About Us

An unmatched opportunity to learn and advocate.

About Our Partnership

The Disability Policy Seminar is an annual conference focused on developing champions on Capitol Hill and building support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It is co-sponsored by the following organizations: The Arc of the United States, Autism Society, American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Association of University Centers on Disabilities, Caring Across Generations, Disability Belongs, National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals, United Cerebral Palsy, Self Advocates Becoming Empowered, and TASH.
The Disability Policy Seminar provides learning opportunities, updates, and opportunities to visit members of Congress. Together, we are making our experiences known in federal advocacy decisions. The Seminar helps attendees become stronger advocates and amplifies the concerns of people with IDD before federal lawmakers.

Partners:

The Arc is the largest national community-based organization advocating for and with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and serving them and their families. Its national office and nearly 600 chapters work tirelessly to ensure that every individual and family living with IDD in the United States has access to the information, advocacy, and skills they need to support their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.

The Autism Society’s mission is to create connections, empowering everyone in the autism community with the resources needed to live fully. As the nation’s oldest leading grassroots autism organization, the Autism Society and its 70+ local affiliates serve over half a million members of the autism community each year. The Autism Society envisions a world where everyone in the autism community is connected to the support they need, when they need it, including education, advocacy efforts, and supports and services throughout the lifespan.

Since 1876, the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) has been providing worldwide leadership in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. AAIDD is the oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization of professionals and others concerned with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is a membership organization that supports university-based Centers and Programs in their research, training, education, and service so that together, we can advance policies and practices that improve the quality of life, health, and well-being of people with disabilities and their families.

Caring Across Generations is a national organization of family caregivers, care workers, disabled people, and aging adults working to transform the way we care in this country so that care is accessible, affordable, and equitable and our systems of care enable everyone to live, work, and age with dignity. To achieve their vision, Caring Across Generations transforms cultural norms and narratives about aging, disability, and care; wins federal and state-level policies; and builds power amongst the people touched by care.

Disability Belongs™ is a diverse, disability-led, and cross-disability nonprofit that works to create systemic change in how society views and values people with disabilities and that advances policies and practices that empower people with disabilities to have a better future. Their mission is to fight stigmas and advance opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.

The mission of the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) is to elevate the status of direct support professionals (DSPs) by improving practice standards, promoting system reform, and advancing their knowledge, skills, and values. The various services and programs offered by the NADSP provide professional development opportunities along with the resulting recognition and acknowledgement that employees deserve. Whether a DSP pursues a rigorous certification or a frontline supervisor benefits from an in-depth curriculum, NADSP equips organizations with tools to help their employees succeed.

Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) is the United States’ national self-advocacy organization. They are a national board of regional representatives and members from every state in the U.S.

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) has proudly served the disability community since 1949. Today, its network of affiliates in the United States and Canada provides a wide range of services annually to approximately 200,000 children and adults with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. UCP believes that all people with disabilities should be treated as equal members of an inclusive society.

TASH advances equity, opportunity, and inclusion for people with disabilities, with a focus on those with the most significant support needs, in the areas of education, employment, and community living through advocacy, research, and practice. TASH is a multidisciplinary membership organization that includes researchers, people with disabilities, service providers, family members, educators, and direct support professionals. Together, they share a commitment to full inclusion of people with disabilities.