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Join AUCD in Washington, D.C., November 8–11, for Impact Through Innovation and Partnership. Connect with more than 1,000 researchers, policymakers, practitioners, advocates, community leaders, and students from across the disability field. Explore the Agenda at a Glance to start planning your week, with Sunday meetings, networking opportunities, plenaries, concurrent sessions, Hill Visits, and the AUCD Awards Ceremony. Reduced registration fees are available for students, individuals with disabilities, and family members. Scholarships are also available for the conference and Emerging Leaders Conference. Learn more at www.aucd.org/conference-scholarships.
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AUCD’s National Capacity Building Center for Public Health and Disability (NCBC) is conducting a survey to better understand the challenges in accessing healthcare for Disabled people who also have a chronic condition. We are hoping to gain insight from Disabled people, caregivers and care partners, healthcare professionals, and disability service providers. Knowledge gained from the survey will be used by NCBC to inform the development of resources and a Community of Practice to improve chronic condition management for Disabled people. |
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Ann Kaiser, tenured professor and a pioneering voice in early language and communication intervention for young children with developmental disabilities, died on Sept. 13 in Nashville, Tenn.
Kaiser held the Susan Gray Chair in Education and Human Development. Her primary tenured appointment was in the Department of Special Education at Peabody College, and she had a secondary appointment in Hearing and Speech Sciences in the School of Medicine. She joined the Vanderbilt faculty on Sept. 1, 1982, as a tenured associate professor and was promoted to full professor in 1988. Kaiser also was a longtime member of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center.
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The latest DDNJ Author Insights Podcast focused on LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities) programs, and how they build understanding between practitioners, families and communities. Like the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice, LEND programs are part of the Associated Centers for Excellence on Developmental Disabilities network. Their focus is on interdisciplinary training. By design, LEND programs bring together practitioners, future practitioners, and people with disabilities and their families. |
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A new publication, “A Unified DD Network Approach to a Statewide Needs Assessment,” is now available in the Developmental Disabilities Network Journal. The publication describes how Tennessee’s Developmental Disabilities (DD) Network came together to conduct a first-of-its-kind statewide needs assessment designed to better understand the experiences, priorities, and support needs of people with disabilities and their families across the state. |
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The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Center on Disability Studies, in the College of Education, will be accepting presentation proposals for the 42nd Annual Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability on the 4th week of March 2027, in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Presentation proposal submissions are currently open and will be accepted until November 5, 2026 at https://go.hawaii.edu/RMs
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As we begin a new academic year, I am grateful for the many ways our CDS community continues to advance inclusion, connection, and well-being across Hawai‘i and beyond. This issue of our newsletter highlights just a few examples of that work—from expanding awareness and access to ABLE accounts, to creating opportunities for adults with disabilities to connect and support one another through peer-to-peer circles, to supporting communities in need after natural disasters. |
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Please submit your research to a special issue of the Journal of Intellectual Disability Research on Improving Health Outcomes for People with Intellectual Disability: Inclusive Research, Responsible Inclusion in Research, and Equitable Clinical Trials for People with Intellectual Disability. |
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Zambia-based educator Mikala Mukongolwa is helping train teachers in her country to better support children with intellectual and other developmental disabilities and to build inclusive communities in the southern African country. "We were the first [in Zambia] to come up with a child protection policy and to help parents better understand behaviors in their children with disabilities. All that knowledge came from DirectCourse [which ICI developed]. Without ICI, I would still be in the dark." |
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Researchers, educators, and advocates gathered at the University of Minnesota to discuss findings from the Military Child and Family Collaboration study, which examines new ways to help military-connected families and people living in rural communities access services for children's mental, emotional, developmental, and behavioral health care. |
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AUCD is excited to announce (3) openings for the AUCD Emerging Leaders Internship for the 2026-2027 academic year. Ideal candidates are interested in learning more about information sharing, resource development, and stakeholder engagement in a national non-profit organization. Interns will support and represent the AUCD Emerging Leaders Community – a network of current and former trainees, including early career professionals – and act as connection points between their respective centers/programs and the AUCD network. |
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Navigating systems of care for children with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities is rarely straightforward. Families often balance complex regimens across therapy clinics, primary care, educational supports, and medical subspecialists. For Dhani, a dual-degree MD/MPH student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix and Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, identifying where these systems break down, and how to fix them, served as the cornerstone of her ArizonaLEND internship. |
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Mary Troullier (MN LEND, 2022-23), a therapeutic recreation and inclusion recreation specialist with the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board, teaches adaptive yoga to children and adults with intellectual and neurodevelopmental disabilities. "Supporting people and building more adaptive programs across Minneapolis is very important to me." |
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October 2, 16, 23, and 30, 2026 | 2:00–3:30 PM ET
This workshop explores the unique challenges patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities may face during emergency and acute-care encounters, particularly during episodes of medical or behavioral crisis. The presentation examines both the accommodations these patients may need and the realities of delivering care in a fast-paced emergency department, including communication barriers, sensory overload, atypical presentations, behavioral escalation, safety concerns, and operational constraints. This workshop is part of the Community of Practice Workshop series sponsored by Georgetown University UCEDD at the Thrive Center, in collaboration with the National Research Consortium on Mental Health in IDD at the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability. |
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October 6, 13, and 20 from 1:00 –2:00 PM ET
The Center on Human Development & Disability at the University of Georgia and Advancing Employment are hosting a free three part webinar series in recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The series will explore employment, technology, supported decision making, talent, and opportunities for people with disabilities on October 6, 13, and 20 from 1–2 p.m. ET. Registration is free, and the series is open to people with disabilities, families, professionals, employers, students, advocates, and others interested in disability employment. More information and registration are available on the Advancing Employment website. |
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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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October 21, 2026, 10:00 AM - 5:45 PM ET
Join us for a FREE Webinar for dietitians and clinicians! Hear from experts on nutrition strategies to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and autism live healthy lifestyles. Download Event Flyer |
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Thursday, October 29, 2026, 5:15 - 6:30 PM ET
This Webinar will help conference attendees as they prepare for their trip to Washington, D.C for the AUCD 2026 Conference. It will provide a brief overview of AUCD and orient attendees to the content and structure of the conference. Whether you're a newcomer to the field or a seasoned professional, the AUCD Conference provides countless opportunities to share with and learn from colleagues and peers. |
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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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