General Information


Congress Registration and Information desk
The congress Registration and Information desk is located on the first floor (next to the main entrance) of the building at Universiteitsingel 40 (Uns40).
Due to the summer break, the University building will only be open from 8-18h. The Registration and Information desk will be manned from 8.30-17.45h.

PLEASE BRING YOUR CONFIRMATION/INVOICE WITH YOU TO THE E-IASSID CONFERENCE.
To handle the distribution of your badge, conference bag and abstract book as quickly as possible, we need your registration number which is mentioned on your confirmation. Thank you!

There will be hosts of the congress office and volunteers who will assist you at the Registration and Information desk and who will be available at the entrance of each of the congress rooms. They will be glad to assist you to make your stay at the congress as successful as possible. Please, do not hesitate to contact them if you have any questions.

The volunteers can be identified by their orange T-shirts with the logo of the E-IASSID2006 congress.

Congress rooms
The congress is held in two main buildings of the University Maastricht: Universiteitsingel 40 (Uns40) and Universiteitsingel 50 (Uns50). The buildings are connected by an overhead bridge. All rooms have a number and all congress rooms have also a name: both names and numbers are in the programme book next to the presentation titles. Directions to the rooms are clearly posted in the buildings and our volunteers are always glad to assistants you in finding your way.
Floor plans of both Uns40 and Uns50 are provided in the back of the programme book.

Smoking is forbidden in all buildings of the congress venue.
Food, drinks, cups, cutlery, dishes and other crockery are not permitted in the congress rooms.
All safety instructions given by university personnel, volunteers or by IASSID congress officers must be followed at once.

For safety reasons and Fire Department regulations, the maximum capacities of each congress rooms must be honored. Each room has a posted maximum number of occupants and these occupancy limits will be strictly enforced. Arrive early to ensure a seat! We appreciate your understanding of our adherence to fire and safety code requirements.

For your convenience, a short overview of all room capacities is given below:

Please help the organizers by keeping the rooms tidy.

Exhibitions
Exhibitions are located on level 0. We encourage all participants to visit these exhibitions.

Exhibitors are:

§   Blackwell Publishing: www.blackwellpublishing.com

§   Wisepress: www.wisepress.com

§   Tizard Centre: www.kent.ac.uk/tizard

§   MAMH - European Association of Intellectual Disability Medicine: www.mamh.net

§   NVAVG- Dutch Association of Specialist ID physicians: www.nvavg.nl

§   NTZ (Dutch Journal on Intellectual Disabilities): www.vangorcum.nl/nl/snpage.asp?ID=3

§   NGBZ (Dutch Association on Intellectual Disabilities): www.ngbz.nl

§   RADAR (service provider for persons with intellectual disability) will provide art exhibits (e.g., paintings).

Internet connections
There will be several computers with internet connections available for participants. These will be located in the library of the University Maastricht (available: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 8.30-17.45h). To access this area, the congress name badge is required.

Language
The congress will be in English only. No simultaneous translation will be available. For some self-advocates, personal interpreters will be available (see self advocates).

Lunch, coffee, tea
The lunches on Thursday and Friday along with coffee/tea during the breaks are included in the congress fee. The lunches will be served at the 1^st floor of Uns40, from 12-13.45h.
At coffee and tea breaks, several distribution areas will be available.

Message board
Next to the Registration and Information desk a message board is available.

Name badges
The name badge you will receive at the Registration and Information desk will serve as proof that you are a registered participant of the congress.

You need to wear your name badge at all times inside the congress buildings. This is also a safety measure to restrict access of the buildings strictly to congress participants. Please help the organizers to avoid unnecessary questions or disputes by clearly displaying your name badge when in the buildings and when attending sessions in the congress rooms.

If you lose your name badge, please notify the Registration and Information desk.

Oral presentations
There will be both a plenary opening (Wednesday, 14h) and closure session (Saturday, 11h). In addition, the general format of the conference will be that of a maximum of 90 symposia, each 90 minutes in length. A symposium of 90 minutes will generally serve as a host for four presentations on a specific theme. Each presenter has 15 minutes time to present at most. Each symposium will have ample time for discussion. Each symposium of oral presentations will be chaired by a moderator. S/he will take care of the time schedules, and ensure that the sequence of presentations and the discussion time are clear to all.

The language will be English. Beamers with power point are available in the congress rooms.

Poster awards
The European IASSID congress organisation will grant awards for 'best poster'. One award will be granted to the best scientific poster; another award will be given to the most creative one. By participating in the poster sessions, you may qualify for one of these poster awards.
The poster award ceremony is scheduled on Saturday August 5, during the closing ceremony, at 11.00h in the Maastrichtzaal.

Poster sessions
The VGN (Dutch Association of Service Providers for People with Disabilities) kindly sponsors the poster sessions.

These sessions will be held at floor 0 of Uns40 on Thursday morning, Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.

If you are presenting a poster, you will be given a number at when you register for the congress, corresponding to the poster board that has been reserved for you in the specific time slot. You may collect your number while registering on Wednesday or on Thursday Morning. \The maximum size of a poster is 100 cm X 200 cm. Buttons to attach the poster are available, since tape is not permitted on the poster boards.
For your own comfort and for the comfort of other presenters, please make sure that you are on time to attach and remove your poster.

Programme changes
Programme changes are, unfortunately, cannot be avoided as some presenters may have to cancel their participation for unforeseen reasons. Programme changes will be announced in flyers and on the notice board at the Registration and Information desk.

Self-advocates
Prof. Hans Reinders (Free University Amsterdam) has organized several activities to support the participation of self-advocates. This includes a user friendly programme book, the linking of self-advocates with personal coaches and (co)presentations by self-advocates.

During presentations, it may occur that personal coaches actively translate information to self-advocates. Although this may cause some inconveniences, we trust that both presenters and audience members will be supportive of this initiative.

Smoking
Due to governmental policy, smoking is strictly prohibited in all buildings of the Maastricht University.

Symposia
The parallel symposia on Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning all will consist of 4 presentations, with separate or shared time for discussion.

Symposia moderators
Each symposium of oral presentations will be chaired by a moderator. Moderators and presenters are advised to contact each other at the beginning of the session to ensure that the sequence of presentations and the discussion time are clear to all.

Transportation (bus, train) between congress venue and city centre / Maastricht central station
The university buildings UNS 40 and 50 are located in the suburb Maastricht-Randwyck.
A walk, partly along the river Maas and the new Céramique area, from the congress venue to the city centre will take you approximately 30 minutes.

There are regular bus and train services between the Maastricht-Randwyck train station and the Maastricht central station or (train and bus) and city centre (bus). Maastricht central station is located at the Maastricht-Wijck area (city centre).

The bus stop is located within 150 m. of the congress venue entrance, next to the Maastricht-Randwyck railway station.

Your E-IASSID 2006 congress name badge gives you free access to the public bus service in Maastricht during the congress days.

The bus trip will take 10-20 minutes from Maastricht Randwyck to Maastricht central station / city centre.

There is also a train connection between Maastricht Randwyck and Maastricht central station (3 minutes). Price (2^nd class) one-way ticket: ?2,10; return ticket: ?3,20 (use the ticket machine at the railway station; the ticket office unfortunately is not frequently open). Your badge gives NO free access to trains.

Welcome reception
The Provincial Council of Limburg has generously offered the participants of E-IASSID2006 a welcome reception on Wednesday, August 2, from 17-19h.

This welcome reception will be held in the Provincial Government Buildings. A map of the walk to this building is in the back session of the programme book. Congress assistants in orange T-shirts will guide you during the walk.

These buildings are within a 10 minute walk of the congress location. For those participants with mobility problems, transportation to the Provincial Government Buildings will be provided.