Welcome to the official website for the 2026 TASH Conference!
Each year, the TASH Conference brings together our constituents to share resources and success stories, learn about field-driven best practices, and network within a community engaged in shared values. The Conference is attended by passionate leaders, experts, and advocates from every corner of the disability community. Conference attendees are influential in their fields and communities, and play an important role in the provision of services and supports for individuals and organizations around the world; and include professors and researchers from leading institutions; those involved in local, state, and federal governments and public policy; special and general educators, and school administrators; self-advocates, adult service providers; students, family members, and many others. This year’s conference theme is Liberty and Justice for All.
On this page you will find information about our Conference location, registration, reserving a guest room, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities, and more! The full Conference schedule will be published in August. Registered attendees will receive an invitation to log in and create a personalized schedule.
Sign up or log in to add sessions to your schedule and sync them to your phone or calendar.
Direct support professionals, educators, and human service workers are frequently asked to offer regulation, patience, and presence within systems that are fast-paced, under-resourced, and emotionally demanding. Over time, this can lead to burnout, withdrawal, or reactivity- not because practitioners lack commitment, but because their nervous systems are operating under chronic stress and perceived threat.This session introduces Polyvagal PLAY, an embodied, trauma-responsive approach designed to support the nervous systems of practitioners and families so they can remain present, engaged, and sustainable in their support roles. Grounded in polyvagal-informed practice and relational neuroscience, Polyvagal PLAY reframes burnout as a nervous system response rather than a personal shortcoming, and offers practical ways to restore safety and capacity through relationship and PLAY.Participants will explore how their own nervous system states influence interactions with the people they support and with colleagues, particularly during moments of stress. Through brief, accessible experiential practices, attendees will learn how to Pause, Listen, Activate, and Yield in ways that support regulation before, during, and after challenging situations. These practices are designed to be woven into daily routines without adding burden or time pressure.Rather than focusing on behavior management or productivity, this session centers the practitioners or family members capacity as foundational to ethical, dignified, and effective support. By strengthening nervous system awareness and relational regulation, practitioners and families are better able to stay connected, reduce reactivity, and sustain their presence over time. This approach aligns with TASH’s commitment to inclusion, dignity, and justice by recognizing supporter well-being as essential to meaningful, relationship-centered disability support.
Friday December 4, 2026 5:45pm - 7:30pm EST Millennium Hall1200 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107
