2026 REGISTRATION Disability & Mental Health Summit

Our 13th annual free Disability & Mental Health Summit returns to Community College of Allegheny County's Allegheny Campus on the North Side. Look for a range of informative and impactful breakout sessions, a wealth of exhibitors at our Resource Fair, and our always popular Legislative Panel.

For more detailed information about sessions and speakers, visit DisabilitySummit.com.

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT:

We have applied for sessions to be eligible for continuing education credits in several disciplines.

• Teachers (Act 48) – all sessions approved; maximum of 7 credits
• Certified Rehabilitation Counselors (CE) – credit approval pending
• Lawyers (CLE) – credit approval pending
• Social Workers, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists, and Licensed Professional Counselors (CEU) – credit approval pending

Walk-in seating may be available on the day of the event.

8:45 AM – 9 AM – Summit Welcome and Kickoff

9 AM – 10 AM – Keynote Speaker - Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty

10 AM – 11 AM – Choice of:

• Accessing Mental Health and Substance Use Services in Allegheny County/Southwestern PA
• Beyond Birth: Addressing Maternal Mental Health Inequities
• Chill Schools, Thriving Minds: How Mindfulness Creates Space for Everyone
• Housing Rights for Individuals with Disabilities
• What I Wish My Family Knew about Pathological Demand Avoidance/ Pervasive Drive for Autonomy

11 AM – 12 PM – Choice of:

• Accessibility and Inclusion in an Often Inaccessible World: Self-Advocate Stories
• Breaking Barriers Together: How Technology and Self-Advocacy Can Impact Communities
• From Backpacks to Big Moves: How School-based OT and PT can Empower Every Step
• Key Information to Understand and Navigate the Medicaid Changes Ahead
• Leading with Your Disability in the Workplace and Beyond
• Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services for those with Serious Mental Illness and/or Autism

12 PM – 1 PM – Choice of:

• It Starts Here! Early Access to Services and Strategies for Young Children
• Parkinson's - More Than Just a Tremor
• Real People. Real Voices. Medicaid Matters.
• Transitioning to Adulthood: Accessing Medical Care and Supported-Decision Making; Everyone Needs Help Sometimes
• The Well Parent Effect: How Parent Mental Health Transforms Your Child’s Life and Future

1 PM – 2 PM – Choice of:

• Benefits for Veterans: Understanding and Navigating Programs Through the Veterans Administration
• Inclusive Emergency Preparedness
• Peer Mentorship as Mental Health Support: Harnessing the Power of Lived Experience
• The Relationship Between Media Representation and Employment Outcomes for People with Mental Health Disabilities
• Unplugged: How a Lower Tech Approach Fosters Healthy Development

2 PM – 4 PM – Legislative Panel – Topics:

• Direct Service Professionals for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
• Mental Health - TBA

ACCOMMODATIONS:

Requests for accommodations must be made as soon as possible via email to [email protected] with the subject line "Summit Accommodation Request."

***Requests cannot be addressed if received after April 26, 2026.***

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Host or Publisher Rep. Jessica Benham and Rep. Emily Kinkead