2.7.4 Brazos Valley Disability Conference and Resource Fair (Miller)

2026

Purpose and Need: Family life for those navigating the journey of disability can be busy and unpredictable, making it difficult to find and collect meaningful resources. To support individuals with disabilities and their families, a continuous need exists for centralized access to information regarding financial resources, respite care, recreational and community inclusion, job training, health care, education, and living arrangements. The Brazos Valley Disability Conference and Resource Fair is held annually to fill this need. It acts as an opportunity for those with disabilities and their family members to continue to build a strong and supportive community, gather meaningful resources, and increase knowledge that will support their decision-making in how they define and plan for a purposeful life. Overall Goals and Objectives: The primary goal of this project is to provide a platform for education, information dissemination, introduction to community and disability resources, and networking with other area families. The conference leadership team organizes and hosts the conference with and for people with disabilities and those who support them in the Brazos Valley. To achieve this, the event is structured around specific stakeholder objectives: (a) enabling individuals and families to explore what the community has to offer, (b) providing a space for caregivers and anyone providing natural support for the disability community to gather meaningful resources, and (c) connecting educators, rehabilitative care providers, and agency representatives looking to collaborate. Unusual Features: Structurally, the conference focused on a direct, interactive approach to community resource sharing, pairing an extensive exhibition space with targeted informational sessions. The event allowed attendees to visit with local disability and community resources at over 50 vendor tables and choose between two distinct featured sessions: a Local Organization Showcase spotlight session designed to provide a broad understanding of area services, and a parent panel session titled "Milestones and Moments: Parent Perspectives on Transition" covering early childhood diagnosis through post-secondary life planning. Hosted live on February 28, 2026, the event operated as a distinct regional collaborative between local family groups, service organizations, school districts, and rehabilitative care providers alongside the Center on Disability and Development (CDD) at Texas A&M University. Expected Benefits: The expected benefit of this project is the fostering of natural supports and lasting connections among area families who share similar experiences. Attendees walk away with an expanded network of contacts and a robust understanding of specialized services directly available to them in the Brazos Valley to support their independent choices. For participating professionals and local organizations, the event benefits the region by providing a vital meeting point to collaborate, share resources, and strengthen the collective community of support available to individuals with disabilities and their loved ones. Project Data and Funding: Total Funding for 2026: $4425.00 A total of over 220 families and individuals from across the Brazos Valley registered to attend this year's conference. Admission was free to the public, supported by vendor registrations.

Mental/Behavioral Health – Autism, Developmental Disabilities, Early Childhood – Developmental Health (including developmental screening), Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults with Special Health Care Needs, information dissemination, disability awareness, agency collaboration

Developing & Disseminating Information, Continuing Education/Community Training

Education & Early Intervention, Child Care-Related Activities, Health-Related Activities, Employment-Related Activities, Recreation-Related Activities, Quality of Life

Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN, General Public

None

Mulit-County

N/A