National Self-Direction Conference Highlights a Growing Movement

In May 2026, hundreds of self-advocates, family members, researchers, providers, and policymakers gathered in Minneapolis for the National Self-Direction Conference to share ideas, challenge misconceptions, and explore the future of self-directed support.

Across the country, more people with disabilities are choosing to direct their own services and supports, reflecting a growing movement toward greater independence, choice, and control. More than 1.5 million people now rely on self-direction to shape the lives they want, making it one of the fastest-evolving approaches to long-term services and supports. That growing momentum was on full display this May when hundreds of self-advocates, family members, researchers, providers, and policymakers gathered in Minneapolis for the National Self-Direction Conference to share ideas, challenge misconceptions, and explore the future of self-directed support.

The gathering of about 400 people was the first time in almost 20 years that this self-direction conference was held outside Baltimore, and the first time it was hosted by The Self-Direction Center. Molly Morris, co-founder of The Self-Direction Center, said changes to the conference were sparked by self-direction’s growth as a model, which demanded a renewed approach to a gathering that could keep pace with it.

Morris said what began as a conference for self-direction programs has grown into a true cross-section of all the stakeholders who touch self-direction.

Morris said many factors led to Minneapolis being chosen as the host city. “First, Minnesota has such a rich history in the self-direction space and has done so much good work. We have a great partnership with ICI, and many people at ICI helped us shape this conference.”

The winter 2024-25 issue of ICI’s Impact magazine, which focused on self-direction, was another catalyst in increasing her organization’s work with the Institute on Community Integration. “It was hugely important to have a full issue of a magazine that told self-direction stories from so many different perspectives. When we saw that magazine, we got in touch with several people at ICI, and it felt like synchronicity.”

One of the issue editors for that Impact magazine was Julie Bershadsky, the associate director of research at ICI. Bershadsky was part of the ICI group that helped Morris organize the conference and encouraged her to pick Minneapolis as the host city.

“The group from ICI had a fairly central role in this conference,” Bershadsky said. “On the first day, ICI was part of one of the intensive sessions that looked at the data on the direct support workforce in a self-direction space. ICI also had a booth at the conference to share resources. My colleague, Brian Abery, was part of a panel on the second day that examined the history and evolution of self-direction in Minnesota.”

Capturing Powerful Self-Direction Stories

“One of the things that feels more important now than ever is the ability to share stories of what self-direction looks like,” Morris said. “There are a lot of misconceptions and a lack of understanding about how it works and the impact of self-direction.”

When Morris was brainstorming with the ICI group, the director of marketing and communications, Jerry Smith, suggested setting up a story studio at the conference to capture interviews with people who self-direct, service providers, researchers, family members, and advocates.

Smith filmed interviews with 25 people at the conference, exploring topics including interdependence, workforce stability, and misconceptions about self-direction. “Isolated cases of fraud are often portrayed as widespread problems, shaping public perception and influencing policy discussions,” Smith said. “Interviewees also discussed the role of support brokers and navigators, as well as personal experiences that illustrate the benefits and challenges of self-directed supports compared with traditional service models.”

Morris called the on-camera interviews “an incredible gift” and said several of her colleagues have been working for months to collect these kinds of stories. Because the conference drew people from several states and countries, the interviews Smith captured included a wide variety of voices that can amplify the conference’s impact well beyond the event itself.

Special Moments and Planning the Next Conference

Bershadsky said the deeper connections and relationships fostered at the conference are a real benefit to ICI. “There was a genuine exchange of ideas and conversations that were happening, kind of on the spot,” Bershadsky said. “There are opportunities for ICI and The Self-Direction Center to align our work and share lessons.”

Morris and her team at The Self-Direction Center are planning the next conference and shared that while she’s proud of this year’s event, she’s a bit nervous because it set the bar so high.

“I cannot say enough good things about the staff at the McNamara Conference Center,” Morris said. “The space was amazing, and the staff was incredibly professional. I had two different members of the catering staff pull me aside so they could hug me and cry. They had family members with disabilities, and they were so touched to be in the room, to hear about what was happening with self-direction. They said they were honored to be a part of it. That’s not something that has happened to me at other conferences.”