Self-Advocates

We strive to cover ALL (Travel, Hotel, and Conference) costs for our self-advocates and their companions to attend our conferences, but as we grow our self-advocate participation we need to find unique ways to cover those costs.

Future Leaders

We strive to cover as much of the cost as possible (Hotel, and Conference) for our Future Leaders - Students and Residents. 

Fewer than 30% of U.S. medical schools report any formal curriculum that prepares students to care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Most exposure, if it happens, is limited to a single lecture or elective. While almost all U.S. dental schools acknowledge the importance of IDD training, fewer than 50% require hands-on clinical experience with patients who have IDD. Many students graduate without ever treating a patient with IDD.

Most primary care and specialty residency programs offer little to no structured IDD content. Residents often feel underprepared to provide equitable care.

This training gap contributes to health disparities: people with IDD experience higher rates of preventable illness, limited access to providers, and more frequent negative healthcare encounters.

Your sponsorship isn’t just about covering travel or registration fees—it’s about creating a generation of clinicians who see, value, and advocate for patients with IDD.