NCIL Regional Forums Start February 2026
The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) invites you to participate in a series of regional forums focused on building stronger networks within your region. These sessions are designed to:
- Foster peer-to-peer connections among Independent Living Networks and disability advocates.
- Identify regional challenges and barriers impacting Independent Living services and the disability community
- Explore opportunities for collaboration and mobilization to strengthen advocacy and resource sharing within your region
We ask that you register only for the session in your region.
ASL and CART will be provided. If you need any other accommodations, please reach out to NCIL Membership Mobilization and Engagement Coordinator Haley Yetter at haley@ncil.org.
Schedule
Region 4
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee
February 11: 1:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern (12:00-1:30 p.m. Central)
Regional Representative: Edward Mitchell, Tennessee SILC (Tennessee)
Region 8
Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming
February 18: 1:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern (12:00-1:30 p.m. Central / 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Mountain)
Regional Representative: Tami Hoar, Summit Independent Living (Montana)
Region 3
Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
February 25: 1:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern
Regional Representative: Lillian Harrison, Independent Resources (Delaware)
Region 9
Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands
March 4: 1:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern (12:00-1:30 p.m. Central / 11:00 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. Mountain / 10:00-11:30 a.m. Pacific / 8:00-9:30 a.m. Hawaii)
Regional Representative: Lisa Hayes, California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (California)
Region 7
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska
March 11: 1:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern (12:00-1:30 p.m. Central / 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Mountain)
Regional Representative: Mike Parker, Paraquad (Missouri)
Region 10
Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington
March 25: 1:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern (12:00-1:30 p.m. Central / 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Mountain / 10:00-11:30 a.m. Pacific)
Regional Representative: Kimberly Meck, Disability Empowerment Center (Washington)
Region 2
New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
April 1: 1:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern
Region 1
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
April 8: 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Eastern
Regional Representative: Steve Higgins, Independence Associates, Massachusetts
Region 6
Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
April 15: 1:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern (12:00-1:30 p.m. Central / 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Mountain)
Regional Representative: Justina Plowden, Southwest Louisiana Independence Center (Louisiana)
Region 5
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin
April 22: 1:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern (12:00-1:30 p.m. Central)
Regional Representative: Jennifer Kucera, The Center for Disability Empowerment (Ohio)
These regional forums are supported by The Grassroots Project: Supporting Disability Advocacy Nationally which is funded by the Administration for Community Living and will be administered by the Human Services Research Institute. HSRI will work in partnership with national disability organizations through a National Advocacy and Action Coalition comprised of national organizations for the ACL funded DD, IL, TBI, and PRC programs. Together we will position the next generation of cross-disability, cross-generational and culturally diverse grassroots advocates as leaders and catalysts of systems change that hold states and/or providers accountable and responsive to input. The project will support state and local advocacy and action coalitions in leveraging the ACL disability networks in each state and territory to advance quality community living.
