Current News

Lurie Institute director Monika Mitra was interviewed for Julia Métraux's articles on eugenics, sterilization, and the pregnancy rights of disabled people.

“The narrative has to change,” Mitra said, “so that disabled people have the right to be pregnant, and the right to have children—and the right not to have children.”

Read "Forced Sterilization of Disabled People Isn't a Relic of the Past" and "Pregnancy Is a Minefield When You're Disabled."

Reproductive Justice and Disability Justice are deeply connected, and honoring that connection strengthens individuals and communities. Our third Carrie Buck Distinguished Fellow is Laura Millar, an independent consultant and the co-executive director of the Blind Sexuality Access Network. Laura's work is focused on how blind and disabled people are systematically denied access—not just to sexual healthcare or education, but also to autonomy, pleasure, relationships, and even basic conversations that should never have been out of reach in the first place. 

Laura will speak in conversation with Rebecca Cokley of the Ford Foundation on "Permission, Pleasure, and Power: Consent as the Foundation for Disability and Reproductive Justice." Keynote event registration information coming soon!

This special issue of the Disability and Health Journal is the first issue of this journal to focus specifically on community living policy. Edited by Joe Caldwell, Director of the Community Living Policy Center, and Ari Ne'eman and containing articles by several Lurie Institute researchers, the supplement highlights the importance of careful policymaking and service provision to protect and advance the rights of people with disabilities and illustrates the crucial role research plays in advancing community living policy. The 13 articles in the issue cover a wide range of current issues and populations needing Long-Term Services and Supports, and they span four major themes in community living policy: housing and transportation supports; access to home- and community-based services (HCBS) and unmet needs; system design and delivery; and HCBS outcome measures.

Find the full special DHJO issue on community living policy here

Find the special issue "at a glance" here

Each year during July, the disability community celebrates Disability Pride Month. It is a time to honor the history, experiences, achievements, and struggles of the disability community. This month, the Lurie Institute will feature testimonials from staff, students, and Advisory Board members about disability pride, community, care, and advocacy.

Learn more about Disability Pride Month and read the testimonials.

• Reproductive Justice Policy & Disability
• Reproductive Justice in Maternal Deserts: Confronting Racism and Ableism in Obstetric Care
• Maternal Medicaid Matters: Expanding Coverage and Access for Black Disabled Mothers

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

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.

We are thrilled to announce that The Lurie Institute’s Director, Dr. Monika Mitra, was named a Commissioner of the Lancet Commission on Disability and Health! The Lancet is the world’s leading public health journal, and we are excited that Dr. Mitra will be joining this important Commission to lead global disability health efforts. 

Learn more about the Lancet Commission on Disability and Health!

Our 2024-2025 Student Fellowship in Disability Policy cohort gave public presentations of the research work they conducted during their fellowship term and discussed the research skills they developed working with their mentor and the knowledge of disability policy they gained.

View the Presentations Recording

The Lurie Institute for Disability Policy is excited to share our annual report from this last year. The report highlights key research findings, our many dissemination products and resources, community outreach efforts, and much more from 2024. 

Read our 2024 Annual Report

Congratulations to The Lurie Institute's Natalie Chong, Joseph Caldwell, H. Steven Kaye, and Monika Mitra for being finalists for the “Best Research Paper Award” at this past week’s NARRTC Conference. Their paper, Outcomes of Person-Center Planning in Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services is noted as being a crucial resource towards developing rehabilitation research and practice for the benefit of the disability community. 

View an accessible brief version of the paper on the Community Living Policy Center’s website.

Black Maternal Health Week is a week-long awareness campaign held each year from April 11th to 17th. The Lurie Institute for Disability Policy honors this important week. Starting Friday, April 11th we will share resources and information about Black disabled mothers and birthing peoples' maternal health. 

Learn more about our work at this intersection

Miriam Heyman, Research Scientist at the Lurie Institute and Project Manager of the National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities, was awarded the Heller School’s 2025 New Investigator Award. Miriam is a strong advocate, scholar, and leader at the Lurie Institute, who has made a profound impact with her work.

Read more about Miriam and the award

Lurie is excited to announce its Disability Data Dashboards.

Historically, data about people with disabilities and their experiences has been difficult to access, navigate, and understand. Our interactive data dashboards offer a solution for advocates, policymakers, and researchers, portraying information about parents with disabilities and community living services in visually engaging and easy-to-use ways. We hope these dashboards can serve as an effective tool for disability advocates to further the rights, access, and inclusion of the disability community.

Access the Disability Data Dashboard

Are you interested in disability policy, research, and rights? Apply for our Student Fellowship in Disability Policy! 

Learn more and apply

We are thrilled to have new visiting scholars join the Lurie team.

Welcome Taline Alonso Da Silva, Anjali J. Forber‐Pratt, Dennis Heaphy, Sonya Rudra, and Maggie Sheets!

In January, the Lurie Institute’s Director, Dr. Monika Mitra, visited New Delhi and Kolkata for two guest talks about disability and healthcare.

Read about her LEctures