Slide 1 ADA State of the Science 
Research Conference, 
Day 2: March 12, 2026
Presented by the ADA National Network
ADA National Network logo

Slide 2 ZOOM WEBINAR Interface
Screen shot of Zoom webinar interface showing Whiteboard, Audio Controls, Chat area icon for instructions, Q&A Icon to submit questions to speakers, Live Transcript icon to enable captioning, Leave icon to sign out of the session and Full Screen ion to enlarge screen-viewing area

Slide 3 Listening to the Webinar via Your Computer
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Screen Shot Audio Settings
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 Slide 4 Real-Time Captioning
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Slide 5 Video Sign Language Interpreter
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Slide 6 Changing Screen View
To change your View so that you see the full video image on your screen (Sign Language Interpreter) select “Swap Video and Shared Screen”. Image Zoom View, Swap Video and Shared Screen

To enlarge the image of the Sign Language Interpreter, mouse over the edge of the video box and once the double-ended arrow appears, stretch the image to the desired size. Example of Interpreter on Camera

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Slide 7 Submitting Questions
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Slide 8 Welcome to the 2026 ADA State of the Science Research Conference 
Day 2

Slide 9 Funding Statement and Disclaimer
Funding Statement:

This conference is coordinated by the ADA Knowledge Translation Center with support from the ADA National Network Research Committee, and funded through the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) (NIDILRR grant number 90DPAD0004). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this conference are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of any entities they represent, the ADA Knowledge Translation Center, the ADA National Network, the University of Washington, or the federal government. Statements, views, and opinions expressed during any presentation or in any materials are those solely of the presenter. The information and assistance provided is not legal advice.

Slide 10 Overview of Day 2
•	Session A: Health and Society.
o	Four lightning presentations.
o	Moderator summary.
o	Questions and answer period.
•	Break.
•	Session B: Community Needs and Access.
o	Four lightning presentations.
o	Moderator summary.
o	Questions and answer period.
•	Day 2 wrap-up.

Slide 11 Health and Society

Slide 12 Improving accessibility of hospital facilities using immerging computational methods
•	Research Team
o	Jong Bum Kim, Ph.D. kimjongb@missouri.edu
o	Janna Lancaster, Ph.D. (PI)
o	Debora Verniz, Ph.D. 
o	Rabia Faizan, Ph.D.
o	Md Obidul Haque, Ph.D. candidate
o	Nora Hong-Yi Shih, Ph.D. student
•	Region 7
o	Great Plains ADA Center (Director: Julie Brinkhoff
o	Architectural Studies, University of Missouri
Slide 13 Purpose & Method
•	Project description
o	Promote a barrier-free healthcare environment and improve user experiences through evidence-based design and computational code compliance methods. 
•	Purpose
o	Identify common barriers to physical accessibility at healthcare facilities in the region, and common strategies used to overcome them. 
o	Understand how accessibility barriers impact the hospital experience.
o	Study how computational analysis methods can identify accessibility issues from the design stage. 
•	Method
o	Survey of individuals with disabilities
o	Focus group with stakeholders
o	Software Creation and Computational Analysis
o	Architectural Observation and Analysis

Slide 14 Results and Findings
•	Key takeaways
o	Computational Compliance Checking methods were studied.
o	Applications embedded in the design platform (Autodesk tools) helped designers with ADA compliance checking and design changes.
o	Reduced and/or eliminated time and error-intensive interpretation and use of ADA standards in healthcare design.
o	Great potential to be paired with AI/ML methods.
•	Future directions
o	Investigate an integration of AI/ML methods for computational compliance checking.
o	Expand the research findings to outdoor space
o	More rigorous usability test and broader dissemination
•	Publication and presentations
o	NARST 2026 
o	CAADRIA (2026 Taiwan, 2025 Tokyo, 2024 Singapore) 
o	IDEC 2025 (Chicago)
o	University of Missouri RCAF 2025 (Third place in Social and Behavioral Sciences)
o	Disability-focused Research Showcase, University of Missouri
o	Show Me Research Week 2025, 2024 (First place in Applied Design)

Slide 15 Access to Quality Health Services under the ADA
Pacific ADA Center, Region 9 - PI, Jerri Davison (Email: jerrid@adapacific.org)
Presenter and Project PI: Rosielyn Babauta, DNP, MS,RN-BNCP (Email: rbabauta@triton.uog.edu) 

Project team (University of Guam):
•	Kristine Qureshi, PhD, RN, FAAN, CEN, PHNA-BC, CGNC (Co-PI)
•	Megan Broadbent, BSN, RN (Research Coordinator)
•	Tera Blas, BSN, RN – (Research assistant) 
•	Michael Cajigal, BS (Research assistant)
•	Grazyna Badowski, PhD (Statistics Consultant)

Slide 16 Project Summary
Purpose
•	To examine the access to quality healthcare for people with disabilities by healthcare workers. 
•	To develop strategies to reduce barriers to healthcare access under the ADA. 
Setting:  ADANN Region 9 (Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, and Nevada). 
Methods
•	Phase 1 Qualitative data with healthcare workers, people with disabilities, and caretakers (N=59).
•	Phase 2 Online surveys with healthcare workers, people with disabilities, and caretakers (N=757). 
•	Phase 3 Member checking and development of action items with a subsample of participants (N=27). 
Action and Dissemination 
•	Developed RN education curriculum for people with disabilities: Lecture plus disability expert panel discussions, simulation scenarios, and community outreach.
•	12 conferences presentation at various academic and community-based venues.
•	Peer review publications (in progress).

Slide 17 Findings & Recommendations 
Barriers experienced by healthcare workers 
•	Lack of education and knowledge
•	Lack of technology (medical, communication, telehealth)
•	Financial and administrative policies (CPT, Dx coding)
•	Significant time constraints of clinicians
•	Negative attitudes of disability 
•	Physical environment- space & egress
•	Transportation to/from point of care

Recommendations to increase access for people with disabilities 
•	Include disability specific training within healthcare workers education
•	Policy advocacy to increase regulation and funding for technology, communication equipment and telehealth services
•	Further research on clinician time and different types of disabilities 
•	Enforcement of existing regulations regarding space and egress
•	Education of people with disabilities and caretakers about their rights under the ADA

Slide 18 ADA PARC
Findings from ADA PARC:  
Using Scorecards to Compare States on Participation Opportunities
•	Joy Hammel, University of Illinois Chicago, CoPI ADA PARC; hammel@uic.edu 
•	The ADA PARC consortium of ADA Centers and Community Collaborators
•	ADA PARC website available at: https://adaparc.shinyapps.io/ADA_PARC/ 

The work of this Center was developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant numbers 90DP0026 and 90DPAD0001). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this presentation do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

Slide 19 Purpose & Method (ADA PARC)
•	Purpose: 
o	To test a methodology for creating scorecards that disability communities and policymakers can use to compare and rank states on participation opportunities in specific areas.
•	Method: 
o	Using data from the ACS, multiple indicators of participation are standardized using Z scores, and converted to a 0-100 score, similar to a score card or report card. 
o	Higher scores = higher participation opportunity. Lower scores = worse opportunity.
o	These disability participation scorecards are an easy to understand way to compare and rank states from best to in the middle (average) to worst.  

Slide 20 Economic Scorecard
(accessible table available at: https://adaparc.shinyapps.io/ADA_PARC/#section-scorecards) 
Scorecard visual from the ADA PARC website.  An accessible version is available at: https://adaparc.shinyapps.io/ADA_PARC/#section-scorecards

Slide 21 Family Support Research and Training Center
Sumithra Murthy, PhD
smurthy@uic.edu 
Logo, Family Support Research and Training Center. A pair of shaking hands forms a circle.
QR code https://linktr.ee/fsrtc

Slide 22 Overview
FSRTC advances research, policy, and practice that support family caregivers of people with disabilities across the lifespan.
Research Project:
•	R1: Strive to Thrive: Supporting Familes across the aging and Disability Networks
•	R2: Future Planning for Adults with Developmental Disabilities and aging families
•	R3: WAVE Program: Wellness Action Via Engagement for Older Family Caregivers
•	R4: Analysis of National Datasets on Family Support
•	R5: Policy Analysis and Development to Improve Family Support
Website: fsrtc.ahs.uic.edu
Webinars: 
•	Family Support Topics (Partnership with IDHD/LEND/TAP)
•	Supporting Families Best Practice Series  (Partnership with UMKC)
•	Self-Advocate Family Support Webinars (Partnership with SABE)
Podcast
•	“Family Support Stories” 
•	go.uic.edu/FamilySupportStories
•	Available on Spotify & other platforms
Social Media
@FSRTC_UIC
  facebook.com/FamilySupport
   ResearchandTrainingCenter
    linkedin.com/company/fsrtc

Newsletter
go.uic.edu/FSRTCNewsletter

Slide 23 Key Takeaways
Results are ongoing:
Research Activities/Findings
R1:
•	Environmental scan revealed barriers and facilitators to thriving for people with IDD
•	The thriving of family members was interconnected

R2: Working with Area Agencies on Aging to deliver virtual future planning intervention
R3: Developing a health promotion curriculum for aging family caregivers
R4: Report “Family Caregiving Counts” released November 2025
R5: First workgroup met to discuss family caregiving policy

Dissemination and Other Activities
Webinars
•	Conducted 5 webinars,
o	4 Supporting Families Best Practice Webinars
o	1 Self-Advocate Webinar
o	3 upcoming webinars on 2/11, 2/24, & 2/26
Podcast: Released 5 bi-monthly episodes
Social Media: Regularly post on topics relevant to family caregivers
Newsletter: Sent 13 newsletters to relevant stakeholders, these are delivered monthly
Conference Presentations: Presented at NARRTC, Charting the Lifecourse, and AUCD Conferences in 2025
•	More anticipated in 2026

Slide 24 Moderator Summary:
Health and Society
Moderated by: Kara Ayers
Slide 25 Q&A
Health and Society

Slide 26 Break
Time to stretch!

Slide 27 Community Needs and Access

Slide 28 Current Needs of ADA Coordinators Among Title II Entities
•	Dr. Jill Bezyak
•	Dr. Brian Phillips
•	Emily Shuman
•	Abigail Lister
•	Contact Information: Dr. Jill Bezyak, jill.Bezyak@unco.edu 
University of Northern Colorado and Rocky Mountain ADA Center Logo

Slide 29 Purpose and Method
•	This project involved a careful investigation of Title II entities related to the implementation of self-evaluations and transition plans (SETPs).
•	The specific purpose was to identify the needs and barriers related to the implementation of SETPs to create increasingly accessible environments for people with disabilities.
•	Following exploratory focus groups to design the quantitative survey, 181 ADA coordinators completed the web-based survey.
Slide 30 Results
•	Primary barriers to implementation include limited time available for ADA coordination, numerous outside responsibilities, limited staff, and limited training.
•	Participants did report high levels of support from leadership.
•	Identified needs of ADA coordinators include training for ADA coordinators and leadership, as well as the development of professional networks.

Slide 31 Access to Justice: A Review of ADA Notice Requirements on State Court Websites
Heather D. Evans, PhD
Research Director for NW ADA Center
hdevans@uw.edu 
NW ADA Center Study Co-Authors: 
Katie Warden, JD, PhD
Kaitlin Spidell
Slide 32 Research Question & Method
RQ: Do courts post meaningful notice of right to accommodations on their public facing websites? If so, do they provide instructions on how to request accommodations?
Data: Examined a “best case scenario” - WA State passed its own law to standardize how to post this info on their court websites
Method: 
1.	Developed “coding protocol” (form) to use to assess how easy it is to find this info 
2.	Reviewed and completed form for all 178 WA State court websites 
3.	Summarized information collected from websites

Slide 33 Key Findings & Recommendations
Findings
•	Only 36% of courts posted any ADA-related information on their websites; 64% had no information at all
•	Only 22% of court websites listed contact information for ADA inquiries and access questions
•	Less than 2% of courts provided instructions on grievance procedures for appealing concerns related to an accommodation request.
•	Courts who listed an ADA Coordinator on their website were 32 times as likely to provide accommodation request instructions
Recommendations
•	Designate and publicize an ADA Coordinator for each court
•	Create a dedicated ADA accommodations webpage with clear, consistent, and descriptive labels
•	Include essential information such as definitions, eligibility, request instructions, forms, and appeal/grievance procedures
•	Ensure websites and forms meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards
•	Provide ongoing ADA training for all court staff and professionals

Slide 34 Accessible Cities 4 All: Where are we?
•	Yochai Eisenberg, PhD
•	Delphine Labbe, PhD
•	Rob Gould, PhD
•	Robin Jones, PhD
•	Department of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago
•	Email: yeisen2@uic.edu
•	Website: https://www.adagreatlakes.org/Research/AccessibleCities.asp
Slide 35 The Challenge
Cities
•	Focused on compliance
•	May not want to know about infrastructure problems
•	Lack of knowledge and resources 
•	Accessibility is an underprioritized problem until it isn’t.
Disability advocates
•	Want change yesterday
•	Want to share lived experience and have it valued
•	Have lawsuits as tool to defend civic rights when advocacy does not work and are using that tool!

Slide 36 State of Research:
State of Cities:
13% had an ADA transition plan
65% of curb ramps had barriers
Accessibility scores were higher for communities with plans compared to those without.
Cities need resource:
Quality Assessment of Transition Plans
Casebook examples of high-quality transition plans
Performance metrics
Story map to help tell the story internally

State of Civic Engagement
•	Need for training and onboarding resources
•	Developing knowledge around accessibility and policy
•	Developing communication and social skills 

Slide 37 The built environment, social connection, and ways of knowing in disabled peoples’ campaigns for accessibility in Chicago
Kara M. Mannor; kmannor@umich.edu

Slide 38 The built environment isn’t a neutral 
•	It actively shapes the conditions of everyday life and who belongs in cities
•	What does it mean for disabled people to claim belonging in a city? 
•	This is a knowledge translation question:
o	Requires exploring how the built environment shapes the conditions of everyday life and how it shapes the processes through which people try to change it

Slide 39 For everyone?: Rethinking universality in practice
•	Disabled advocates frame built environment interventions that would benefit many groups as opportunities for:
o	Connection through specificity
o	Shared social life
•	For other stakeholders advocating “for everyone” becomes a way to:
o	Avoid engaging disability and disabled people
o	Frame access as an individual-level problem and stall structural change
•	These tensions matter because they help us understand:
o	How universality is contested in translating knowledge to action
o	How the built environment shapes whose knowledge counts

Slide 40 Moderator Summary:
Community Needs and Access

Moderated by: Heather Ansley

Slide 41 Q&A
Community Needs and Access

Slide 42 Wrap-up

Slide 43 Thank you for attending the 2026 ADA State of the Science Research Conference!
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•	To watch presentation recordings or see the slides:
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