DSHS DDA Hosts Community Summit 2026
The Department of Social and Health Services’ Developmental Disabilities Administration hosted the 14th annual Community Summit on June 3, 2026. The Summit brings together people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, families, allied advocates, students, service providers, state and county personnel and other community partners to share experiences and ideas, learn together, and to collaborate on creating service systems that are more responsive to the needs of people living and working in inclusive communities. This year’s virtual conference streamed live to a record audience of 1,455 people from 19 states.
The day began with an opening keynote message from DSHS Secretary Angela Ramirez, DSHS Interim Assistant Secretary for DDA Dana Phelps, and State Representative Jamila Taylor from the 30th legislative district. Secretary Ramirez emphasized the importance of engaging with people receiving services, parents, guardians, providers and community partners.
“I’m so honored I can’t really put into words what it means to sit in a Zoom room with folks who I know understand the power of coming together, and I know understand the power of coming together to drive towards real results,” said Ramirez.
Following the opening keynote program, attendees were able to choose from among nine live-streamed presentations on a variety of topics that impact the community. The Summit program schedule features presentations and workshops on evolving state and federal programs and services, effective advocacy, provider development, and stories of innovation and success. The Summit strives to bring new topics and information to keep the annual conversation fresh, engaging, and meaningful. This year one featured speaker was Ivanova Smith, DSHS DDA Community Collaborations Program Manager. In their presentation titled “The Right to Grow; Mental Age Theory,” Smith talked about the history of mental age theory.
“We have to acknowledge the historic harm that mental age theory has done to individuals with disabilities,” Smith said.
Sharing stories and insights from their own experiences, Smith also talked about how people with disabilities have the right to live a life of inclusion, a right to take risks, and can best achieve the life they want to live when they experience the same opportunities as people their own age.
Other presentations featured topics including employment rights for workers with disabilities, school to work transition programs, disability advocacy, and emerging assistive technologies for greater independence in the home, workplace, and community. The planning committee strives to include self-advocates in every step of planning, hosting, and presenting the Community Summit. People with lived experience planned themes and features of the conference, introduced featured speakers, and led or were included in seven of the nine presentations.
In addition to the live streamed conference presentations, 15 Washington counties organized and hosted in-person gatherings. These watch parties enabled people to get together for the day to watch the Community Summit and participate in additional activities.
120 people attended the Tacoma watch party hosted by Pierce and Kitsap counties, which featured a welcome message from Pierce County Executive Ryan Mello, a workshop for students to develop a person-centered vision of the life they want beyond school, a networking event for community providers, and a local community resource fair. Other watch parties were hosted by Clark, Snohomish, Benton/Franklin, Grant/Adams, Thurston/Mason, Jefferson, Lewis, Chelan/Douglas, and Whatcom counties.
The Community Summit is an annual conference that provides an invaluable opportunity for collaboration and community engagement. It fosters community connections that ensure the voices of individuals with lived experience are included in shaping the policies, programs, and services that impact them.
If you would like information on how you can be involved in Community Summit 2027, please contact steering committee coordinator Ron Bryan, with DSHS DDA Roads to Community Living Program, at Ronald.Bryan@dshs.wa.gov. Learn more at Roads to Community Living | DSHS.
