Welcome Note...

As we welcome the new year, we hope your holiday season was filled with moments of rest, connection, and joy. We begin 2026 with deep gratitude for the relationships and shared commitments that continue to shape and sustain our work. 

This year, the Center will be launching a number of new initiatives that reflect the full breadth of our mission. What follows is a sampling of the work ahead, each pointing toward the same hope: stronger pathways to participation, support, and flourishing for people with disabilities and the communities that surround them. 

Thank you for being part of this story. Your encouragement, collaboration, and belief in what is possible continue to shape what we are building together at Baylor and beyond. We look forward to all that lies ahead. 

-Erik Carter and Kristen Padilla

Strong stories can transform communities. We are excited about launching a new interdisciplinary project at Baylor funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc.’s National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life. The Whole Body Project: Flourishing Together in Faith and Life will share powerful, research-grounded stories of churches in which people with and without disabilities and mental health challenges experience deep belonging and mutual flourishing together. Through film, digital storytelling, and practical resources, this nationally focused project will help congregations across the country reimagine life together as the whole Body of Christ. Look for a fuller introduction to this important work in the weeks ahead.  

The Center’s Raising Texas Voices project will also be collecting stories and strategies to drive real change across our state. Funded by the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, this two-year statewide research project centers the voices of people with developmental disabilities and their families—especially those from unserved and underserved communities. Through a year of innovative data collection and community-engaged research, this project will inform how Texas equips the next generation of leaders and change-makers, ensuring that people with disabilities have a meaningful role in shaping the policies and practices that affect their lives. 

Our Baylor Collaborative on Faith and Disability will continue its commitment to difference-making scholarship that advances the belonging in the life of the local church. We will have a strong presence at the national 2026 Disability and the Church Conference, with presentations and convenings led by Center faculty, student fellows, and our partners. Our sessions will explore accessible youth ministry, family perspectives, emerging disability and faith research, digital accessibility, and mutual flourishing in worship and community life. Bolstering this work regionally, our interdisciplinary Bridges to Belonging project is nearing completion of its pilot cohort. Since October 2024, we have journeyed alongside 16 congregations from across Texas to learn what it means to foster belonging and faith formation for youth and young adults with disabilities, mental health conditions, and chronic illnesses. As we celebrate the faithful work of these churches, we also look forward to continued learning with a second cohort when applications open this spring. 

We will deepen our efforts to support the flourishing of diverse families throughout Texas by sharing our research insights locally and nationally. Program Manager, Dalila Ochoa and Center faculty affiliate, Tracey Jones have been selected to present Construyendo Puentes: Engaging Families of Children with Disabilities at the National Association of Bilingual Educators (NABE) Conference in Chicago, February 9–13. Their session will highlight an ongoing community partnership with Spanish-speaking families, centered on monthly support meetings and advocacy training to strengthen culturally and linguistically responsive family engagement. Locally, the Center will continue to host regular support groups and workshops for parents and caregivers of children with disabilities.

We are launching new initiatives to equip educators and school leaders with research-based strategies that help students with disabilities thrive. Beginning in February, we will launch a new monthly Professional Learning Community (PLC) for Central Texas behavior specialists and behavior coaches, beginning with a virtual gathering focused on real-world behavior challenges and evidence-based support in today’s schools. The PLC will provide an ongoing space for collaboration, practical problem-solving, and professional connection to strengthen positive, proactive approaches to student behavior. We will also be building new partnerships with independent and faith-based schools in the area to provide professional development and support school-wide systems that promote inclusive practices. 

We care deeply about serving local families. We will be piloting new interdisciplinary assessment and screening services in collaboration with campus clinics and training programs. These efforts include multidisciplinary early-childhood screening events at the Center and coordinated autism evaluations in partnership with the Baylor Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic. These services provide powerful interdisciplinary training experiences for graduate students across multiple professional programs. They also help reduce barriers to care while expanding access to wrap-around supports for families. 

We invite you to help carry this mission forward. Your generosity, partnership, and prayers fuel every program, every training, every breakthrough, and every story of hope.

We can do so much more together.

Let's build a world where every person is known, needed, and loved—and where all can flourish.

Stay connected with the Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing

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