For Immediate Release
The Association for Successful Parenting Calls for Restoration of the Federal Funding Opportunity for the National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities
Baltimore, Maryland — July 23, 2026
The Association for Successful Parenting (TASP) is deeply concerned by the federal government's decision to withdraw the funding opportunity for the National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities before organizations had the opportunity to compete for it. If the funding opportunity is not restored, the nation's only federally funded research center dedicated exclusively to parents with disabilities and their families may be forced to close.
As a national nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), TASP has seen firsthand the impact that research, professional education, and technical assistance can have on improving services for families. Across healthcare, child welfare, family courts, disability services, and other systems, parents with disabilities continue to encounter barriers rooted in misconceptions about disability rather than individualized assessments of their strengths, needs, and parenting abilities.
"The cost of a foster care placement currently averages $58,000 per child per year. It seems that a government investment in research that benefits parents with disabilities, whose children often end up in foster care due to systemic bias, would be a good investment of taxpayer dollars."
— Cathy Haarstad, TASP Board President
For many years, TASP has followed the work of the National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities, dating back to its time at Through the Looking Glass. For the past five years, the Center, through Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy and Management, has hosted TASP's national professional training on working successfully with parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Its support for this training reflects the Center's longstanding commitment to ensuring that professionals working with parents with disabilities — including those in child welfare — have access to research-based information that promotes equitable, informed decision-making.
"The National Research Center helps people across the country understand the experiences of parents with disabilities and reminds professionals and policymakers that we have the same rights as any other parent. Some parents with disabilities may need additional supports, but that doesn't change our right to raise our families or to have our voices heard."
— Lindsay Brillhart, Parent Self-Advocate and TASP Board Member
Research alone does not improve outcomes for families. Progress comes from combining research with professional education, technical assistance, lived experience, and a commitment to improving systems. Throughout its history, the National Research Center has advanced the field by conducting and synthesizing research, translating evidence into practical resources, and supporting professionals, policymakers, researchers, and families through education and technical assistance. The potential loss of the Center would extend far beyond the research community. It would diminish a nationally recognized source of evidence that has informed professional education, public policy, technical assistance, and practice across multiple systems serving parents with disabilities and their families.
"The progress we've seen hasn't happened by accident. Every week, TASP works with professionals who genuinely want to support parents with disabilities but have never received training on the legal rights, the Americans with Disabilities Act, or evidence-based approaches to providing accommodations for parents with disabilities. The National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities has helped build the evidence base, translate research into practical guidance, and equip professionals whose decisions affect families every day. Losing the nation's only federally funded center dedicated exclusively to this work would be a significant setback for parents with disabilities and the providers committed to supporting them fairly and effectively."
— Chelsea Tighe, Executive Director, The Association for Successful Parenting
TASP joins researchers, self-advocates, professionals, disability organizations, and families across the country in urging the federal government to restore and issue the funding opportunity so qualified organizations may compete to continue this essential national resource. Continued investment in research, education, and technical assistance is critical to ensuring that professionals, policymakers, and families have access to the knowledge needed to support parents with disabilities fairly, effectively, and in accordance with their legal rights.
"Parenting with a disability is a unique experience that, if studied, can help everyone be better!"
— Jamie Junior, Parent Self-Advocate, TASP Board Member, and Certified Peer Mentor
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⇩ Download Press Release (PDF)About The Association for Successful Parenting (TASP)
The Association for Successful Parenting (TASP) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families through education, advocacy, and support. Through professional training, technical assistance, educational resources, and collaboration with self-advocates, researchers, and service providers, TASP works to improve outcomes for parents with disabilities while helping professionals provide accessible, evidence-based, and family-centered services.
For more information, visit www.achancetoparent.net or contact info@achancetoparent.net.
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