National Center for Disability and Pregnancy Research

Past Webinars and Other Events

Pregnancy and Physical Disability webinarPregnancy and Physical Disability: A Discussion for People with Physical Disability Who Are Pregnant or Thinking About Pregnancy

 Thursday, January 18, 2024

 In this webinar, Nicole Lomerson and Laura Stout, both mothers with physical disabilities, discussed their pregnancies and births. We invited discussion from attendees who have physical disabilities and who are pregnant or thinking about pregnancy.

Access Recording of Pregnancy and Physical Disability

Providing Perinatal Care to Expectant Mothers with  Physical Disabilities - bannerProviding Perinatal Care to Expectant Mothers with Physical Disabilities

May 25, 2023

Facilitated by Linda Long-Bellil

Many clinicians have little experience caring for people with physical disabilities, particularly in addressing their needs regarding reproductive health and pregnancy. In this webinar Lauren Dyer, a parent with a physical disability, shared her lived experience navigating perinatal care. Additionally, Drs. John Harris and Heidi Leftwich described the reproductive health and perinatal care needs of people with physical disabilities, and how we can improve care for this population. They described how to approach issues such as communication, preconception counseling, and specific considerations for pregnancy, labor and delivery and postpartum care.

Access the webinar recording

Reproductive Health and Perinatal Care Needs of People with Intellectual Disabilities

Reproductive Health and Perinatal Care Needs of People with Intellectual Disabilities webinar

April 18, 2023

Facilitated by Linda Long-Bellil

Many clinicians have little experience caring for people with intellectual disabilities (ID), particularly in addressing their needs regarding reproductive health and pregnancy. In this webinar, Drs. Susan Ernst and Melanie Ornstein described the reproductive health and perinatal care needs of people with ID. They discussed how to approach issues such as communication, preconception counseling, and specific considerations for pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum care.

Access the Webinar Recording

Webinar: Perinatal Health of Women with Intellectual and Developmental DisabilitiesPerinatal Health of Women with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

October 12, 2022

Facilitated by Nicole Lomerson and Anne Valentine

Too often the reproductive health experiences and outcomes of women with disabilities are overlooked. On October 12, 2022, the National Center for Disability and Pregnancy Research (NCDPR) held a webinar about perinatal health and outcomes of women with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Parent panelist Lindsay Brillhart shared her pregnancy and parenting experiences, joined by Lurie research associates Nicole Lomerson and Anne Valentine. Guided by a disability justice framework, the presentation discussed the needs and concerns of pregnant people with IDD and policies and programs to enhance their reproductive health and well-being. This webinar was designed with Maternal and Child Health students and early career professionals in mind.


Access the webinar Recording

Disabled Parents in the NICU

June 7, 2022

Moderated by Nicole Lomerson

What can happen when a parent with a disability faces a lengthy stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with their baby? This webinar featured two disabled parent panelists (Kristie Lewis and Patrick Cokely) whose babies were born prematurely and were admitted to the NICU. The panelists shared their stories about the challenges and successes they encountered during that time when navigating an environment that is not at all built with disability in mind. Our parent panelists also explored the role that implicit bias and ableism may have had in interactions with their babies' care team, and in parenting their babies in the NICU. Our faculty speaker, Dr. Paige Church of Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, spoke about the ingrained nature of implicit bias within the NICU, how this can adversely affect families, and how we can better care for families headed by disabled parents during this most vulnerable time.

Access the webinar Recording

How Prospective Parents with Disabilities Can Prepare for Parenthood

This webinar focuses on strategies for prospective parents with disabilities to prepare themselves and their families for parenthood. Presenters discuss the initial considerations of conception and adoption, and explore preliminary consultation in order to identify disability-affirmative service providers. Participants learn how to identify peer support among disability parenting communities to utilize for advice and support. The early identification of adaptive parenting tools and resources is emphasized. Held in April 2018.

Hosts: Kara Ayers, PhD, and Erin Andrews, PsyD., ABPP

Watch recording of "How Prospective Parents with Disabilities Can Prepare for Parenthood"

Current NCDPR events