More than three decades after passage of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Americans with disabilities continue to push the nation toward greater independence, economic opportunity, and full participation in American life. The ADA fundamentally reshaped civil rights and accessibility in America, laying the groundwork for transformative policies like the ABLE Act, which expanded opportunities for financial independence and long-term economic stability for people with disabilities and their families.

This national webinar, led by disability advocate and policy leader Sara Hart Weir, Executive Director of the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities alongside self-advocates Whit Downing, Vice President of Policy & Programming, and Lola Kernell, Advocacy Coordinator, will combine policy insight with powerful lived experience perspectives to examine both the progress achieved and the challenges that remain.

The session will focus on one of the most urgent next frontiers in disability policy: ensuring Americans with disabilities can work, build savings, pursue careers, and achieve economic mobility without risking the healthcare, Medicaid waiver services, personal supports, and benefits they rely on to live independently. Speakers will discuss how outdated income and asset limits continue to trap many individuals with disabilities in poverty and force impossible choices between employment and essential supports.

This conversation will challenge attendees to think beyond accessibility alone and toward a future where disability policy fully supports employment, economic advancement, independence, and true community inclusion.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Registration is required. The deadline to register is Wednesday, August 26, 2026. Accommodations cannot be guaranteed after the registration deadline.

For questions, email Jordyn Clifton at jhgum@udel.edu or call 302-831-2772.

As high school graduation gets closer, everyone starts to wonder: What’s Next? For most, that includes either college or work or both. This is no different for students with disabilities and federal law is in place to help ease the transition.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires schools to provide transition services like career exploration and vocational training, while Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 helps ensure individuals with disabilities are not discriminated against in employment settings that receive federal financial assistance.

“Transition at Work: Understanding What’s Possible with IDEA and 504” is the second segment of our “Powering Futures: Let’s Work Together” Lunchtime Learning webinars and will be led by Amy Dwyre D’Agati, senior faculty specialist in the College of Education, University of Maryland College Park (UMD), and staff at the Center for Transition and Career Innovation. She also established and currently directs UMD’s TerpsEXCEED program, an inclusive postsecondary college experience for students with intellectual disabilities who could not access college in a traditional manner.

Learn about the benefits—and challenges—of preparing for and acquiring meaningful employment after school, and how schools and state agencies can work with families to offer resources and make the transition process go smoothly.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Registration is required. The deadline to register is Wednesday, September 9, 2026. Accommodations cannot be guaranteed after the registration deadline.

For questions, email Jordyn Clifton at jhgum@udel.edu or call 302-831-2772.

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services are critical ingredients in the success of people with disabilities as they not only prepare to enter the job market, but also when ready to get, keep or advance in a job. VR services help support people in facing and breaking down barriers to working. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is the federal law that drives VR by strengthening the partnerships among VR programs, schools, workforce development practices and employers.

The third and final installment of our “Powering Futures: Let’s Work Together” Lunchtime Learning webinars, “The Future of Vocational Rehabilitation,” will look at how the changing times affect how we support people with individuals with disabilities in the workplace with regard to VR.

Leading the session is Danté Allen, a lifelong disability advocate and former vocational rehabilitation consumer. Allen serves as the deputy director of the Office of Legislation and Communications at the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR). Before joining DOR, Allen was appointed by U.S. President Joe Biden to the role of commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) within the U.S. Department of Education.

The session will explore trends such as shifting consumer expectations, technological advancements and fiscal pressures redefining our landscape.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Registration is required. The deadline to register is Wednesday, September 23, 2026. Accommodations cannot be guaranteed after the registration deadline.

For questions, email Jordyn Clifton at jhgum@udel.edu or call 302-831-2772.