Pre-Conference Events

Presenter’s Orientation

Presenters can contact Angela@ncil.org for access to the archived recording.

Candidate’s Forum

View the Candidate’s Forum archived webinar to learn more about the candidates up for election to the NCIL Board of Directors.

Know Before You Go

View the Know Before You Go archived webinar to learn about the conference agenda, events, and workshops.

Agenda

All times listed are Eastern.

Sunday, July 19, 2026

Registration Open

Today’s registration period is on hold until further notice.

Board Meeting

1:00 – 5:00 p.m. / Lafayette / Farragut

Board meetings are open to the public but not part of the formal conference agenda.

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 (Constitution Level 3B)

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

• 1.1 Expanding Our Movement: Ensuring Independent Living Access for (Im)migrant Communities (Lafayette / Farragut)
• 1.2 Supporting People with I/DD at Local CILs (Franklin / McPherson)

Exhibit Fair 1

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. / Independence Foyer

Spend some time browsing the products and services offered by our exhibitors. Exhibits will be open: Monday, July 20 (8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.); Tuesday, July 21 (8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.); Wednesday, July 22 (8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)

Regional Caucus A: Regions 1 and 10

11:30 – 12:30 p.m. / Various Locations

This is an opportunity for attendees from Regions 1 and 10 to meet with their Regional Representatives and strategize for their Capitol Hill Visits.

Region 1 will meet in Lafayette / Farragut. Region 1 states are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Region 10 will meet in McPherson. Region 10 states are Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

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.

Exhibit Fair 2

2:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. / Independence Foyer

Spend some time browsing the products and services offered by our exhibitors. Exhibits will be open: Monday, July 20 (8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.); Tuesday, July 21 (8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.); Wednesday, July 22 (8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)

Regional Caucus B: Regions 6 and 7

3:00 – 4:00 p.m. / Various Locations

This is an opportunity for attendees from Regions 6 and 7 to meet with their Regional Representatives and strategize for their Capitol Hill Visits.

Region 6 will meet in Lafayette / Farragut. Region 6 states are Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Region 7 will meet in McPherson. Region 7 states are Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.

Regional Caucus C: Regions 2, 4, and 5

4:00 – 5:00 p.m. / Various Locations

This is an opportunity for attendees from Regions 2, 4, and 5 to meet with their Regional Representatives and strategize for their Capitol Hill Visits.

Region 2 will meet in McPherson. Region 2 states and territories are New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Region 4 will meet in Lafayette / Farragut. Region 4 states are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Region 5 will meet in Independence Ballroom. Region 5 states are Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Regional Caucus D: Regions 3, 8, and 9

5:00 – 6:00 p.m. / Various Locations

This is an opportunity for attendees from Regions 3, 8, and 9 to meet with their Regional Representatives and strategize for their Capitol Hill Visits.

Region 3 will meet in Independence Ballroom. Region 3 states are Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Region 8 will meet in McPherson. Region 8 states are Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.

Region 9 will meet in Lafayette / Farragut. Region 9 states are Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands.

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

• 2.1 Navigating the Funding Landscape: Successful Philanthropic Engagement for the Disability Rights Movement (Independence A)
• 2.2 From Inside the House: How Surveillance Tech Poses Risks to Independent Living (Independence BCDE)
• 2.3 Everything I Learned About Self-Care I Learned from My Cat (Independence FGHI)
• 2.4 Project SHINE: Sexual and Reproductive Health Education Tools and Gaming for Youth with Disabilities (Lafayette / Farragut)

Advocacy Panel

10:30 – 11:30 a.m. / Independence A

Grab your Legislative Priorities Booklet and Advocate’s Guide to the Hill and join NCIL’s Advocacy & Public Policy (APP) team for an in-depth conversation about:

• The national policy landscape, including legislative priorities for your Hill Visits
• Current happenings of the APP Committee
• Updates on the work of the CIL Capacity Committee

This session is designed to help you get grounded in the issues that Members of Congress need to understand. We will also get into the details of how the new APP structure will build power through rapid response to issues and grassroots engagement.

Panel includes: APP Co-Chair Amber Smock (Vice President); APP Co-Chair Jenny Stonemeier (Board Member / Chair of CIL Capacity Committee); and Jessica Podesva (Director of Advocacy and Public Policy).

After the Advocacy Panel, the Annual Conference closes for the day and the ADA36 March & Rally begins.

ADA36 March & Rally

Lunch (on your own)

11:30 – 2:00 p.m.

The March & Rally can be physically and emotionally taxing. We encourage you to take advantage of this lunch break to eat something.

March Assembly

2:15 – 3:00 p.m. / 11th & G Streets NW

Participants should assemble between 2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. at G and 11th Streets, NW. The March will begin promptly at 3:00 p.m.

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

Marchers will converge at the U.S. Capitol for an empowering rally featuring a number of speakers, including leaders in the Independent Living Movement and elected officials working on the issues we care about most.

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Registration + Exhibits Open

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. / Independence Foyer

Sensory Retreat / Quiet Space

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. / McPherson

Concurrent Workshops 3

9:00 – 10:15 a.m. / Various Locations

• 3.1 Defending Civil Rights at the Intersection of Disability and Immigration Under Escalating Federal Enforcement (Independence A)
• 3.2 Centers for Independent Living and Veteran-Directed Care: A Match Made in IL Heaven (Independence BCDE)
• 3.3 Strengthening Bipartisan Support for Disability Rights: Working Across the Aisle (Independence FGHI)
• 3.4 Beyond the Checklist: Student-Centered Advocacy in Action (Lafayette / Farragut)

Concurrent Workshops 4

10:30 – 11:45 a.m. / Various Locations

• 4.1 Addressing the Direct Care Crisis: Creating an Advocacy Campaign around Direct Care (Independence A)
• 4.2 Shared Stewardship: A Lab for Emerging and Legacy Leaders (Independence BCDE)
• 4.3 Architects of Resilience: Designing a Cross-Disability Emergency Infrastructure (Lafayette / Farragut)

After Concurrent Workshops 4, the Annual Conference closes and Hill Visits begin. Conference activities resume at 4:00 p.m. with Professional Headshots.

Hill Visits

12:00 – 4:00 p.m. / Congressional Buildings

Congressional contact information is available at house.gov and senate.gov, or you can call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 or 202-224-3091 (TTY) and ask for your Senators’ and / or Representative’s office. Participants must arrange their own accommodations, including interpreters, for Hill Visits ahead of time. Direct requests for interpreters and other accommodations to Congressional staff. Contact angela@ncil.org with any questions.

Professional Headshots

4:00 – 6:00 p.m. / Franklin

For two hours, you will have the opportunity to have your headshot taken with NCIL’s professional photographer, Andrew Robertson.

Sessions are expected to take approximately 5 minutes per person. Registration is not required, but please do your best to arrive at or before 5:00 to accommodate any wait time. The event will end promptly at 6:00.

Donations are appreciated and will be split 50/50 between NCIL and the photographer. Photos will be available for download shortly after the conference concludes. Please note that by participating in this event, you agree to allow NCIL to use the photos taken on NCIL’s website and other marketing materials.

Celebration of Community

7:00 – 11:00 p.m. / 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. / McPherson

Concurrent Workshops 5

9:00 – 10:15 a.m. / Various locations

• 5.1 NCD 2027 Policy Projects and Town Hall (Independence A)

Concurrent Workshops 6

10:30 – 11:45 a.m. / Various locations

• 6.1 Assisted Suicide Panel (Independence A)
• 6.2 Advocacy: From Barriers to Breakthrough (Lafayette / Farragut)

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.