Name: The Inflection Point: Rethinking systems, funding, and purpose in a time of transformation
Start: 2026-06-11T09:45:00-0400
End: 2026-06-11T11:00:00-0400

The Inflection Point: Rethinking systems, funding, and purpose in a time of transformation

Thursday June 11, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

The field isn’t just evolving—it’s hitting a true inflection point. You can feel it everywhere. The signals are clear, the pressure is building, and the question is no longer if change is coming—it’s whether we’re ready to meet it.
This is a moment that demands more than incremental improvement. It calls for bold retooling, deep restructuring, honest reevaluation, and full-scale reinvention. Even our language is lagging behind reality. “Community inclusion”? We’ve moved beyond that—it’s about meaningful engagement and affirmation. “Supports”? That framing no longer captures the complexity of today’s needs. Traditional funding models, vacancy thinking, Medicaid dependence—these are no longer sustainable foundations.
Every industry faces moments like this—tipping points where markets shift, expectations rise, and systems must transform or fall behind. We’ve been here before. Early programs in the 1800s were dominant—until they weren’t. Institutions led—until they didn’t. ICF/MR models defined the field—until they no longer could.
Now, community-based systems are at their own crossroads.
Leadership is changing. Boards are increasingly composed of business leaders rather than founding families. The needs are changing. De-institutionalization is no longer the driving force—today’s referrals often involve individuals with far more complex, intensive support needs than our systems were designed to handle. And yet, funding structures have not kept pace.
At the same time, the field faces one of its greatest vulnerabilities: an overwhelming reliance on Medicaid. This funding stream built the modern system—but no industry remains stable when over 90% of its revenue depends on a single, increasingly uncertain source.
Some organizations are already adapting—rethinking growth, redefining their mission, and expanding beyond traditional I/DD services to meet broader community needs. But the pace of change may not be fast enough.
And we haven’t even begun to grapple with what’s coming next: the accelerating impact of technology and AI, and how it will reshape everything from service delivery to workforce models.
This session isn’t about small adjustments. It’s about reimagining what’s possible.
We’ll challenge assumptions, explore new frameworks, and ask the question at the heart of it all:
Can our system adapt quickly enough to meet the future—or will the future outpace us?

Speakers

Margaret J. Gould

The Visions Center for Creative Management

Margaret (Peg) Gould is the President/CEO of The VISIONS Center for Creative Management. She is the Director Emeritus with the Training Collaborative, a shared project developing emerging leaders and a consultant with ADAPT Community Network. Peg is an Adjunct Professor at two universities... Read More →

Thursday June 11, 2026 9:45am - 11:00am EDT

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IAC 14th Annual Conference

Margaret J. Gould

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IAC 14th Annual Conference

Margaret J. Gould

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