Register today for AUCD’s 2026 Conference!

 

November 8-11 | Washington, D.C. Register for AUCD’s 2026 Conference

AUCD welcomes all Network members, non-network organizational partners, experts from all across the disability field, individuals with disabilities, family members, students, and trainees to learn and grow together at its annual conference in Washington, DC! Registration Closes October 28, 2026

View Registration Information AUCD 2026: Apply for a Conference Scholarship!

To make sure the conference is accessible to all, AUCD will provide a reduced registration fee for students, individuals with disabilities, and family members of individuals with disabilities. This year, AUCD is offering two types of Scholarships: Conference Scholarships and Emerging Leaders Conference Scholarships. Apply by October 1, 2026

View Scholarship Information AUCD 2026: Book your hotel stay!

AUCD's conference will take place at the The Westin Washington, DC Downtown Hotel. AUCD has a room block for $280/night for single or double occupancy.  The Westin DC has 23 ADA rooms, 10 of which have roll-in showers. All of the hotels' roll-in shower rooms are in AUCD's room block. Room block closes on October 16th.

View Hotel Information

AUCD 2026: Become a Sponsor or Exhibitor

Partner with AUCD at the 2026 Conference. Sponsorship provides opportunities to connect with more than 1,000 Network members, including researchers, practitioners, advocates, people with disabilities, families, students, and community leaders. Your support helps foster learning, collaboration, and networking across the disability field. Sponsor or Exhibit Today!

View Sponsorship Information AUCD | 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1000 | Silver Spring, MD 20910

September 2026 Leadership in IDD

 

Perspectives Commentary from the field

Advancing Person-Centered Sensory Supports Through Technology   Frederick Covington, OTD    Effective support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) must be grounded in evidence-based practice, person-centered planning, and a commitment to improving quality of life. Sensory integration differences are well documented in people with IDD, which  influence regulation, communication, behavior, and participation in everyday activities.   Advances in assistive and environmental technologies enable the creation of individualized sensory spaces that integrate adjustable lighting, therapeutic sound, tactile experiences, and more. Evidence-informed sensory modulation strategies can be embedded into environments that are adaptable, accessible, and responsive to individual sensory profiles. These supports can be implemented across settings and across the lifespan.   Technology-enabled sensory spaces that prioritize user control promote autonomy, self-regulation, and self-advocacy. From a policy and systems perspective, integrating technology-supported sensory environments into service models represents a scalable and sustainable strategy that supports participation, reduces behavioral escalation, and advances equitable access to individualized support for people with IDD.

Notables  Recent awards, accolades, appointments, and other honors

Kristen Padilla, PhD, Awarded the 2026 Helen G. FitzSimmons Leadership Award from the Texas Chapter of AAIDD

Trevor Parmenter, PhD, FAAIDD, Appointed Patron of the University of New England (NSW, Australia) Faculty of Medicine and Health Research Centre

AAIDD is looking to feature notables and perspective pieces from our members in the field! Send us your commentary to be featured in a future Leadership in IDD Newsletter. Click here to submit your work to be featured.

Produced by AAIDD, this monthly digest features the recent (first made available within last 3 months) and emergent (will be available within the next 4-6 weeks) work of AAIDD members only. Journal articles, while important, are not featured in this publication.  View the archive of the Leadership in IDD newsletter here.

Not yet a member? Join AAIDD online!

An Implant for Low Blood Pressure

 

September 2026 - View in browser

RESEARCH New Implant Targets Blood Pressure Swings After SCI If you live with a high-level injury, you know the standard answers to low blood pressure: an abdominal binder, compression garments, a pill. ONWARD Medical's ARC-IM takes a different route. A 16-electrode lead sits in the epidural space over a dense cluster of blood pressure neurons in the lower thoracic cord and stimulates it directly.   In a preliminary study of 14 people with SCI, turning the implant on raised blood pressure immediately and reduced both the frequency and severity of hypotensive symptoms. Learn more about the implant and how to submit for their latest FDA-approved trial. PRODUCTS Nobody Asked for a Crab Chair Toyota's Walk Me concept swaps wheels for four articulating legs, uses lidar and radar to read the ground and carries its rider up stairs. Ian Ruder, a C5 quad, would take one tomorrow. He also thinks it is the latest example of engineering inspiration porn: sleek, expensive, headline-grabbing prototypes that pull talented designers and corporate money away from the unglamorous problems — like a good indoor-outdoor power chair or a shower chair for step-in showers — that could make a real difference in wheelchair users’ lives. I Hate Flossing. I Tried Gfloss Anyway If you can't use your fingers, flossing typically means someone else's hands in your mouth and a lot of "is this the right spot?" NM Editor-in-Chief Ian Ruder, who hasn't flossed regularly in almost 50 cavity-free years, agreed to test Gfloss anyway. It's a quarter-sized piece of pink plastic strung with floss that you bite into place and move from gap to gap with your tongue. After 20 minutes of practice, he was doing a better job on most of his teeth than with any adaptive flossing device he'd tried. PERSPECTIVES Give Me the Tools to Live My Life, Not a System That Controls It Maria Matzik has spent more than 30 years advocating for people with disabilities. Her day-to-day life is also a real-world test of Medicaid's two home care systems, as she uses both traditional waivers and self-direction, where she hires and schedules caregivers herself. Matzik says the difference between the two systems shows up in the small stuff, like when a caregiver hits traffic and arrives 15 minutes late. With the traditional system, that means reports and administrative hoops with a care coordinator. With self-direction, she and her caregiver just fix it.   "We should never have to choose between prioritizing accountability and independence," she writes. "We should insist on both."

New Mobility publishes member content for United Spinal Association, whose mission is to empower wheelchair users to achieve their highest quality of life. Join here.

Registration EXTENDED until September 28! Caregivers and Professionals: Register for Brain Injury Fundamentals Training.

 

Deadline is EXTENDED to September 28th! Brain Injury Fundamentals: Practical training for those who support people with brain injury. Supporting someone with a brain injury (BI) can involve complex questions about cognition, health, medications, behavior, and day-to-day care. Our Brain Injury Fundamentals course provides caregivers, direct support staff, and professionals with foundational knowledge to better understand BI and provide informed support. Course Details Led by Alicia Smalls, MPH, MA, CCC-SLP, CBIS, CDP, this virtual training covers topics including: understanding brain injury cognitive changes and challenges medical complications medication safety and management practical considerations for supporting people with brain injury Participants who successfully complete the training and exam earn a Brain Injury Fundamentals certificate valid for three years. Schedule The course includes four virtual sessions: Thursday, October 8 | 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Thursday, October 29 | 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Thursday, November 12 | 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Thursday, November 19 | 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Location: Virtual via Zoom Fee: $130, including workbook, training, and exam Registration deadline: September 28, 2026 Space is limited to 20 participants. Register Now! Questions? Contact Kristi Hartwell at coordinator@biaofsc.com or 803-731-9823.