Message from the Board President

Hello TASH Members,

I’m proud to be able to write to you as the new President of TASH. Like you, I joined TASH to advance equity, opportunity, and inclusive lives for people with disabilities, with a focus on those with the most significant support needs. I am sickened by the ongoing attacks on disability and human rights in Minnesota and across the country.

To help in our shared mission to protect and advance the rights of people with disabilities on national, state, and local levels, we put together some resources for you.

1) Share Information

• Disability Rights California has a free downloadable “Know Your Accommodations Rights” card. This card focuses on your ADA and Section 504 rights for reasonable accommodations. Know your accommodations rights!
• Minnesota Neurodivergent Education Advocacy and Therapy Services (MNEATS) has printable Civil Rights cards with images and text. They also have resources for sharing information if you have difficulty communicating your rights and needs in an emergency. Know your civil rights!
• The Know Your Rights app will read your rights aloud to ICE or law enforcement personnel. It also sends a message to your emergency contact.
• TASH board member Jennifer Sommerness, has been sharing the amazing work and support options in Minnesota through Stand With Minnesota.
• Multicultural Autism Action Network (MAAN) educates East African, Hmong, African American, Asian American Pacific Islander, and Indigenous communities about autism in culturally relevant ways. They have shifted all resources to connecting families of children with disabilities to emergency assistance and rent support. Please share this link with any contacts you have in Minnesota.

Continue checking TASH in Action and Washington Update for other resources and advocacy opportunities.

2) Contact your elected officials

• State level advocacy is key. Contact your governor and your state legislators. Urge them to support individuals with disabilities and their communities. Tell your story about policies and programs that are harmful. You can used the tools linked to at the top of TASH’s Advocacy Tools & Resources page to find your Congressional members and message them directly.

With appreciation,

Deborah Taub
TASH Board President

TASH News

Call for Proposals and Key Dates

The Call for Proposals for the 2026 TASH Conference is open now, through Tuesday, May 12, 2026. To access the proposal application forms, visit our Conference website. Scroll down to the “Call for Proposals” section to access information about the Research format, General format or Research Colloquium. All proposals will undergo a de-identified peer review; results will be shared at the beginning of July.

This year’s Conference will be held at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 3 – 5, 2026. This year’s Conference theme is Liberty and Justice for All.

2026 Key Dates

One Month Until the
Cal-TASH 2026 Conference

Cal-TASH is honored to announce that Jim LeBrecht — co-director and co-producer of Crip Camp, and director of Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act—will serve as the closing session speaker for the conference on Saturday afternoon. This session will feature a conversation reflecting on his work and its broader impact. This is a truly exceptional opportunity that you won’t want to miss! Check out the full Conference schedule. The Conference is February 27-28 so register today! #caltash2026

Looking to Get Involved with TASH?
Here’s an Opportunity to Lead

TASH is seeking a Chair for the Diversity and Social Impact Community of Practice. This is a meaningful leadership role for members passionate about advancing inclusion for people with disabilities from diverse backgrounds.

The Committee Chair:

• Develops and implements an annual Work Plan focused on diversity and social impact.
• Advances strategies to increase the diversity of TASH membership.
• Leads the selection process for the annual Ralph Edwards Diversity and Social Impact Award.

Participation in a Community of Practice is a benefit available to all TASH members.

If you’re ready to contribute your voice, leadership, and passion to TASH’s mission, we encourage you to contact Donald Taylor (dtaylor@tash.org).

Call for Webinar Proposals

The Spring and Fall Webinar Series are currently in development, and a limited number of presentation slots remain available. Individuals interested in proposing a webinar are invited to complete the submission form for consideration. Webinar submissions will be accepted through Friday, February 27, 2026. Notification of acceptance will be sent during the week of March 9.

Join the Self-Advocate Virtual Coffee Break on Fridays

Since 2020 TASH has been hosting a Friday Self-Advocate Virtual Coffee Break. It’s an informal virtual get-together. Each week we send out a meeting agenda with three topics of conversation. You can sign up for notices about the group at the Zoom registration page.

Policy & News Updates

TASH Cosponsors Congressional Briefing on Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

Left to right: Bonita Williams, moderator, NEA; Stephanie Gawlinski, special educator, Montgomery County Public Schools; Dr. Kim Pinckney, parent of a student with disabilities; Valerie C. Williams, former director, Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP); Michael Brogioli, Executive Director, TASH; at the podium: Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA).

TASH partnered with the National Education Association (NEA) in hosting a Capitol Hill briefing for Congressional staff on January 12, titled “50 Years of IDEA: The Right to a Free Appropriate Public Education”. Michael Brogioli, Executive Director of TASH, was a panelist alongside Bonita Williams, Stephanie Gawlinski, Dr. Kim Pinckney and Valerie C. Williams. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) was the Congressional sponsor and provided opening remarks. The panel stressed the critical role the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) plays in implementing the goals of IDEA, and stressed that IDEA is a landmark civil rights law that greatly impacts students with disabilities and their families, and that dismantling the Department of Education, including its civil rights enforcement capacity, could have a devastating impact on students with disabilities. Panelists urged Congress to bolster, not dismantle, the Department of Education and to support and strengthen funding for IDEA. Read Brogioli’s full statement here.

Washington Update for January 2026

If you missed it, TASH’s January 2026 Washington Update is available on the TASH blog. We update members on the state of disagreements over the budget, Affordable Care Act tax credits, a new GAO report on healthcare accessibility, ABLE Accounts, a rundown of new legislation to watch and The Arc’s new toolkit, Protecting People With Disabilities Within New Medicaid Work Requirements. You can read the full newsletter here.

The Return of the R-Word

On Monday the New York Times ran an article, “The ‘R-Word’ Returns, Dismaying Those Who Fought to Oust It“. One of the points made in the article is that use of the R-word is responsive to the example set by public figures. According to a recent study, the R-word was used about 2,000 times a day on Twitter / X in 2020. Since Elon Musk has become a regular user of the slur, its use has grown to over 46,000 times a day – a more than 2,000 percent increase. After president Trump called Governor Walz the R-word in late November, use of the word spiked to more than 1.1 million posts using the word per day.

Charting the Course to Employment Success With Family Supports and Cross-System Partnerships
3:00–4:30 PM Eastern, Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Employment is a core component of a good life. The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), Institute for Human Development’s Charting the LifeCourse framework helps individuals and families of all abilities and ages articulate a vision for a good life, identify needed supports, and navigate pathways to achieve the lives they want to live. The framework recognizes that people need different supports at different life stages and that no single service system can meet all needs. This webinar will explore how family engagement and cross-system approaches can help remove barriers to achieving meaningful employment outcomes for people with disabilities across the lifespan.

	Michelle “Sheli” Reynolds Director LifeCourse Nexus, UMKC
	Sarah Adams Assistant Director LifeCourse Nexus, UMKC

Community Collaborations for Employment: Building Pathways That Work

ACL’s Projects of National Significance Community Collaborations for Employment (CCE) grants, launched in 2021, support stakeholder collaborations to better facilitate transitions of youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities between schools to employment and community living. As the seven grants conclude their final year, the CCE teams from Kansas and North Carolina shared highlights from their work, including successful strategies, effective partnerships, outcomes, and lessons learned. Self-advocates will also discuss their employment journeys and their roles in CCE teams. This session offers ACL grantees and organizations working to advance competitive integrated employment practical approaches they can apply in their own communities. The webinar streamed live on January 13, 2026. Watch it as a recording here.

Follow DETAC on social media for news and resources:

Spotlight on Research

Call for Nominations:
Editor of Inclusive Practices

The Editorial Search Committee is now accepting applications from scholars interested in serving as the Editor of Inclusive Practices. The Editor will serve a 3-year term. Support for this journal will be provided by the TASH Research and Publications Committee. If you are interested in being considered for this position, please send a cover letter of interest and your vita to Stacy Dymond (sdymond@illinois.edu). The search closes March 15, 2026. Read the full Call for Nominations here.

Community News

Two more episodes in Wise’s webinar series are coming up in February. Visit their webinars page to learn about “Preserving a Meaningful Life as We Age” on February 4^th and “Outcomes vs. Inputs: Measuring What Matters” on February 11^th.

Also, starting in March, Wise will be hosting a four-part Skills Empowerment and Advocacy Training (SEAT), a series developed and led by individuals with development disabilities to prepare others to serve on boards, work groups, advisory councils, and commissions. For the schedule, descriptions of each session and registration, visit Wise’s SEAT homepage.

Employment Opportunities

Seeking a Values-Based Employee or Employer?
Post Your Job or Resume on TASH’s Career Center

TASH has expanded our career offerings with our full-blown Career Center. When you post your resume as a TASH member, you will be listed higher in search results and e-mails to employers. Job postings start at $199 for a 30-day advertisement for TASH members and $249 for non-members. Join TASH today to make your next career move.

Upcoming Events

Thank You to Our Donors!

We would like to thank everyone who donated to TASH in December of 2025 and January of 2026. We are grateful to all of our supporters who help us achieve equity, opportunity, and inclusion for people with disabilities. Thank you!

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. More information about TASH can be found at www.tash.org.

TASH
P.O. Box 10026, Washington, D.C. 20018-0026 | (202) 808-8148 | info@tash.org

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