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June News from the Lurie Institute

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Dr. Mitra Speaks on Disability Reproductive Equity Day Panel
Panelists (from L-R: Tiffany L. Panko, Mia Ives-Rublee, and Monika Mitra) are seated in a semi-circle together with the presenter on a stage, engaged in a panel discussion. Behind them is a large digital screen that projects the event flyer. Behind the screen is a backdrop of a massive image of Earth.

The Lurie Institute's Director, Dr. Monika Mitra, spoke on a panel with Mia Ives-Rublee and Tiffany Panko at the Museum of Science in Boston. Dr. Mitra highlighted the importance of accessible and inclusive reproductive health services for people with disabilities. Thank you to the Museum of Science for hosting this fantastic event. 
Watch the recorded panel discussion on YouTube.

Enhancing maternal care for women with IDD: A toolkit for doulas and healthcare providers
A notebook with text that reads ’New Research Project.' A baby in the womb is below the title text.

We are excited to share that the WITH Foundation awarded the Lurie Institute with grant funding to pursue a new research project, Enhancing maternal care for women with IDD: A toolkit for doulas and healthcare providers.


Lurie researchers are working in collaboration with researchers from Georgetown National Center for Cultural Competence and the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability to create a toolkit to support doulas and healthcare professionals in caring for women with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through labor and delivery.

Our New One-Pager is Ready!
Preview of one pager describing the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy and its work.

We’re excited to share our new one-pager!


With a single glance, you’ll get a clear and comprehensive overview of the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy.


It highlights our commitment to research and policy analysis, education and mentorship, community engagement, and our four federally funded research centers.
View the accessible PDF

NIDILRR-Funded Research Supports Parents with Disabilities
A graphic with a dark green background and the bold white text “NIDILRR Advances Parents’ Rights” at the top inside a dark grey box. Below the text, a smiling father in a wheelchair holds his young daughter on his lap. The daughter, wearing a bright yellow coat, is laughing and holding a smartphone. The National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities logo appears to the left of the image.

The NIDILRR-funded National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities conducts research and policy development to inform legislative policy on ways to support parents with disabilities and chronic illness.


We’ve created an infographic outlining some of the impactful work made possible through NIDILRR’s support.
View the accessible infographic

Lurie Institute Researchers Present at AcademyHealth's 2025 Annual Research Meeting

Group photo from the conference featuring (from left to right): Alex Levine, Laurin Bixby, Ilhom Akobirshoev, and Victoria Lajous. Alex is wearing glasses, a white shirt, and a blazer. Laurin, seated in a wheelchair, is wearing a black-and-white top and a face mask. Ilhom is dressed in a blue blazer, and Tori is in a black blouse and white pants. Behind them is a formal conference setup with a projector screen, podium, and rows of chairs.
Elad Daniels stands beside his poster presentation on 'Psychotropic Utilization across Medicaid LTSS Residential Settings for Adults with IDD'.

AcademyHealth's 2025 Annual Research Meeting, held from June 7–10 in Minneapolis, MN, concluded successfully. Our researchers contributed to a meaningful experience by presenting their work and engaging with fellow experts and attendees throughout the conference.

Center for Racial and Disability Justice Cites Lurie Research in Reproductive Justice Briefs
The image features three policy brief covers from the Center for Justice’s Reproductive Justice Collective, all displayed against a purple background. The title of Policy Brief No.1 on the top left is Reproductive Justice Policy & Disability, written by Kate Caldwell, PhD. It features an image of a family scene with two smiling adult and two children interacting in a cozy home setting. Brief No.2 on the bottom center brief is titled Maternal Medicaid Matters: Expanding Coverage and Access for Black Disabled Mothers, authored by Megan Martin. The image depicts a Black pregnant woman receiving care and support from two individuals. The title of Policy Brief no. 2 on the top right is Reproductive Justice in Maternal Deserts: Confronting Racism and Ableism in Obstetric Care, written by Kyanda Bailey. The cover shows a tender moment between a mother and her child, with the child gently kissing the mother’s cheek. Each brief carries the CRDJ logo in the top right corner.

The Center for Racial and Disability Justice released three important policy briefs that cite the Lurie Institute and the National Center for Disability and Pregnancy Research’s work. Read the three briefs on their website or by using the links below.

Register for our Upcoming Webinar 💻

Using the Disability Data Dashboards to Advance Policy and Advocacy
Webinar promotional graphic. Happening on July 10, 2025 at 1 PM EST. A woman clicks on a tablet and looks at disability statistics. Icons for ASL interpretation and closed captions are visible, indicating that these accessibility features will be provided during the webinar.

The Lurie Institute’s Disability Data Dashboards offer crucial information in easy-to-understand and accessible ways. The dashboards can serve as helpful, efficient, and time-saving tools for disability policy advocates across the United States.


In this webinar, we will teach attendees about our two dashboards, the Parents with Disabilities Dashboard and the Community Living Dashboard, live demo-ing how they work, what information they show, and what the metrics mean.
Register for the Webinar

Our latest publications 📄

Research articles


Bridging Aging and Disability Networks to Support Aging Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Family Caregivers


Pregnancy Experiences of Women With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities


Pilot Study for a Preconception Educational Intervention for People With Mobility Disabilities


Sexual Violence and Unintended Pregnancy in Women With Disabilities: An Intersectional, Cross-sectional Study


Disparity in Internet Access Among Parents with Disabilities in the United States


Physical Assault During the Perinatal Period by Disability Status and Racial/Ethnic Background


Community Living Policy: Progress, Uncertainty, and Research to Inform Paths Forward


Explorations of the Long Term Supports Coordinator Role in Managed Care for People Who Are Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid: A Participatory Action Research-informed Study
An image of a father in a wheelchair joyfully playing with his child. The text reads: Submit a Blog.

Submit a parenting blog📝


Are you a parent with a disability? Are you interested in sharing a blog post about adaptable summer activities with your kids, or other topics relevant to parents with disabilities? 


We’d love to hear from you! Share your experiences with us in our Parents with Disabilities Blog.
Learn more and submit a blog post

Research participation opportunities 💬

Moms with an intellectual or developmental disability, we want to hear your positive parenting stories!
Preview of the study's recruitment flyer, featuring a Latina woman with I D D smiling.
  • Are you a mom?
  • Do you have an intellectual or developmental disability?
  • Are you 18 years old or older?
  • Did you have a baby in the last 5 years?
  • Do you have happy or good stories to tell about being a parent?


If you said YES to these questions, we want to talk to you about your positive parenting stories! 


Sharing your story can help other people with disabilities know what being a parent can be like. Your story can also help make services better for parents with disabilities.

Do you want to tell your parenting story? If you said yes, contact us!

📞 Call 1-781-736-5328 OR

✉️ Email MiriamHeyman@Brandeis.edu


View the plain language recruitment flyer.


Learn more about the study on our website.


Note: Do not share this study opportunity on social media. We want to avoid bots and scammers. Thank you! 


This study is funded by The National Research Consortium on Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Taking care of your sexual health with a disability - we want to hear from you!

Illustration featuring six diverse individuals with visible disabilities. From left to right, the group includes a woman in a motorized wheelchair, a man with crutches, a woman with bilateral running blade prosthetics, a man using a cane and wearing dark glasses accompanied by a yellow guide dog, and a woman in a manual wheelchair raising her hand. The individuals are depicted in casual clothing and appear to be engaged in friendly conversation.

Sexual and reproductive health is an important part of being healthy.


Brandeis University is doing a study about the things that young people with disabilities think are important for their sexual health. We also want to learn how their family, doctor, school, and/or community can help them take care of their sexual health. There may be things that make it difficult or easy for them to get sexual health services. We want to know about these things too. We will use what we learn in the interviews to make a website. The website will teach teens and young adults with disabilities about taking good care of their sexual health.


You can do an interview if: 

  • You have a disability, medical diagnosis, or chronic illness that impacts your day-to-day life.
  • You are between 15 and 25 years old.
  • You were born in the United States and you still live in the United States.
  • You speak English or sign using American Sign Language. 


Contact the research team if you want to do an interview.

📞 Call 781-736-3928 OR

✉️ Email YouthStudy@Brandeis.edu 

💻 Learn more about the study on our website: TinyURL.com/SRH-Study

Looking for disabled people of color who are self-directing their services
study promotional flyer. available to download on website in spanish and english
  • Are you a disabled person of color?
  • Do you self-direct? This means:
  • You recruit, hire, train or supervise your direct care workers AND/OR
  • You have control over a budget and decide how to spend the money on your services?
  • Are you 18 years of age or older?


If you answered YES to each of the questions above, you may be eligible to participate.


Learn more on our Self-Direction and Community Living Outcomes for People of Color study webpage.

Watch or share our recruitment video on YouTube.
Looking for people of color who self-direct their services

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