2026 REGISTRATION Disability & Mental Health Summit

Our 13th annual free Disability & Mental Health Summit is a one-of-a-kind event in western Pennsylvania full of resources & information!

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:

• Teachers (Act 48) – all sessions approved; maximum of 7 credits
• Certified Rehabilitation Counselors (CE) – all sessions approved; maximum of 7 credit hours can be earned, no charge for these credit hours
• Lawyers (CLE) – select sessions approved (indicated by **); up to 7 substantive credit hours – $1.50 per credit hour
• Social Workers, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists, and Licensed Professional Counselors (CEU) – All sessions are eligible for credit for Social Workers at a cost of $15 per person requesting a certificate. This program is offered for 7 CE hours of social work continuing education through co-sponsorship of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work, a Council on Social Work Education accredited school and therefore a PA pre-approved provider of social work continuing education. These credit hours satisfy requirements for LSW/LCSW, LMFT, and LPC biennial license renewal.

Schedule

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

11 AM – 2 PM – Resource Fair

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 **

• 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 disabilitysummit@gmail.com with the subject line "Summit Accommodation Request."

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

Please nore: Lunch is not provided at this event. Food is available for purchase at a number of nearby locations.