National Community Event 2026
2026 National Community Event | April 29, 2026 | 6:30 PM ET Get your ticket
Event Links for Audience Viewing & Listening
Main Show: https://vimeo.com/event/5828630/7e3f57e54a
Audio Description: https://vimeo.com/event/5828632/0fca9ea428
Stream Text: https://www.streamtext.net/player?event=AAPD-National-Community-Event
Overview
Thank you for joining us for the 2026 National Community Event on Wednesday, April 29th.
This annual, virtual event brings together the disability community and our allies from across the country to honor our collective progress, reflect on the challenges ahead, and celebrate disability culture.
Throughout the evening, we will highlight the power of community and provide opportunities to take action together to defend and advance disability rights.
The National Community Event is completely free, virtual, and open to all members of the disability community and our allies. We hope you will reserve your spot and plan to join us.
Accessibility Information
To ensure the event is welcoming and accessible to all, the following accommodations will be provided:
- Open captioning
- American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation
- Audio description
What to Expect
During this year’s National Community Event, you’ll hear from disability leaders, advocates, and storytellers working across policy, media, and community spaces.
The program will include:
- Opening reflections from AAPD leadership
- A tribute honoring disability leaders Alice Wong and Bob Kafka
- Recognition of the 2026 Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leader Awardees
- A conversation on Medicaid and what changes mean for the disability community
- A discussion on disability representation in media, featuring creators and talent from The Pitt
- A segment from REV UP (Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power!) on building the power of the disability vote
Links to watch or listen to the event being will be shared beforehand by email.