2026 Annual Conference on Independent Living
July 20-23, 2026
Grand Hyatt, Washington, DC
Presented by the National Council on Independent Living
Basic Agenda
All times listed are Eastern.
Presenter’s Orientation
May 6, 2026; 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Eastern
Presenters can contact Angela@ncil.org for access to the archived recording.
June 3, 2026; 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern
July 7, 2026; 2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Registration Open
3:00 – 6:00 p.m. / Independence Foyer
Board Meeting
1:00 – 5:00 p.m / Lafayette + Farragut
Monday, July 20, 2026
Registration + Exhibits Open
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. / Independence Foyer
Sensory Retreat / Quiet Space
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. / Washington Boardroom
Opening Plenary
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. / Independence A
Don’t miss this exciting conference opening session with Keynote Speaker Mia Ives-Rublee!
Concurrent Workshops 1
10:00 – 11:15 a.m. / Various Locations
Exhibit Fair
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. / Independence Foyer
Regional Caucus 1
11:30 – 12:30 p.m. / Various Locations
Awards Luncheon & Annual Meeting
1:00 – 2:45 p.m. / Independence Ballroom
This year’s Awards Luncheon will feature a Keynote Address from former NCIL Executive Director Kelly Buckland! Advocacy Awards will be presented to the 2026 honorees. Following lunch, the results of NCIL board elections and any other matters voted on by the NCIL membership will be announced.
Regional Caucus 2
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. / Various Locations
Regional Caucus 3
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. / Various Locations
Regional Caucus 4
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. / Various Locations
Empowher Presentation & Networking
7:00 – 10:00 p.m. / Independence Ballroom
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Registration + Exhibits Open
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. / Independence Foyer
Sensory Retreat / Quiet Space
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. / McPherson
Concurrent Workshops 2
9:00 – 10:15 a.m. / Various Locations
Advocacy Panel
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. / Independence A
Lunch (on your own)
11:30 – 2:00 p.m.
Line-Up for March to the Capitol
2:15 – 3:00 p.m. / 11th & G Sts
March to the Capitol
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. / Washington DC
Rally at the Capitol
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. / U.S. Capitol
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Registration + Exhibits Open
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. / Independence Foyer
Sensory Retreat / Quiet Space
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. / McPhearson
Concurrent Workshops 3
9:00 – 10:15 a.m. / Various Locations
Concurrent Workshops 4
10:30 – 11:45 a.m. / Various Locations
Day on the Hill
12:00 – 5:00 p.m. / Congressional Buildings
Professional Headshots
4:00 – 6:00 p.m. / Independence Level
NCIL Celebration of Community
7:00 – 8:00 p.m. / Cocktail Hour / Independence Ballroom
8:00 – 11:00 p.m. / Dance Floor/ Independence Ballroom
Thursday, July 23, 2026
Registration Open
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. / Independence Foyer
Sensory Retreat / Quiet Space
8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. / McPhearson
Concurrent Workshops 5
9:00 – 10:15 a.m. / Various locations
Concurrent Workshops 6
10:30 – 11:45 a.m. / Various locations
Lunch (on your own)
11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Closing Plenary
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. / Independence A
The Closing plenary will feature a Keynote Address from Dr. Victor Pineda of The CIL Berkeley as we wrap up the events of the week and prepare to head back to our local communities, ready to make change.
