WHA PROGRAMS

Programs will be available to download in PDF format. The program is word searchable and supports screen readers. Please visit the 2024 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 9 and make plans to pick it up at the registration desk in Kansas (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 2024 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/2024/travel. Contact the WHA if you have any questions before booking the tour. 

WHA ONSITE QUESTIONS

If you have any immediate needs or requests during the conference, please stop at the registration desk and we will have staff onsite 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 staff, please make these requests by September 9. The WHA will have a registration packet and name badge ready at the desk on the second floor of the hotel.

AIRPORT

Out-of-state visitors to the conference will fly into the Kansas City International Airport (MCI). You can find the accessibility guide for the airport HERE. The KC airport offers all gender bathrooms (Concourse B near the Kids Play Zone) as well as gender specific bathrooms.

KANSAS CITY

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

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

The RideKC is accessible to all wheelchair riders. Please consult the city's public transportation Accessibility website for more information: https://ridekc.org/mobility-services/paratransit-info

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. 

ADA ELEVATORS

The Sheraton's guestroom elevators are located on the north side of the lobby and access the guestrooms, mezzanine, and lobby levels of the hotel. To access the Ballroom level, there is a separate eleavtor on the southwest corner of the lobby which services the lobby, mezzanine, ballroom, and fitness center levels. To access the Exhibit Hall, attendees can utilize an accessibility lift which services the 12-15 steps from the Mezzanine down to the Exhibit Hall level. 

NURSING ROOM

The WHA has reserved a dedicated nursing room on the ballroom level for conference attendees. It is located next to the Atlanta Room on the Ballroom Level, and the Sheraton refers to it as the Ballroom Office.

ALL-GENDER BATHROOMS

All-Gender bathrooms will be located on the Ballroom Level near the Atlanta room. There will be two all-gender bathrooms available to conference attendees.

AIR FILTRATION

All Marriott hotels have updated their air filtration system within the past three years. Marriott hotels (which own Sheraton properties) nationwide upgraded their air purification systems and you can learn more about their standards at clean.marriott.com.

SERVICE ANIMALS

Service animals are welcome at the Sheraton Crown Center. 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 Sheraton staff will be happy to help!

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.

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 2024, 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 9 (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 onsite to assist you.

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 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
• Ellie Kaplan, University of California, Davis
• Miguel Juarez, University of Texas at El Paso
• Catharine Franklin, Texas Tech University
• Sarah Ashley Whitt, University of California Irvine
• Coyote Shook, University of Texas Austin
• 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 Kansas City, at the Sheraton, and during the WHA Conference.