REGISTER TODAY!

Keynote Address:

Autonomous Vehicles Today and Tomorrow: What They Mean for Accessible Transportation

Michelle M. Fowler, Director of Applied Research at the Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC)

Featuring:

Escape Room Experience

Sarah Heldmann, BS, COTA/L, ACUE, ATP, Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities

In this experience, participants will solve clues as a team and learn about technology solutions along the way. Experiences are 10-15 minutes in duration.

Event Information

General Info

TechSummit 2026

September 18, 2026 | 9:00am – 4:30pm

(Registrations and vendor hall opens at 8:30am)

Conference Venue:

The Conference Center at OCLC

6600 Kilgour Place

Dublin, OH 43017

This event offers attendees a chance to learn about current and emerging technology solutions to support people with developmental disabilities who want more independence in their lives.

Hear from people with lived experience | Engage with experts | Explore technology solutions

Location

Scholarship opportunities:

A limited number of scholarships are available to support individuals with disabilities and family members who register for the event.

For more information, contact:

Jordan B. Wagner
Project Manager, Technology Projects

The Ohio State University Nisonger Center

Email: Jordan.Wagner@osumc.edu

Fees

REGISTRATION FEES

Attendee Registrations includes access to the all plenary and breakout sessions plus the vendor hall. Coffee, snacks and lunch are provided as a part of registration. For those who provide dietary restrictions during the registration process, an alternative menu item will be made available.

Accepted form of payment: Debit/Credit card.

ATTENDEES

Individual with a disability/Family member: $50

Professional: $125

VENDORS

Vendor benefits:

(1) Time between sessions dedicated to networking and vendor interactions

(2) Your logo featured in the vendor section of the TechSummit website

(3) Your website linked from the vendor section of the TechSummit website

Single vendor space (one 6-foot table): $600

Double vendor space (two 6-foot tables): $900

(Vendor registrants may additionally register to attend TechSummit sessions at a reduced rate of $100)

SPONSORSHIP

Sponsorship benefits:

(1) Your logo will be prominently featured on the TechSummit webpage with the item sponsored and your logo linking to your URL. Sponsors who are also vendors, will additionally have their logo featured at the top of the Vendor section of the TechSummit webpage.

(2) Your logo will be displayed on a Sponsorship flyer in conference folder,
(3) Your logo will be displayed between sessions on a sponsorship PowerPoint slide,
(4) Your logo displayed with sponsored item*,

(5) Your logo displayed on tote bag
(6) Recognition of sponsorship displayed at vendor table,

(7) Sponsors may choose to add a flyer to the TechSummit folder
(8) Prioritized vendor table location.

*TechSummit 2026 tote bags will feature logos of sponsors who sponsor $1,500 or more. Lanyard logos will include logos of lanyard sponsors and partners only. All sponsors will have their logos exclusively displayed with the sponsored item (i.e., largely printed on a sign by the sponsored item). All options have up to two sponsorships available.

We want to offer options that help vendors get recognized. For special requests or to purchase multiple of the same sponsorship (i.e., all of lunch/break), reach out to Jordan Wagner (Jordan.Wagner@osumc.edu).

Lunch
- Cost: $3,000
Morning Break
- Cost: $2,000
Accessibility accommodations, including captioning and other accommodations should they be requested
- Cost: $2,000
Lanyards
- Cost: $1,500
Tote Bags (Logo space on tote bag will shared with other sponsors. The tote bag sponsor’s logo will be additionally featured at the registration table)
- Cost: $1.500

SCHOLARSHIP

A limited number of scholarships are available to support individuals with disabilities and family members who register for the event. Scholarships may cover registration fees and a portion of travel expenses. To see if you qualify, please email Jordan.Wagner@osumc.edu

Attendee substitutions and cancellations: Substitution requests can be sent by email to Jordan.Wagner@osumc.edu. Payment for Sponsorships and Vendor registrations are final and may not be cancelled. For all other registrations: cancellations made between August 14, 2026 and August 28, 2026 will be reimbursed at 50%. Due to purchases having already been made based on registered attendance, cancellations will NOT be able to be reimbursed after September 4, 2026.

Presenters

KEYNOTE PRESENTER:

Michelle M. Fowler, Director of Applied Research at the Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC)

Autonomous Vehicles Today and Tomorrow: What They Mean for Accessible Transportation

PRESENTERS:

Amanda Brehm

Remote Supports/Assistive Tech Specialty Service Coordinator, Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities

William T. Darling, PhD

Director, AT Ohio

Carly Dauch, OTD, OTR/L

Health Supports Coordinator, Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities

Larrilyn Grant, MD, MS

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical Director for Telepsychiatry Project of Ohio Clinic

Shannan Palma, PhD

Cofounder and Co-Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Independence Through Interdependence (ITI)

Shelley Haven

Assistive Technology Consultant, Tech to Unlock Potential

Ryan Penny

Owner, myVoice Speech Therapy

Sessions

SESSIONS

KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS

Autonomous Vehicles Today and Tomorrow: What They Mean for Accessible Transportation

Michelle M. Fowler | Director, Applied Research, Transportation Research Center Inc. (TRC)

Many in the United States do live walking distance to important community resources such as a grocery, pharmacy, hospital or a park. In this way, whole communities are designed for reliance on transportation and the world remains inaccessible for those who experience barriers to personal or public transportation. Even in locations where public transit is available, travelers experience barriers in the first mile and last mile to and from their destinations. For the first time, technology offers a way to adapt to a world dependent on transportation in a way that does not require reliance on drivers and may, one day, bring access to transportation (and to the community) right to your residence. In this presentation, learn about the state of Autonomous Vehicles today, with a special emphasis on how autonomous vehicles are anticipated to impact people with developmental disabilities, for whom transportation is often cited as the area of greatest need and a significant barrier to community engagement.

PLENARY PRESENTATION

Technology as a Bridge: Ohio’s Telepsychiatry Project for NDD and Catatonia Recognition

Larrilyn Grant, MD, MS | Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical Director, Telepsychiatry Project of Ohio Clinic

This session will describe the Ohio Telepsychiatry Project for Intellectual Disability as a statewide model for expanding access to specialty psychiatric care for people with IDD and co-occurring mental health needs. The project uses privacy-compliant telepsychiatry, county board partnerships, coordinated emergency planning, and team-based consultation to support diagnostic clarification, medication review, crisis prevention, and second-opinion assessments across Ohio. The session will also focus on recognizing catatonia in IDD and autism, where symptoms may be mistaken for aggression, regression, psychosis, refusal, or baseline disability. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for using technology, caregiver collateral, and change-from-baseline assessment to improve recognition, treatment planning, and system coordination.

What’s New With Assistive Technology?

William T. Darling, PhD | Director, Assistive Technology of Ohio

Technology, including assistive technology, changes rapidly – sometimes making it hard to keep up. Although a technology solution may not yet be available that reliably meets someone’s needs today, a new or improved tool may be in development and will be ready to reliably meet their needs in the not-too-distant future. Assistive Technology is Ohio’s Assistive Technology Act Program and is a resource for you to identify and learn about technology solutions. In this session, learn about new technologies that we’re excited about (some of which are available today at AT Ohio to borrow for yourself) and emerging trends that may provide a view into the technology of tomorrow.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Decide: the Science-Backed, AI-Powered Decision Assistant Developed By and For Neurodivergent Minds

Shannan Palma, PhD | Cofounder and Co-Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Independence Through Interdependence (ITI)

Lessons Learned in Overcoming Skepticism and Building Confidence in Technology Solutions

Amanda Brehm | Remote Supports/Assistive Tech Specialty Service Coordinator, Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities

It is vital that individuals with developmental disabilities have access to supports that are effective and reliable. The conversation about how to best support an individual may include evaluating needs, identifying goals, challenging expectations, and discussing dignity of risk. Many have had skepticism about considering technology solutions as a support option capable of meet someone’s needs in part or more fully. In this session, attendees will learn about examples of skepticism from both persons with lived experience as well as the professionals who help structure their services; strategies for compassionately discussing technology solutions as part of someone’s support plan; respectful responses to common questions; and lessons learned from Licking County Board of DD’s initiatives to deploy technology use where appropriate and reduce skepticism.

Real Life Examples of AT Adoption from Wood County

Carly Dauch, OTD, OTR/L | Coordinator, Health Supports, Wood County Board of DD

Ryan Penny, M.A., CCC-SLP | Owner, myVoice Speech Therapy

Presenters will discuss a variety of AT solutions for independent living and how they have been implemented with real life case examples. Solutions will span the lifespan and ability level to showcase something for everyone! Ryan Penny with MyVoice will highlight the impact of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) solutions with additional real-life scenarios from Northwest Ohio.

Using AI as Assistive Technology to Enhance Independence for People with Developmental Disabilities

Shelley Haven | Assistive Technology Consultant, Technology to Unlock Potential

AI adds an “intelligence layer” to assistive technology supports, allowing them to act more like a flexible support partner than a fixed-function tool. But using such AI-enhanced tools safely and effectively requires a practical understanding of what artificial intelligence is (and is not), how it generates responses, where it excels, and its inherent limitations. In this fast-paced session, assistive technology consultant Shelley Haven will explain must-know AI basics, including how generative AI works and the importance of issues such as accuracy, privacy, bias, and the need for human oversight. She will discuss and demo examples of AI tools that can help individuals with verbal and written communication, understanding information, making decisions, controlling their devices and environment, and organizing daily life. The session will conclude with guidance on tool selection, implementation, and safeguards.