Each year, the New Jersey Self-Advocacy Program (NJSAP) and the New Jersey Statewide Self-Advocacy Network (NJSSAN) work together to host the annual Fall Conference. This event is an opportunity for Disability Advocates to network, learn about current advocacy issues, and attend professional development workshops. 

The theme of our 2026, in-person, conference is "Rise Up For Self-Advocacy". The Advisory Board members of the NJSSAN picked this topic to bring awareness that every person is a vital part of advocacy as a whole. Advocacy is stronger when we all speak up together! Our Conference this year will be a brand new experience! Our new Advisory Board President, Shondel Greenwood, will be our emcee. Shondel has been an advocate for many decades and speaks up for advocates in Atlantic County and New Jersey. During the conference you will be hearing updates from our Statewide Self-Advocacy Network and the 6 Councils. There will also be training and a very special keynote. You can learn more about those features below! 

We will also be holding our awards during the conference and we need your nominations! Please fill out the nomination form HERE.

Additionally, you can sponsor the event here.

We can't wait for this event and we hope to see you at the Fall Conference this October!

The New Jersey Self-Advocacy Project (NJSAP) was established as a program of The Arc of New Jersey in 1983 in to challenge individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to become involved in events, legislative policies, and issues that affect their lives or lives of others with disabilities. We work together with these individuals to form The New Jersey Statewide Self-Advocacy Network (NJSSAN). The NJSSAN is New Jersey's largest self-advocacy organization and consists of five Councils based on geographic location within the state. Find out more about NJSAP and NJSSAN here.

Morgan Neumann is a disability studies advocate, educator, and writer dedicated to reshaping how society understands inclusion, autonomy, and representation. She earned her undergraduate degree from Ramapo College of New Jersey and her master?s in Disability Studies from the City University of New York (CUNY), where she deepened her commitment to disability justice and culturally responsive K-12 education.

Through her ongoing work Morgan explores how medical, educational, and cultural systems can evolve to recognize disabled people as experts in their own lives. Her work spans multiple formats: family-friendly guides, lesson plans, advocacy manuals, educational games, and creative teaching tools that bring disability studies into everyday spaces. Each project reflects her personal experience as someone living with a disability and her belief that real equity begins early through play, storytelling, and the presumption of competence for every child.

In her companion volume Disability, the Missing Piece, and the Universal Toy Box, Morgan continues her mission to connect advocacy and education. By exploring how toys can teach justice long before textbooks do, she invites educators, parents, and policymakers to see inclusion not as an extra but as culture.

Now more than ever, our voices need to take center stage to influence disability employment policies at every level. The professional experience, the lived experiences, the challenges, and success stories are all critical to supporting WIOA, ending 14c subminimum wage, arguing for DSP compensation, and realizing competitive, integrated employment for all in policy and practice. While it is imperative for advocates, families, and professionals to engage in persuasive, effective advocacy, many do not know where to even begin. This session will familiarize participants with public comments, written/oral testimony, and how to transform your personal/professional experience into moving messages that will move the needle for Employment First, Employment for All. 

Dr. Rob Kimmel is a Training and Consultation Specialist for the Employment and Transition project at The Boggs Center on Disability and Human Development. Rob provides training, consultation, and technical assistance regarding best practices in Supported Employment and Transition to Adulthood. Rob graduated from the Rutgers Graduate School of Education with a Doctorate in Education, with a focus in Special Education. He has worked in the disability field for over fifteen years in a multitude of expansive capacities. Rob is a a NJ certified K-6 and Special Education teacher, a Certified Employment Support Professional (CESP), and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), providing multidisciplinary support to families and individuals within their homes, schools, workplaces, and communities.

Rob serves on the board of directors for NJAPSE: The Association of Persons Supporting Employment First. In addition to chairing and participating in many state, regional, and national committees, he has also served on NJ Department of Education workgroups revising policies and state resources such as the Autism Program Quality Indicators (APQI) utilized by schools throughout the state which set benchmarks for program excellence.