The National Research Consortium on Mental Health in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is pleased to announce our upcoming webinar, Leading the Way to Our Own Health: Developing a Healthcare Advocacy Training by People with IDD, for People with IDD. This webinar will be hosted by the NRC’s partner Georgetown University on April 14, 2026, at 3:00pm ET.
We encourage any who would like to attend to RSVP as soon as possible. If you have any questions or accessibility requests, please reach out to iod.mhidd@unh.edu.
Description
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face significant disparities in access to healthcare services, and many have experienced marginalization and discrimination within service systems. This presentation will explore how we convened an inclusive work group to develop an accessible healthcare advocacy training for people with IDD. We will discuss the importance of direct patient perspectives along with the values and strategies we used to create a true partnership in the development of a participatory training curriculum. A panel of self-advocate team members will discuss our collaborative process and how inclusive partnerships promote empowerment and positive outcomes.
Speakers
Dr. Andrea Palmieri is a clinical leader and scholar-practitioner specializing in the implementation of evidence-based mental health supports for the IDD community. As the Director of Research and Quality Assurance at the National Center for START Services (UNH-IOD), she oversees national START program fidelity standards and evaluation activities that drive systemic change.
Committed to advancing the field’s empirical foundation, Dr. Palmieri serves as the Operations Director for the National Research Consortium on MH-IDD. She has experience in measurement development and training in mixed methods research, allowing her to bridge the gap between quantitative clinical data and the qualitative lived experiences of the IDD community. Dr. Palmieri is a recognized subject matter expert in positive, wellness-based interventions, having led the US implementation of mental health interventions for people with IDD. Her work focuses on creating accessible, participatory research pathways that ensure people with IDD have equitable access to effective mental health care and community participation.
Micah Peace Urquilla is a multiply Disabled researcher, educator, and community organizer from Louisville, KY. Micah is nearing a decade of service in the Disability community and has experienced working with other Disabled folks across the lifespan in a wide variety of roles and settings at the local, state, and national levels. They are a Research & Training Associate at the National Center for START Services (NCSS) and a Certified Peer Support Specialist. Their research focuses on inclusive engagement, accessible mental health services, and peer support.
Sarah Sadowski is from Concord, New Hampshire. She joined the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire in 2021, where she serves as the Project Director of the New Hampshire Leadership Series (NHLS). Prior to joining the IOD, Sarah was the Community Engagement Director at New Futures, where she ran a training program for advocates on behavioral health issues. She co-founded the consulting firm Kids First and has secured over $1.3 million in state, federal, and philanthropic funds for New Hampshire nonprofits. Sarah has experience advocating for early education, afterschool programs, and family-friendly economic policies with the goal of creating equity of opportunity with an intersectional lens. She served in the Peace Corps in Bulgaria and was awarded a Social Change Fellowship at Clark University, where her research work focused on educational systems and the relationship between the state and the nonprofit sector. Sarah was elected to her city's School Board in 2024.
Destiny Watkins is from Post Falls Idaho, where she is raising her son James who has complex medical needs. Destiny is learning with James every day about him and his needs and advocates on many projects. About this project, Destiny shares “I like how supportive everyone is and how everyone works off each other and how positive the time is with all the obstacles we all have and challenges”.
Tim Houle lives in Kingston, New Hampshire, and is the former Chair of the NH Council on Developmental Disabilities. Tim works at Goodwill and likes working on issues related to mental health and employment. He appreciates everyone in the workgroup and the interesting conversations that the group has.
Oscar Segal lives in New York City and is a filmmaker who is interested in supported decision making as an alternative to guardianship.
Jess Martin is a disability advocate from Chicago, Illinois, and a university student majoring in human services and disability studies. Jess is a dancer and choreographer. Jess liked the project because it allowed them to learn while helping people and advancing their future career in disability studies.
Nathaniel Lentz is from Maddison Wisconsin where he works as the Director of Outreach and Advocacy for the Arc of Dane County. Nathaniel has enjoyed working alongside other advocates and is interested in policy as a tool to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
Amanda Stahl is a licensed social worker trained in trauma-based therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). She has worked in the field of developmental disability for over a decade.
