Maine Developmental Disabilities Council

10/14/2026

The Accessible Smart Tech Lab at the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology is seeking participants for our Voice of the Consumers with Disabilities on Mainstream Technology Survey, which you may be eligible to participate in.
The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of clients with disabilities using smartphones, apps, smart home technology, and wearable technology, including barriers and supports to technology use, education/training needs, and digital literacy.
You may qualify if you are:
A person with a disability (including people who are deaf or hard of hearing)
Living in the United States
18 years of age or older
Participation involves completing a 15-30 minute online survey on your experience using:
Smartphones, Tablets, & Mobile Apps,
Smart Home Technologies
Wearable Technologies�(smart watches, smart glasses, etc.)
At the end of the study, 6 participants will be chosen at random by study personnel to receive a $25 gift card.
Interested in participating or learning more about the survey? Click this Survey Link:
https://accessiblesurveys.com/v2/t878MFD3IjLTkzHuUOUq?utm_term=334

Please contact the study team at [email protected] or [email protected] if you have any questions.

10/07/2026

This has been created by the American Association of People with Disabilities.

Advocates, please read and add your name to keep disability questions in the National Health Interview Survey as soon as possible.

Submit a comment urging the CDC to preserve data that helps shape policies, funding, and services for disabled people.

10/06/2026

Disability Rights Maine and our partners at Consumer Council System of Maine, Speaking Up For Us , the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, and the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council, are pleased to share candidate videos featuring those running for Governor, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House. Each video lets the candidates speak directly to voters about their policy and platform priorities relating to the disability community.

A note on participation: All candidates for each race were invited to submit a video. The videos included are the submissions we received, so you will notice not every candidate on your ballot is featured here. Inclusion or absence of a video is not an endorsement or a reflection on any candidate.

We encourage you to watch, share with family and friends, and do your own research before casting your ballot.

Thank you for being an engaged and informed voter.

Candidate for Governor - Hannah Pingree: https://youtu.be/7GFmEMYf99M?si=YAgDvywzU-qjx_oh
Candidate for Governor - Robert Charles: https://youtu.be/ZFdrw7oHIok?si=UbYUA1_xMVJub8pP
Candidate for Governor - Rick Bennett: https://youtu.be/LAJGPAfTvBA?si=tqjfgGUhA5frCJ1i
Candidate for U.S. Senate - Troy Jackson: https://youtu.be/uzNeTJ4rmUs?si=72e3ASjbAZAkz_G3
Candidate for U.S. Senate - Susan Collins: https://youtu.be/fCwkv9N5iDE?si=AF-m5S2z-rYQlVCm
Candidate for U.S. House Congressional District 1 - Chellie Pingree: https://youtu.be/D6US27f2mAw?si=z3frR3nuyP0IN01d
Candidate for U.S. House Congressional District 2 - Matt Dunlap: https://youtu.be/KX8pPnXrDg8?si=aOXZ3_j6AbCrWxdZ

Text reads: Disability Policy Platforms from Maine Candidates. Below is a cartoon of a set of three people with speech bubbles above their heads. Text reads: Brought to you by. Below are the logos of the Consumer Council System of the Maine, the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, Disability Rights Maine, Speaking Up For Us, and the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council.

09/28/2026

We are thrilled to announce that tickets are on sale for our upcoming accessible cabaret performance titled "Seize the Day!"

The performance features 48 performers of all abilities! Throughout the rehearsal process, 11 performers have taken on the role of apprentices, learning best practices in accessible theater so they can create inclusive theater opportunities throughout the state of Maine. We hope you'll join us as we sing songs from your favorite musicals, and perform scenes from the works of local playwright Brian Daly.

Performances are Friday, November 6th at 7pm and Saturday, November 7th at 12pm and 4pm. All shows are at Gorham Middle School at 106 Weeks Road.

This cabaret is a collaboration between Royal River Community Players and the Gorham Arts Alliance. It is made possible in part by a grant from the Onion Foundation.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit royalrivercommunityplayers.com/shows

09/24/2026

ACL is seeking nominations for two advisory councils focused on family caregiving. Members of the RAISE Act Family Caregiving Advisory Council and the Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (SGRG) will help put the updated National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers into action.

RAISE council members will identify ways to better support family caregivers. SGRG council members will focus on supporting grandparents and other older relatives who are raising children and will help guide the work of the Grandfamilies and Kinship Support Network.

Submit nominations by Oct. 14:

For RAISE: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/14/2026-18727/solicitation-for-nominations-to-serve-on-the-family-caregiving-advisory-council

For SGRG: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/14/2026-18728/solicitation-for-nominations-to-serve-on-the-advisory-council-to-support-grandparents-raising

09/10/2026

The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.

09/09/2026

Invitation: Child and Family Well Being Webinar Series October Webinar Maine Department of Health & Human Services sent this bulletin at 09/09/2026 11:45 AM EDT Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. recorded webinars Social Security disability guidelines here Update your subscrip...

09/08/2026

After careful consideration, the Consumer Council System of Maine, Disability Rights Maine, the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council, Speaking Up for Us, and the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies have decided to cancel the candidate forum scheduled for September 29th. Ongoing scheduling challenges prevented us from hosting the forum as intended.

To replace the forum, all candidates for Governor and Congress have been asked to record a brief video highlighting their disability policy positions. With these videos, our collaborative hopes to increase the visibility and importance of disability issues among Maine’s electorate. We expect to release the videos by the end of September.

Thank you, and we apologize for any inconvenience.

Visual ID:
Flyer for Disability Community Candidates Forum. At top is a red box with the word "cancelled". Below are the details for the now cancelled event. Below text are the logos for sponsoring organizations, detailed in the caption.

09/01/2026