org.

Scooters & Wheelchairs

10 scooters and 10 wheelchairs are available free of charge at the Kansas City Convention Center. These may be reserved by emailing Conference Staff at conference@awpwriter.org. Reservations are not required. Scooters and wheelchairs will also be available on first-come, first-served basis throughout the days of the conference.

Convention Center Maps

Maps of the Kansas City Convention Center will be posted in the fall of 2023.

Visual Cues

Visual cues and photographs of the Kansas City Convention Center will be posted in the fall of 2023.

Off-Site Events

Offsite Events are not produced, moderated, or curated by AWP, and AWP is not responsible for their quality or accessibility services. We list these events as a courtesy to the literary field. The organizers of these events have promised to AWP that the off-site venues listed in the off-site schedule are accessible according to the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you have any questions or concerns about specific off-site events, please contact the organizers of the event directly. If you attend an off-site event and find it is not accessible in accordance with the ADA, please contact Conference Staff at conference@awpwriter.org to let us know.

Closest Pharmacies

CVS
921 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64105 (0.5 miles)
Store Hours
Daily 7:00AM to 8PM CT
Pharmacy Hours
Monday-Friday: 7:30AM to 1:30PM, 2-6PM
Sunday: Closed

Walgreens
300 W 19 Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64108 (0.5 mi)
Monday-Friday: 8:30AM to 5PM CT
Saturday-Sunday: Closed

Sober AWP

The conference hosts a daily 12-step meeting. The time and location of this meeting will be made available in the conference schedule. All in recovery are welcome. Please contact soberawp@gmail.com for more information.

Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings

Kansas City Area Central Office AA
200 E 18th Ave, North Kansas City, MO 64116
24/7 local hotline: 816-471-72298
Virtual and in-person meetings available
Click here to find Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings in Kansas City

Narcotics Anonymous Meetings

Kansas City Narcotics Anonymous
24/7 local hotline: 816-471-7229
Virtual and in-person meetings available
Click here to find Narcotics Anonymous Meetings in Kansas City