Family Support Research and Training Center

08/24/2026

Hi FSRTC supporters. Just a reminder of this great webinar on the , an online resource, to connect with services and resources for the IDD community. Click link or scan qr cord to register.
Click link to register: https://uic.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LOEXXojLSW-qRBIRfFg96A #/registration

Family Support Research & Training Center (FSRTC) Webinar Series
Webinar Title: IDD Navigator: An accessible and centralized tool to find services
Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2026 from 2-3pm CT

Summary from image:
In this Family Support Series webinar, Ann Morris, who co-led the creation of IDD Navigator with a team at Little City and the Magnetize agency, will share the inspiration, process, and impact behind its development. She will also introduce and explore how to use the IDD Navigator and what resources are available on it. Samantha Alloway will then speak on how, as a parent, she sees the meaning and impact a tool like the IDD Navigator can have on families. She will also discuss how the Arc of Illinois is continuing to adapt and work on the IDD Navigator with the input from self-advocates, families, and professionals, and the importance of including their voices for this tool.

Speakers:
Samantha Alloway - Executive Director · The Arc of Illinois
Ann Morris - Chief of Communications & External Affairs · Little City
Above text is also on attached flyer.

Register at this link: https://uic.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LOEXXojLSW-qRBIRfFg96A #/registration

The Arc of Illinois Little City

08/19/2026

New episode of the is out.
From the attached flyer
"In this episode of the Family Support Stories, Ann Morris and Samantha Alloway talk about the IDD Navigator. The IDD Navigator is a free online tool created to provide families a more accessible, centralized way to access services, learn about resources and gain information in Illinois. "
Link to episode 9: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0SfJx4kM14MGt91gpQCsOP?si=yyuu9AKxSFGaEo-XRXjayw

08/17/2026

Family Support Research & Training Center (FSRTC) Webinar Series
Webinar Title: IDD Navigator: An accessible and centralized tool to find services
Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2026 from 2-3pm CT

Summary from image:
In this Family Support Series webinar, Ann Morris, who co-led the creation of IDD Navigator with a team at Little City and the Magnetize agency, will share the inspiration, process, and impact behind its development. She will also introduce and explore how to use the IDD Navigator and what resources are available on it. Samantha Alloway will then speak on how, as a parent, she sees the meaning and impact a tool like the IDD Navigator can have on families. She will also discuss how the Arc of Illinois is continuing to adapt and work on the IDD Navigator with the input from self-advocates, families, and professionals, and the importance of including their voices for this tool.

Speakers:
Samantha Alloway - Executive Director · The Arc of Illinois
Ann Morris - Chief of Communications & External Affairs · Little City
Above text is also on attached flyer.

Register at this link: https://uic.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LOEXXojLSW-qRBIRfFg96A #/registration

The Arc of Illinois Little City

07/23/2026

Excited to share Episosode 8 of our is out. :) Title: Story of Belonging. On this episode, we will be hearing from three different people and their perspectives on one experience. Daphne, an adult with an Intellectual and Developmental Disability, her sister Tamar, and her friend Tina will be sharing the story of when Daphne attended her 45th high school reunion in October 2025 and the importance of belonging.

link to podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-story-of-belonging/id1796202500?i=1000774215072

07/23/2026

Join us for a fun evening of music, poetry, and disability pride at our annual Open Mic Night!

Friday, July 24, 2026
Doors at 6:00pm
Show starts at 7:00pm
Chicago Temple lower level,
77 W. Washington Street

Access info: The Open Mic location is accessible by elevator, we will have a quiet space available, and we will provide CART captions and ASL interpreters. Contact [email protected] with any accessibility questions.

Signing up ahead of time helps accessibility, so please sign up! (Sign up link in the comments)

07/23/2026

Excited for the this saturday, 7/25. Come join our and team to celebreate .

Our 2026 Grand Marshal is Kelsey Lefevour, Manager of the Adaptive Sports Program at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.

A Chicago-native, Lefevour is a two-time graduate of the University of Illinois, currently working on a PhD in Sport Management, and a two-time US Paralympian in track and field. Born with spinal deformities, scoliosis, kyphosis, and diastematomyelia, Lefevour began wheelchair sports in college to help build her confidence and self-esteem, having not ever participated in competitive wheelchair racing before.

The parade board and committee members chose Lefevour as this year’s parade Grand Marshal because she represents a strong symbol of what the parade stands for: disability pride, disabled-led leadership, access, joy, and inclusion across our diverse community.

05/14/2026

The National Association of Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers hosted its annual conference in April in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the conference is to share the latest research findings, training and knowledge translation methodologies and results related to enhancing interventions, programs or systems to improve the lives of people with disabilities.

One of FSRTC's research assistants, Svetlana Mitric, attended the conference and presented a poster presentation about FSRTC. Conferences are a great way to share information, learn from others, and make connections. Svetlana was also able to connect with Dr. Sandy Magaña. Sandy was a guest on the 4th episode of our podcast, Family Support Stories!

(ID: Picture of FSRTC Update post with two pictures. One of Svetlana Mitric in professional suuit standing by FSRTC poster. Second pciture of Svetlana Mitric with Sandy Magana."

04/28/2026

In this episode of Family Support Stories, we speak with authors Dr. Helen Rottier and Dr. Morton Ann Gernsbacher about their joint book chapter, titled “Autistic Adult And Non-autistic Parent Advocates: Bridging the Divide”.

Tune in to explore the separation and merging of goals and discussions between autistic self-advocates and non-autistic parent advocates, and the potential priorities that can bridge previous divides to create space for autistic adult and non-autistic parent advocates to work together in establishing policies and practices that improve life for autistic people, their families, and communities.

Image discription: Blue background image with white text "Episoide 7 Now Streaming! Family Support Stories Bridging the Advocacy Divide" Two photos shown. Left: Helen Rottier, Right: Morton Ann Gernsbacher.

03/31/2026

Strive to Thrive is a research project about what helps people with IDD and their families do well. We’re asking what helps families move from surviving to thriving.

To help answer this question, we searched research papers using keywords about thriving. We found some barriers to thriving, or things that make it harder to thrive. We also found facilitators to thriving, or things that help them to thrive.

Explore this post to learn more about what we found !

You can also review the entire brief at this link: https://uofi.app.box.com/file/2079257553448?s=hg9qrwf6hms5gkx6isffqmc33hmedfjm

03/05/2026

How Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Support Aging Individuals with IDD and Their Aging Caregivers

When: Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 3:00pm CT / 4:00pm ET
Where: Zoom (virtual)

This presentation will provide an overview of the AUCD HCBS Special Interest Group (SIG) and its recent work. Presenters will discuss national trends in Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) for aging individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including implications for caregivers. The session will also review the HCBS Settings and Access Rules and how these policies promote community integration, person-centered planning, and equitable access to services for aging adults with IDD.

Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/2l_I0YN1QzCSbFsrmBnDDg