Alexa Brill & Kathy Brill

Self-Advocacy

Ever wonder how people with significant disabilities can live independently? Hear from Alexa Brill and her Mom, Kathy Brill, on how Alexa uses smart home and other assistive technology to help her live independently in her own home. Also, learn how problems and barriers discovered along the way can be solved, and how her parents helped her achieve this independence.

Alexa Brill Bio:

Alexa Brill graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 2013. She has worked for The Arc of Pennsylvania since 2014 as their Social Media Manager. Alexa currently serves as the President on the Board of Self Advocates United As 1 (SAU1). She has also served on the Smart Home Advisory Committee through the Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF), as well as the Wireless RERC Advisory Committee through the University of Pittsburgh. Most recently, she was a participant in the Assistive Technology Champions Program through Temple University. Alexa has Cerebral Palsy and is very passionate about advocating for the rights of people with disabilities, as well as helping to make sure they have access to the right technology. She wants to help as many people learn about, and access the technology they need to be as independent as possible.

Kathy Brill Bio:

Kathy is a Mom to three daughters. The process of working toward Alexa’s living independently started from the moment her daughter was born. Kathy is a believer in the need to think about the future when kids are young, and then envision, plan for, and problem-solve for those real and potential barriers before they occur.

She was co-founder and first director for Parent to Parent USA, and the first director for Parent to Parent of PA. She chaired PA’s State Interagency Coordinating Council for Early Intervention, a member of the Gaskin Panel, and several additional positions in PA.

She currently serves on the boards of Penn TASH, the National Advisory Board on Improving Health Care Services for Older Adults and People with Disabilities (NAB), President to MCIE (Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education), and DEE (Disability Equality in Education).

Kathy received the National Council on Disability 2006 Leadership Award in appreciation of outstanding contributions to the improvement of disability policy in the US. She holds master’s degrees in Education and Political Management with concentration in Grassroots Advocacy.

Alice Wershing

Assistive Technology and Accessibility Specialist, M.Ed., A.T.P., C.P.A.C.C

Artificial intelligence isn’t new to assistive technology, but today’s AI tools are creating new possibilities for people with disabilities and the professionals who support them. This session will look at what’s new—and what isn’t—in AI and accessibility, with examples from assistive technology, communication, wayfinding, cognitive access, research, and accessible content creation. We’ll also explore tools that can speed up document creation along with document remediation. Along the way, we’ll consider where AI can increase access and independence, where it can get things wrong, and why we still need to check. Participants will leave with ideas of ways that AI can increase accessibility and independence in both the digital and built environment.

Alice holds an M.Ed. in Severe Disabilities with an emphasis in Rehabilitation Engineering and is certified as an Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) and Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC). She has more than 30 years of experience in assistive technology and more than 10 years in digital accessibility.

Now retired from full-time employment, Alice continues to consult with individuals and nonprofit organizations. Her current work includes AI and accessibility, digital accessibility, augmentative communication and expanding disability history in K–12 education. She is also updating a disability rights and history curriculum using assistive technology and accessible digital tools and writing disability history for young readers.

In this session, Alice draws on her experience with assistive technology tools that used forms of AI long before today’s new developments, interest and debate. She will highlight current AI tools that can increase independence and accessibility in both digital and built environments, while opening a discussion about where AI can help, where it can create barriers, and what we need to consider when deciding when and how to use these tools.

Constance Harrington

Director of Education and Accreditation, Tech First SHIFT

Enabling technology is everywhere, but making it work consistently in everyday life is another story. Too often, promising tools are introduced with enthusiasm, then lose momentum, fade into the background, or never become part of daily practice. This practical session takes a candid look at why that happens and, more importantly, what helps organizations move forward. Drawing from real-world Technology First implementation, we’ll explore the shifts that turn good intentions into sustainable practice. You’ll leave with practical, person-centered strategies to strengthen implementation, support staff, build consistency, and create technology solutions that are more likely to stick over time in practice.

Constance Harrington, MA, is the Director of Education and Accreditation for SHIFT and a nationally recognized subject matter expert on enabling technology and Technology First approaches to services. With more than 25 years of experience in the human services field, she has helped organizations across the country implement thoughtful, person-centered approaches to technology that expand autonomy, opportunity, and quality of life. Known for combining strategic insight with practical, real-world application, Constance brings experience in leadership, policy, accreditation, and frontline services. Her work focuses on helping organizations move beyond simply adopting technology to building sustainable systems and cultures that support meaningful outcomes. She regularly advises organizations on best practices and system change and presents at national conferences and trainings. Constance holds a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and is a graduate of the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities.

David Taylor

Senior Co-Trainer, Self-Advocate, My Tech For All

Join me, David Taylor, a self-advocate and senior co-trainer who has taught hundreds of people with disabilities how to use technology. In this live demonstration, I’ll use my phone to show you how to download the free Google Gemini app, get started, and ask questions by typing or speaking. You can talk to Gemini, and it can talk back!

I’ll also demonstrate writing an email with Gemini, including telling it who the email is for and what you want to say. We’ll take it step by step, with time for your questions. Whether you’re new to AI or ready to learn more, this session will help you build confidence using it in everyday life.

David Taylor is a motivational speaker, published author, and advocate for self-determination and inclusion. As a senior co-trainer with My Tech For All, he has trained hundreds of people with disabilities across seven states, helping them build skills and confidence in using technology.

David completed a fellowship with the Harvard Law School Disability Project, conducting research for the Home and Community Living Service project, including work with the National Core Indicators from the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI). Recently, he completed a SARTAC fellowship focused on using AI to create plain-language documents.

David has extensive experience serving on boards and committees including: the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council, and the national Board of Directors of TASH, and serving as Vice-Chair of Community Living Services. He currently serves on the Community Advisory Committee of the University of Arizona’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. David co-wrote Beyond Tokenism: People with Complex Needs in Leadership Roles, published in Inclusion, a journal of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. The article calls on organizations to include people with complex needs in meaningful leadership roles.

Elman Suleymanov

Details coming soon.

Ezra Reynolds & Brady Fulton

Enabling Tech Solutions

As artificial intelligence rapidly evolves, it creates opportunities which promote independence. In “AI Tools for Independent Living,” Ezra Reynolds and Brady Fulton from Enabling Technology Solutions will show how everyday AI applications can be integrated into your life. Moving beyond theoretical tech, this session focuses on how they use a person-centered approach to technology: starting with an individual’s unique goals, routines, and preferences. Attendees will learn how AI-driven tools can assist with medication management, environmental control, communication, and caregiver peace of mind, while ensuring safety and privacy. Whether you are a self-advocate, family member, support coordinator, or provider, you will leave with actionable strategies, practical tools, and implementation best practices you can apply right away.

Jennifer White & Sue Babin

CEO, AbleOpps & Special Projects Coordinator, RIDDC

The Rhode Island Cross Disability Coalition and Able Opportunities, Inc. have partnered to create a model designed for small business owners with developmental disabilities to share support structures. 14 individuals with lived experience are training as peer support professionals, a newly covered service under RI’s medicaid waiver, to offer a variety of of support services that enrich lives, beginning with technology training to people served by developmental disabilities, across the state.

We are just now finishing up training with the 1st cohort of experts, who will soon be offering training on the use of AI, iPad and Galaxy tablets, Self Advocacy films, Video Resumes, Ring Doorbells, Alexa Home systems, scan pens, and more.

Presenters:

Jennifer White, owner of Able Opportunities, is a seasoned subject matter expert, designing and implementing projects that further Employment First strategies in transition programs and community employment agencies across the US. She specializes in innovative, person-driven, technology accommodations (see Personal Autonomy and Work Autonomy on the App Store & Google Play Store), successful business minded tools, and collaborative design resulting in structures that sustain successful employment outcomes.

Sue Babin has been working in the field of developmental disabilities for 40+ years. She is currently a Special Projects Coordinator for the RI Developmental Disabilities Council (RIDDC), staff to the Systems Advocacy Committee (SAC), and founder/Project Director since 2018 for RI’s “Self-Employment Small Business Incubator… the Spirit of Individual Enterprise Project”. Prior to this she was the Administrator, Office of Quality Assurance, RI State Division of Developmental Disabilities advocating for the human rights of people with disabilities and overseeing investigations on abuse, neglect and mistreatment; administrator for supported employment; program manager for RI’s Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver; and monitoring programs for community agencies.

Three of the Self Advocate Professionals in training will be presenting: Zachary Gauthier, Nathan Markley, and Christina Battista. Join us to learn how both low and high tech tools are impacting the success of these business owners!

Jessica Daiger

SafeInHome

Remote Supports give us an opportunity to think differently about how we support people to live more independently. In this session, we’ll talk about what Remote Supports actually look like in everyday life and how technology can be used to support choice, independence, and safety without taking away the human connection. We’ll share real examples, talk through what works (and what we’ve learned along the way), and challenge ourselves to move beyond “this is how we’ve always done it” and start asking what else might be possible.

Laurie Schaller

Manager of Financial Empowerment, National Disability Institute/ABLE National Resource Center

Discover how ABLE accounts and other funding sources can help individuals with disabilities save for and fund technology needs that support daily living, education, employment, and community engagement. From assistive technology and adaptive devices to AI-powered tools and digital connectivity, ABLE accounts provide a flexible, tax-advantaged way to pay for a wide range of expenses to help account owners achieve greater independence. Join us to learn more about ABLE and how it can support your financial future.

Katie Moore

Summit Co-Chair, Self-Advocate, My Tech For All

We will be doing an ice breaker, and I will share my story on how I use AI for advocacy. I will show how to make a flyer. I will give a demonstration on using ChatGPT and how I planned my conference.
It is going to be fun time showing you what I do with ChatGPT, including ways to advocate and how to make videos.
Katie Moore is a disability advocate and self advocate from East Tennessee. She was the co-founder of the Power in Our Voice Advocacy Conference last year in 2025. She enjoys speaking, planning events, creating advocacy resources, making flyers and ideas for content on social media using AI to support her advocacy work. Katie is passionate about helping people with disabilities share their stories, use their voices, know they belong in society and reminding that they are valuable.

Sandra Wilcox & Marle Chen

Self-Advocate, My Tech For All & California Developmental Disabilities Council

Details coming soon.

Sheryl Burgstahler

Ph.D., Course Designer and Instructor, University of Washington and City University of New York

Disability-related issues when using AI in educational settings include those related to civil rights compliance and social justice; design practices; misinformation and bias; informed consent; and data privacy and security. The presenter will discuss these issues and how educators, individuals with disabilities, AI developers, researchers, and policymakers can play significant roles in addressing them.

Steve Pelton

CEO, We Thrive Together

Are we protecting people with disabilities from the risks of AI or preventing them from experiencing its benefits?
Instead of asking, “Should a person with a disability be allowed to use AI?” let’s ask: “What training and support will help them use AI safely and successfully?”
This session, we’ll explore available live and on-demand training options and how to advocate for tech.
AI is changing our world. People with disabilities deserve more than a seat at the table; they deserve the knowledge, skills, and opportunity to decide how AI will be part of their lives.

Steve Sutter

CEO, Creatability

Curious about artificial intelligence but not sure where to begin? This friendly, hands-on session takes the mystery out of AI and shows how everyday people can use it to save time, generate ideas, solve problems, and create useful content. We’ll explain the basics in plain language, explore practical examples, and share simple tips for getting better results. Participants will have an opportunity to try AI for themselves and leave with greater confidence, helpful techniques, and something they can proudly say they created with AI.

Suzanne Feit

Author

In this practical and engaging session, Suzanne Feit will demonstrate how ChatGPT can help educators create flexible, accessible learning experiences that respond to different abilities, interests, communication styles, and support needs. Drawing on more than 35 years of experience in special education and assistive technology, Suzanne will share simple ways to adapt reading levels, explain concepts in multiple ways, develop visual supports, generate personalized activities, and give learners meaningful choices.

Suzanne will also introduce her book, Family Adventures from A to Z Using ChatGPT, as an example of how one resource can inspire many different learning experiences. Educators and families can use the book’s activities as starting points, then work with ChatGPT to adjust instructions, language, format, complexity, and participation options for individual learners. Participants will leave with practical ideas for using AI as a supportive partner while keeping the educator, learner, and family at the center of the process.

Doug Golub

NYS AI Alliance

What are disability service providers using AI tools for today, and how are they deciding what is safe to use? This session will share practical examples from provider organizations and discuss the policies, staff training, privacy safeguards, and human oversight needed to use AI tools responsibly while keeping people’s choices and needs at the center.

Doug Golub is the principal consultant at Data Potato LLC and a former founder and president of a technology company serving home and community-based service providers nationwide. He works with organizations on AI governance, technology, quality improvement, and measuring outcomes. His current work includes helping the New York Alliance for Inclusion & Innovation develop practical AI resources and a learning community for providers. Doug is a Doctor of Public Health student at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, concentrating in Health Policy and Management. He also serves on disability advocacy boards, as Treasurer of the ANCOR Foundation and Vice President of Finance for the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry.

Ariana Aboulafia

Details coming soon.

Ariel Simms

President and CEO, Disability Belongs

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already shaping how people with disabilities navigate everyday life. Based on research conducted by Disability Belongs®, Access Living, and CommunicationFIRST, in partnership with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), this session will explore how people across the disability community are using AI to support independence, communication, navigation, health care, daily living, and participation in the workforce.

Grounded in the lived experiences of people with disabilities, the session will highlight practical applications of AI, from navigation and scheduling tools to real-time transcription, smart devices, AI-powered assistive technology, and communication supports. It will also examine barriers that can limit access and adoption, including privacy, affordability, inaccessible or inaccurate tools, and technology developed without meaningful input from the disability community. Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of how people with disabilities are using AI today and why our representation and influence throughout the design, testing, and development of emerging technologies are critical to creating a more accessible, equitable, and inclusive future.

Ariel Simms (they/them or she/hers) is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Disability Belongs®, a disability-led nonprofit that drives cultural and policy change to ensure our full representation and influence, creating a more accessible, equitable, and inclusive society.

A queer and multiply disabled social justice advocate, leader, and educator, Ariel has dedicated their career to advancing equity, justice, and meaningful inclusion for marginalized communities. A lifelong member of the disability community, Ariel grew into their first disabilities in childhood while supporting disabled family members and understands firsthand the experiences of people whose disabilities are not always readily apparent. Ariel began their career as a mental health counselor in Michigan, where working with people at the intersections of disability, race, and LGBTQIA+ identity inspired them to pursue a legal education and advocate for disability and human rights. Their work in the United States and internationally has included supported decision-making and legal capacity, health care, access to justice, education, employment, and self-advocacy. Prior to joining Disability Belongs®, Ariel served as Director of Access, Equity, & Inclusion at The Arc of the United States and led Chapter Growth & Affiliate Relations, advancing intersectional equity and supporting its national network. Ariel is also a Scholar in Residence at American University, where they teach Human Rights & Disability and Disability Law & Ethics, serves as Chair Emeritus of the Disability Rights Bar Association, and holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

Elliot Massuda

Community and Engagement Specialist, NOSS

Home is where we get to be ourselves. So when support comes into someone’s home, privacy and choice should come with it. In this session, we’ll talk about what that can look like day to day. We’ll share how sensors, a simple way to talk with someone, and a caring person on the other end can help people feel safe without feeling watched. We’ll also talk about how each person gets a say in what support looks like in their space. We hope you’ll join the conversation.

Rachel Levy

VoiceiTT

Your speech is understood at home. Why isn’t it understood anywhere else? In this demo, see Voiceitt’s AI recognize non-standard speech in real time, the same speech mainstream tech like Siri and Alexa still can’t understand. This isn’t just about talking to a device. See how it supports interpersonal communication in the workplace and text-based communication like emails and texts. You’ll see exactly how it works, who it’s for, and how to get started. If a parent or therapist can understand you, AI should too, and now it finally can.

Dylan Makani

Co-Founder & CEO, Glint

Visual supports help people communicate, follow routines, and handle new situations with more confidence. Making them has always taken hours. In this session, we’ll build communication boards, visual schedules, and social narratives live in a few seconds with Glint, using real photos and a person’s own interests. You’ll see how families, educators, and support staff use them at home, at school, at work, and in the community. We’ll also talk honestly about where AI helps, where it falls short, and how to keep the person at the center.

Drew Simonik

Enrollment Specialist, StationMD

Learn about how StationMD is revitalizing the care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through their urgent telehealth service. Walk through each step on who benefits, how to initiate a visit, and how to make the most of having 24/7 urgent telehealth available at your fingertips!

Donna Bryant & Lorie Golden & Danielle Kinkelaar

CEO, Arc & Family Support Director & Maps Director

This breakout room will focus on the fears and barriers that attendees bring forward, and how we’ve faced those challenges throughout the Meta Grant project.We’ll walk through real examples of members who have met goals, built confidence, and overcome both barriers and fear through the support of the Meta glasses and our coaching model.

Sarvesh Chandran

Discover how an individual with severe speech impairments can communicate with multiple communication methods. Learn to use AI from the disability AI community, being a personal AI coach, and with free and paid courses. Explore the opportunities that higher education opens for people with disabilities.

Al Condeluci

Relationships build when people find places and spaces that are regular in exchange and align with things they like. This session will look at the 4 steps of building relationships and how AI can facilitate the process.

Al Condeluci, PhD, is a renowned consultant, public speaker, and thought leader specializing in social capital and community engagement. With over four decades of experience, Dr. Condeluci has dedicated his career to fostering inclusion and strengthening community ties through the power of social capital.
He is well-known for his dynamic presentations and workshops that inspire individuals and organizations to build meaningful connections and inclusive communities.
As a seasoned facilitator, Dr. Condeluci has led numerous Retreats and World Café sessions, a conversational process that encourages collaborative dialogue and the sharing of knowledge in large group settings. His expertise in this area has helped countless organizations harness the collective
wisdom of their members to drive positive change. Through his consulting practice, Dr. Condeluci continues to guide communities and organizations in creating environments where all people can thrive and contribute. He is associated with the University of Pittsburgh and in 2018 was awarded the “Key to the City of Pittsburgh,” the highest civilian honor given to community leaders.
He can be reached at www.alcondeluci.com

Madeleine Gibbons-Shapiro

Master’s Student, the Ford School of Public Policy

In collaboration with the Delaware Department of Developmental Disabilities, the University of Michigan’s Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) research team is creating a framework to help state agencies evaluate the benefits and risks of AI for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (PIDDs). With a focus on the relationships between caregivers and PIDDs, independence, and privacy, join the STPP team to discuss how state agencies can assess AI technologies and best oversee their use.

Madeleine Gibbons-Shapiro is a second-year master’s student at the Ford School of Public Policy. Her research interests include the intersections of healthcare quality, accessibility, disability advocacy, and ethical technology. Prior to graduate school, she was the research coordinator for a Columbia University study about people with disabilities’ trust in medical research and the program manager for the housing department at the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation. Madeleine holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology with minors in Disability Studies and Spanish from Georgetown University. She is a Bohnett Leadership & Public Service Fellow and serves on the executive board of the Michigan Journal of Public Affairs.

David Banes

Head of the Advisory Board of the Equitable AI Alliance, Director of David Banes Access and Inclusion Services

For decades, Assistive Technology has been something done to or for persons with disabilities, but not necessarily with them. Even when users are consulted, the result is long development cycles, high costs, limited personalisation, and a persistent gap between what people need and what the market supplies.

The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems that can generate code, explain technical concepts, and support rapid prototyping raises a provocative question:

Could AI finally make it possible for people with disabilities to create their own Assistive Technology, and if so, what skills would that require, and what new risks might it introduce?

In this workshop, David Banes, the Head of the Advisory Board of the Equitable AI Alliance, explores how persons with disabilities can use generative AI, vibe coding and other mainstream tools to create and personalise their own assistive technology, even without traditional coding skills. Through practical examples, the workshop shows what it takes to turn an idea into an everyday AI-powered tool and how this empowers people with lived experience, also by giving them greater choice and control over the technology they use.

The workshop answers the important questions that come with building AI tools: how to keep personal data safe, what happens when AI gets things wrong, and how tools can remain accessible, secure and under the user’s control. These possibilities are also explored through lived-experience examples of tools created by persons with disabilities themselves, showing what can happen when people become not just users of Assistive Technology, but its creators.