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The AUCD Conference Planning Committee invites Network members, members of the disability community, partners, and friends to share their work, research, and experiences in the disability field by submitting a proposal for a Concurrent Session, Poster, or both! Submissions will close at midnight on July 26, 2026. All responses will be reviewed by a Conference Review Committee, and applicants will be contacted by September 4 with the results. If you have any questions regarding this call or the AUCD 2026 Conference, please contact the event planning team at events@aucd.org.
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Over the coming months, AUCD will transition its email discussion lists from LYRIS to Google Groups. This change will reduce costs while also improving the long-term sustainability and reliability of AUCD's communication infrastructure. Subscribed members will continue to participate via email as they do today. Each discussion listserv will have its own transition timeline, and additional information will be shared with each group before its move.
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After a decade of visionary leadership, Dr. Susan Fox announced her retirement as President & CEO of the Westchester Institute for Human Development (WIHD). After an exhaustive national search, the Board of Directors of WIHD is pleased to announce that Dr. Tricia Patrick has been named as WIHD’s next President & CEO.
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For more than 35 years, Stephan Viehweg, MSW, LCSW, has worked to improve the lives of children and families across Indiana through leadership in social work, infant and early childhood mental health, family advocacy and community engagement. A longtime member of the Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, he has helped advance statewide initiatives supporting child development, family-centered care and developmental awareness. In recognition of his lasting contributions to the profession and the communities he serves, Viehweg received the 2025 Pioneer Award from the National Association of Social Workers Foundation.
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Marni Johnson and Elizabeth (Liz) K. Hanson started collaborating more than 10 years ago to develop visual supports for athletes coming to the Healthy Hearing station at the annual SD Special Olympics Summer Games. At the time, Johnson (Au.D., CCC-A) and Hanson (Ph.D., CCC-SLP) were part of the faculty, along with Paul Brueggeman (Au.D, CCC-A), at the University of South Dakota Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders and were involved in SD LEND. Special Olympics International (SOI) offers hearing screenings as part of the Healthy Athlete Initiative, which provides a variety of health screenings to athletes attending SOI events internationally.
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Congratulations to our four newest Aggie ACHIEVE graduates — Hussein Abdrabou, Marcello Castillo, Sean Cherry, and Travis Decker — who proudly graduated from the Aggie ACHIEVE Program at Texas A&M University in May 2026! Throughout their time in the program, each student demonstrated tremendous growth in academic achievement, self-advocacy, career development, and independence.
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It is a privilege to highlight Anna, a student whose recent growth reminds us all why transition and career readiness programs are so vital. For much of her academic career, Anna has navigated the challenges of selective mutism. This often created significant barriers for her, making it difficult to engage in her coursework or connect socially with her peers. However, this past summer marked a major turning point in Anna’s journey.
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UNH Institute on Disability's Kelly Doran and Ariel Schwartz have a new publication in the Journal of Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) that highlights the results of a survey examining how IPSE programs use various assessment tools to measure outcomes for learners with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It also summarizes what programs found most helpful—and most challenging—about the assessments they currently use. The article also includes a flowchart to guide programs in deciding which assessment tools to use.
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A recent study published in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities highlights significant gaps in mental health service awareness and access for children and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Researchers found that many caregivers are unfamiliar with available school-, community-, and family-based mental health supports, creating barriers to care despite the higher prevalence of mental health concerns among children with IDD. Led in part by Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Dr. Verity Rodrigues, the study emphasizes the need for improved caregiver education, better coordination across service systems, and greater visibility of resources to help families navigate often fragmented mental health support networks.
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Louisiana's UCEDD at the LSUHSC Human Development Center is launching the PAYCheck Transition Leadership Lab, a new professional development series designed to support school districts in creating inclusive postsecondary education opportunities for students with disabilities. This virtual learning collaborative equips teams with the tools, strategies, and systems-thinking approaches needed to develop sustainable, inclusive programs that lead to competitive integrated employment and meaningful community participation. While based in Louisiana, the Transition Leadership Lab is open to participants nationwide, fostering cross-state learning and collaboration.
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In her alumni message to the fellows, Deqa Farah (MN LEND 2020–21, pictured) encouraged them to keep working for a better future. She is the mother of a child with autism, a nurse, a dietitian, and the chief executive of a Minnesota organization serving children with autism and their families.
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2026 Summer Institute on Neurodevelopmental Disabilities
Friday July 24, 2026, Virtual
Registration is now open for the UC Davis MIND Institute’s 2026 Summer Institute on Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, a virtual event taking place on Friday, July 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. PT. This year’s theme, The Age of Technology: Research, Risks and Strategies to Support Individuals with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities, will explore how technology is shaping support and services for individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities.
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Direct Support Professionals Course - Fall 2026
Tuesdays, August 11, 2026 - September 15, 2026
Register now for the Direct Support Professionals Course starting August 11, part of the IDD-MH Professional Development Series hosted by the National Center for START Services at the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability. This course is open to all. Previous experience with START is not required. This series consists of four live, virtual courses developed to address specific roles in the human services system. Each course outlines key foundational concepts and relevant approaches related to the treatment and support of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities and mental health needs (IDD-MH).
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58th Annual Gatlinburg Conference
October 6-9, 2026, Minneapolis, MN
The Gatlinburg Conference on Research and Theory in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is one of the premier conferences for behavioral scientists conducting research on intellectual and developmental disabilities. It has a rich history that started in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in 1967, and the name of its original location remained. Each year, Gatlinburg Conference brings together scientists from around the world to gather to discuss research and collaborations in the field.
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AUCD 2026 Annual Conference
November 8-11, 2026, Washington, DC
This year’s AUCD Conference is all about sharing new ideas, learning from one another, and working together to make a REAL difference in our communities. The focus is on innovation and building strong partnerships to improve services, research, and support for people with disabilities, their families, and the community.
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Items may be submitted for consideration via the AUCD Public Promotion Page.
Submissions are due on the second Friday of the month. AUCD 360 is promoted on the last Friday of the month.
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