IOD Newsletter May 2026

Executive Orders Address Rights and Protections in PA

On Wednesday, April 15, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed three executive orders to strengthen the rights and protections of Pennsylvanians with disabilities. The Institute's Mary Kay Cunningham, assistant director of technical assistance and our UCEDD representative on the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council, joined him along with self-advocates, disability allies, and organizations such as the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council, The Arc of Pennsylvania, and others across the state.

Thank you for representing the IOD (Institute on Disabilities) at this important event, Mary Kay. The IOD is looking forward to seeing these important steps put into action!

Mary Kay Cunningham stands next to Governor Shapiro and two others

PA Governor Josh Shapiro (center left) poses with Mary Kay Cunningham (center right) and other event attendees

Updates from the IOD

IOD Staff Updates

Jenifer Taylor Eaton, assistant director of research and evaluation, defended her dissertation, earning a PhD in educational psychology; Aidan Campagnolio, graduate student and trainee at the IOD, was highlighted in an article that discussed his background, academic work, and commitment to disability advocacy; and Guy Caruso was awarded the Sesqui Award for Policy, which will be given to him at the 150th AAIDD annual meeting in May. Congrats, all!

IOD Hosts Youth Leadership Conference

On Monday, April 8th, the Institute on Disabilities was proud to co-sponsor and host the 12th annual Youth Leadership Conference, which welcomed students from the Philadelphia School District as they learned about post-secondary educational options, employment opportunities, and available resources for adults with disabilities. Thanks to our staff who helped coordinate and host this event, as well as our partners, the School District of Philadelphia and the Arc of Philadelphia.

Young adults in their seats at conference tables

IOD at Disability Pride Harrisburg

Earlier this month, the IOD tabled at Disability Pride in Harrisburg! Eva Weiss and Shirley Baker handed out giveaways and talked to attendees about our programs. Thank you for representing the IOD, Eva and Shirley!

C2P2 Podcast and Video

Our C2P2 program is up and running this year, with participants learning more about self-advocacy, disability history, and more! Check out this video we made with 2025 C2P2 graduates about the benefits of the program, as well as this podcast featuring a conversation between IOD staff Jon Fulton and current C2P2 participant Michelle Steiner! Look out for more content featuring IOD Staff and C2P2 participants.

A person with red, white, black, and silver-painted nails holds a white, red, and black pin with the text C2P2

IOD Presents at LEND

Guy Caruso, as Western Coordinator, is the IOD's community partner for the University of Pittsburgh's Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Related Disorders (LEND) program, and represented the IOD at LEND's April 22nd Community Partners event, as well as its Leadership Day on April 29th. Thanks, Guy!

L&CS Celebration

College is for everyone, and on Friday, Inclusive Postsecondary Education Day, our Leadership & Career Studies (L&CS) program celebrated their student graduates and graduating peer mentors. All L&CS graduates received pins commemorating their achievements, and all graduates received sweatshirts from the program. Congratulations, graduates. We are so excited to see you walk the stage!

Upcoming IOD Events and Opportunities

Tuesday, May 19: Pennsylvania Primary Election

Ready for the May 19 PA Primary Election? Polls will be open from 7 am to 8 pm. Check out our disability-focused, nonpartisan voting resources including a sample voting plan checklist.

Pennsylvania's Primary Election is on May 19. make your plan to vote!

Free Webinars on Augmentative and Alternative Communication in May

Celebrate National Speech-Language-Hearing Month! The Institute's TechOWL program will present a free lunch and learn webinar series at noon on Wednesdays throughout May 2026. Topics include engagement and participation for adult AAC users, AAC in the legal system, an FAQ session, and a Healthy Consent session. Learn more and register

a student on campus holds their electronic tablet loaded with an AAC app for communication

Heated Accessibility: Intro to Sex, Disability, and Assistive Tech

Join us on Thursday, May 21 from 12 - 1:30 pm for a free virtual talk on sex, disability, and assistive technology. Topics include sex and disability foundations, and intro to assistive devices for pleasure and sexual health. Open to all who care about accessibility and sexuality. Register for Heated Accessibility

Two happy people have coffee and conversation while side by side on a sofa

ASL Game Night

Philly Deaf Champs, a group of young adults who have hearing loss and identify as deaf/Deaf/HoH, is hosting a game night on Saturday, May 9, from 2:30 - 4:30 pm at the TechOwl Community Space! A wide variety of games will be available, and everyone is welcome! Learn more and sign up on Meetup

Group selfie of five happy game night participants, some signing Love You

Assistive Tech During Philly Tech Week

Join TechOWL during Philly Tech Week on Tuesday, May 5 at Inglis Innovation Center for an interactive showcase of assistive devices that keep inclusivity at the forefront of technology design. Whether you’re curious about virtual reality, robotics, smart home technology, or 3D printed solutions, come explore assistive and enabling technologies that support everyone’s ability to live, learn, and work more independently. TechOWL, Inglis, and many other groups will be there! Register on Eventbrite

More Opportunities and Updates

D&D Game Night: Join us on Monday, May 18 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm for a Dungeons & Dragons game night with Dungeon Master Lucy! The game night will be hosted at the TechOWL Community Space, 1392 Cecil B. Moore Avenue. D&D details and registration

IOD Student Highlight: Two of the Institute's Masters of Public Health fieldwork students, Samantha Najmol and Eliana Lord, presented at the Barnett College of Public Health's Research and Evidence-based Practice Day this April. Samantha presented her project exploring the healthcare experiences of LGBTQ people with IDD, and Eliana presented her project on food insecurity within the disability community. Great work, Samantha and Eliana! https://cph.temple.edu/marketing/lp/mph | https://cph.temple.edu

Careers Opportunities at the Institute on Disabilities: The IOD is still taking applications for open positions. Check out current opportunities on our website

Upcoming Webinars: IOD is co-sponsoring a series of webinars designed for support brokers, waiver participants who self-direct their own services, their families and their allies. Our second session will focus on Independent Support Brokers (ISBs) and Supports Brokers (SBs): Successes, Pitfalls, and Hot Issues July 29, 4 - 5 pm. Register for the series

IM4Q Update: In April, Guy Caruso and Mary Kay Cunningham, in their capacity as technical advisors, held three Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q) regional meeting for ODP staff in the region, Adult Autism Waiver staff, local IM4Q programs, and Administrative Entity staff. In total, we had over 100 participants. All programs are expected to complete the over 4,000 in-person or virtual interviews by June 30th.

More News from the IOD

More News

Want to stay current? Sign up for email updates.

Learning opportunities, news, and more — delivered to your inbox

Institute on Disabilities