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2026 NIDILRR Stakeholder Match-Making Sessions

About the NIDILRR Stakeholder Match-Making Initiative

The Administration for Community Living’s (ACL) National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) is sponsoring its third year of virtual match-making sessions for ACL/NIDILRR stakeholders to connect with each other to share information, discuss common research interests, and ultimately find partners for research collaboration.

From February 2026 to March 2026, NIDILRR stakeholders will sign up for sessions based on similar research interests and will be provided with a virtual Zoom room to meet and talk. Each session will consist of one or more presenters and participants. Based on the discussion, stakeholders may capture information about each other and connect individually with each other to partner with after the session.

Please note, ACL/NIDILRR is sponsoring the sessions but will not be participating in the sessions in order to maintain integrity in future grant processes, such as peer review, and is not endorsing any content discussed.

Presenter and Participant Roles

Before signing up for a session, please review the information below regarding roles for presenters and participants:

  • Presenters are stakeholders who are seeking partnership and collaboration for research purposes or stakeholders who have a research question or a specific research topic idea and want to make a pitch to the researchers. During each session, presenters are asked to briefly share information about their organization and their research interests and pose questions to matched stakeholders. Presenters will be responsible for “moderating” the sessions and leading the discussion.
  • Participants are stakeholders who have similar research interests and who will be listening during the session, provide feedback, respond to questions, and ask their own questions. 

Register for a Session

If you are interested in joining a stakeholder match-making session as a participant, please complete the Zoom registration for the session(s) you would like to attend, by Monday, February 23rd - Friday, February 27, 2026. Spots are limited. Sessions will be recorded for administrative purposes only and will not be shared.

Sessions are designed to be small to foster discussion and collaboration, so we ask that you please only register if you plan on attending the session. For each session, you will find the session topic, presenter(s), date and time, and registration link below.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Capacity Building and Community Living and Participation
    Thursday, February 26, 2026, 10:00 am – 11:00 am ET
    Presentation #1 - A Potential Over-Reliance and Dependence on External Resources by People with Disabilities (Daryl Schaffer)
    Presentation #2 - Inclusive employment for individuals with psychosocial disabilities (Ikenna D. Ebuenyi)
    Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/uB0REuS_SvOGpWoMF2Q3TA 

 

 

 

 

  • Technology for Access and Function; Mental Health Aspects of IDD
    Tuesday, March 3, 2026, 1 pm – 2:00 pm ET
    Presentation #1 - How can microlearning improve skills retention for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)? (Amy B. Fox)
    Presentation #2 - Improving Access to Mental Health Treatment for People with IDD: The Beat It Therapeutic Intervention (Andrea Palmieri)
    Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Zl33yO_-SLWfvPnwr93hqQ

 

 

 

 

  • Health and Function 
    Friday, March 6, 2026, 10:00 am – 11:00 am ET
    Presentation #1 - Prenatal Opioid Exposure: Emerging Long-Term Disability Profiles and Research Gaps (Lenette Serlo)
    Presentation #2 - Long-term outcomes following brain injury: examining aging, healthy aging, and dementia (Amelia Hicks)
    Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/fe0kONIGQMOdpt7WJcxBTA 

 

 

  • Rehabilitation Learning Health Systems; Disability Statistics and Demographic Research; Technology for Access and Function 
    Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm ET  
    Presentation #1 - Feasibility and clinical validation of a remote pressure assessment technology system (Thiru Annaswamy)
    Presentation #2 - National Centers of Excellence: Building Capacity Toward Limb Loss, Difference, and Preservation Model Systems. (Prateek Grover) 
    Presentation #3 - Designing for Failure: The Actual Cost of Physical Access (Syroun Sanossian) 
    Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/-52VxkiSSfW0_s3FYKe0Lw 

 

* Please note that by registering, stakeholders give their permission to share their contact information with other registrants*

If you sign up for one or more of the sessions above, please plan on attending all of the sessions you sign up for. If your schedule changes and you are no longer able to attend a session you registered for, please email Brandon Cantrell at bcantrell@newditions.net. 

Disability-Related Accommodations

An opportunity to request disability-related accommodations will be provided in each registration link. If you have difficulties completing the registration or have any questions, please email Kate Thomas at kthomas@neweditions.net.

Overview

What

ACL/NIDILRR is sponsoring virtual match-making session for ACL/NIDILRR stakeholders with similar interests. ACL/NIDILRR will not be participating in the sessions to maintain integrity in future grant processes and will not be endorsing any content discussed.

When

Stakeholder match-making sessions will be held in February – March 2026.

Who

ACL/NIDILRR stakeholders (researchers, disability and advocacy organizations, providers, etc.)

How

Those interested in participating should sign up using the links above. By registering, stakeholders give their permission to share their contact information with other registrants. Sessions will be held via Zoom rooms managed and hosted by a contractor (New Editions Consulting). The contractor will not be taking notes. Sessions will be recorded for administrative purposes only and not distributed.

Questions

Please email Brandon Cantrell.