Events & Webinars
VIRTUAL SERIES: Let’s Get Away, Together!
Hosted by: Family Caregiver Alliance
Dates: Tuesdays through September 22, 2026
Time: 1:00–2:00 PM PT
Location: Online
Cost: Free
This interactive series explores a new place or cultural activity each week through storytelling, music, poetry writing and/or a simple craft. Each session includes a follow-up message with tips, activities and recipes families can continue to enjoy after their virtual trip.
September schedule:
September 1: Let’s Discover the Excitement of Amusement Parks Around the World!
September 8: Let’s Hike Through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!
September 15: Let’s Discover Some of Nature’s Unusual Animals!
September 22: Let’s Travel Through the Majesty of Italy’s Cathedrals!
WEBINAR: The Disastrous Impact of Missed Symptoms on Emergency Preparedness and Response
Hosted by: Philadelphia Coordinated Health Care
Date: Thursday, September 10, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
Presenter: Jason Rechtman, MBA, LPC, NADD-DDS
This session explores how missed or misattributed symptoms in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities contribute to health inequities, using real-world case examples and prevalence data.
Attendees will also learn how this concept is being incorporated into training for first responders and emergency managers, including innovative work in Philadelphia to improve emergency preparedness and response.
Jason Rechtman is a licensed professional counselor and Strategic Development Director of IDD at PerformCare. His career includes clinical assessments in emergency departments, medical floors and long-term care facilities. He also serves as co-chair of the Monmouth County Board of Mental Wellness and Support Services and is a member of the NADDD Medical Reserve Corps leadership committee.
EVENTS: New York Textile Month at Positive Exposure Gallery
Hosted by: Positive Exposure Gallery
Dates: September 10–30, 2026
Location: Positive Exposure Gallery, 83 Maiden Lane, 4th Floor, New York, NY
Positive Exposure Gallery will host a series of community events in celebration of New York Textile Month XI throughout September.
September 10, 5:00–8:00 PM
Woven Together Exhibition Opening Party
September 12, 1:00–3:00 PM
Marble Maze Workshop with Anna-Marie Southern
September 15, 5:30–7:30 PM
Narrative Medicine Workshop with Ria Hawks and Liz Grossman
September 16, 5:00–7:00 PM
Give Beauty Wings Workshop with Xian Horn
September 18, 5:30–7:30 PM
Spinning Workshop with Gigi Matthews
September 19, 1:30–3:30 PM
Touch Tour with Dannaleah Schoenfuss
September 23, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Artist Meet Up
September 30, 6:00–8:00 PM
Community Fashion Show
EVENT: 2026 NYC Buddy Walk®
Hosted by: National Down Syndrome Society
Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026
Location: New York City
Since 1995, the National Down Syndrome Society Buddy Walk® has been a premier advocacy event for Down syndrome in the United States and one of the world’s most widely recognized public awareness programs for the Down syndrome community.
The flagship New York City Buddy Walk® attracts participants from coast to coast each year.
Please note: The hotel room block is closed.
HYBRID EVENT: People with Intellectual Disability and Epilepsy: The Whole Person, The Whole Life
Hosted by: AADMD Project ECHO
Date: September 15, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM ET / 4:00 PM BST
Location: University of Plymouth, United Kingdom + virtual worldwide
Presented in partnership with the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) and supported by unrestricted educational grants from UCB Pharma and Neurelis. AMA PRA Category 1 CME™ credits will be available to eligible participants.
The UK ECHO Hub team will present a case study following the lifespan of an individual with intellectual and developmental disabilities and epilepsy.
Host organizations: University of Plymouth and Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Featuring: Professor Rohit Shankar, Dr. Richard Laugharne, Dr. Brendan Mclean, Dr. Peter Aitken, Dr. Sarah Lennard, Samantha Clark and Sarah Mitchell.
WEBINAR: Launching the 2026 World Alzheimer Report: A New Era in Dementia Clinical Trials
Hosted by: Alzheimer’s Disease International
Date: September 21, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM ET / 2:00 PM London / 3:00 PM Geneva / 7:00 AM Mexico City / 9:00 PM Singapore
Every advance in dementia diagnosis and treatment begins with research. Currently, 158 drugs are being studied in 192 trials, but bringing new treatments to people living with dementia requires thousands of participants across early, middle and later stages of the condition.
Alzheimer’s Disease International’s forthcoming 2026 World Alzheimer Report focuses on clinical trials and their role in moving emerging breakthroughs into dementia diagnosis, treatment and care.
During this launch webinar, leading experts and report contributors will explore dementia clinical trials, what participation means for people living with dementia and what these trials could mean for the future.
The program is intended for healthcare professionals, researchers, advocates, policymakers, people living with dementia and carers.
Panelists: Paul Gallagher, Julie Moore, Dr. Emer MacSweeney and Prof. Zul Merarli
EVENT: myFace’s 14th Annual Races for Faces
Hosted by: myFace
Date: Sunday, September 27, 2026
Check-in: Begins at 9:00 AM
Location: Pier 62, 23rd Street near Chelsea Piers, New York City
Races for Faces brings the community together for a family-friendly 5K walk or run benefiting the craniofacial community.
The event also features live music, face painting, magic, carnival games, a raffle, prizes and more. It’s both a fundraiser and a day of celebration for the craniofacial community.
WEBINAR: The Best Kept Secret: Programs and Policies Across States to Support Accessible Homes for Children with Disabilities
Hosted by: Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health
Date: September 29, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM ET
The second webinar in a two-part series on home accessibility for children with disabilities and complex health needs will highlight programs, policies and resources that can help families make their homes more accessible.
The series shares findings from a Foundation-funded landscape analysis involving more than 60 key informant interviews across 10 states.
A panel of experts, including people with lived experience, will discuss home modification resources available across the United States, how those resources fit within different systems and strategies for helping families find and access them.
Panelists will also explore why these resources often remain difficult to find, how families can be better connected to available support and where important gaps remain. The discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A.
VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM: Rethink the Tragedy Narrative: Changing How We See Dementia
Hosted by: The Eden Alternative and Dementia Action Alliance
Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Time: 12:00–4:45 PM ET
Location: Online
How we talk about dementia shapes how we support people living with dementia.
This online symposium will explore ways to move beyond the “tragedy narrative” and create more empowering, person-directed approaches to dementia care.
Featured speakers: Pauline Scanlon, Julie Moore and Mark Timmons of Dementia Action Alliance.
WEBINAR SERIES: The Science and Practice of Family Engagement
Hosted by: Family Voices
Begins: September 30, 2026
Cost: Free
The Science and Practice of Family Engagement: Building the Foundation for Meaningful Family Partnership in Systems Transformation is a three-part webinar series exploring strategies, frameworks and tools that support meaningful family partnership in practice, programs and systems change.
Participants will deepen their understanding of evidence-based family engagement, explore pathways for increasing family leadership and agency, and learn practical approaches for measuring and strengthening engagement.
Webinar 1: The Science of Family Engagement: Building More Responsive Systems
September 30, 2026 | 2:00–3:00 PM ET (11:00 AM PT)
Presenter: Allysa Ware, Family Voices
Explore the principles behind authentic family engagement, how partnerships can transform programs and systems, and strategies for addressing barriers and strengthening family-driven practices.
Webinar 2: From Informing to Co-Creating: Making Progress Toward Richer Family Engagement
October 14, 2026 | 2:00–3:00 PM ET (11:00 AM PT)
Presenter: Nikki Montgomery, Family Voices
Learn how organizations can move along the Continuum of Engagement from informing and consulting toward collaborating and co-creating.
Webinar 3: Measuring What Matters: Tools to Assess and Strengthen Family Engagement in Systems Transformation
November 4, 2026 | 2:00–3:00 PM ET (11:00 AM PT)
Presenter: Armelle Casau, Family Voices
Learn how the Family Engagement in Systems Assessment Tool (FESAT) and related resources can help organizations evaluate and improve engagement across areas including commitment, transparency, representation and impact.
CONFERENCE: 2026 Reimagining Quality Conference
Hosted by: NADSP
Dates: October 4–6, 2026
Location: Renaissance Baltimore Harbor Place Hotel, Baltimore, Maryland
The Reimagining Quality Conference brings together self-advocates, providers, researchers, policymakers, family members and disability professionals for three days of ideas, conversations and practical solutions shaping the future of services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Formerly known as Reinventing Quality, the conference has evolved around a new vision: building on what works while embracing innovation and creating more inclusive, person-centered systems.
Hotel note: The discounted hotel reservation deadline is September 1, 2026. Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis.