New Orleans, November 8–11, 2026
Expert ADA training. A city worth the trip.
New Orleans is a first for NAADAC, and a fitting one: three days of focused ADA coordinator training in one of the country’s most remarkable cities.
The 2026 faculty includes attorneys, former federal officials, and senior practitioners who have shaped, implemented, and enforced the ADA across every major sector. With attendance capped at 200, you will have direct access to the people who know this law best — in sessions, at lunch, and in the small-group discussions built into every day. Whether you have been in the coordinator role for thirty years or landed in it last month, this conference is built for where you are.
The Training Program
What three days of NAADAC training actually looks like.
NAADAC has trained ADA Coordinators since 1992. The credentials are new. The training program is not. Here is what you are registering for — in concrete terms, based on the 2026 conference agenda.
| Day | Morning | Afternoon | AADAC Practicum (concurrent — open to all as electives) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Nov 9 | Plenary — ALL attendees Legal Update: ADA Titles I, II & Title III Role of the ADA Coordinator: Present Practice & the Future |
Core sessions Service Animals & ESAs Effective Communication – Parts 1 & 2 2024 DOJ Web Accessibility Rule |
Reading ADA Case Law & Enforcement Trends Digital Accessibility orientation Opening Practitioner Roundtable |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Core (choose one concurrent slot): Grievance Procedures — or — Elective: PROWAG Elective: ADA Basics for Higher Education Core: Reasonable Accommodation Process — or — Elective: Architectural Plans for Non-Architects Elective: Fundamental Alteration & Undue Burden |
Core: Physical Access & the Built Environment — or — Elective: State & Local Judicial – Part 1 Elective: Accommodating Mental Illness Core: Self-Evaluations & Transition Plans – Pt 1 — or — Elective: Performance & Conduct Standards Elective: Judicial – Part 2 Core: Medical Inquiries & Direct Threat — or — Elective: Corrections Elective: Self-Evaluations – Part 2 |
Advanced Legal Analysis: Consent Decrees & Systemic Risk Digital & AI Accessibility Leadership Unified Sector Practicum – Parts 1 & 2 Data-Driven Compliance: Metrics & Board Reporting |
| Wed, Nov 11 | Core: Where Does It End? – Parts 1 & 2 (Leave, Reassignment, Remote Work) — or — Elective: Law Enforcement – Parts 1 & 2 |
Elective: Healthcare; Accessible Housing Plenary — ALL attendees: Ethics, Documentation & Professional Judgment Closing Plenary — ALL attendees: Round Tables of Hot Topics |
Systemic Compliance: What Enforcement Data Tells Us Advanced Emergency Management Specialty Deep-Dive Workshop Commanding the Room: Authority for the ADA Expert |
Every attendee may take AADAC Practicum sessions (right-hand or 4th column in the table above) for ADACP elective credit — no AADAC enrollment required. The AADAC credential itself remains a separate step, currently open to NAADAC Professional Associates and individually evaluated ADACC holders.
Core Sessions
Open to every registered attendee — no credential enrollment required. Core sessions are required for the ADACP. Credits bank automatically from your first session, whether or not you have enrolled. The Legal Update and ADA Coordinator Role plenaries open the conference for everyone together; individual Core sessions run in concurrent slots on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Elective Sessions
Also open to every registered attendee. Electives run concurrently with Core sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday — you choose which to attend. Electives count toward the ADACP 40-credit minimum. Sector-specific depth: Higher Education, Law Enforcement, Corrections, Healthcare, PROWAG, Judicial, Physical Access, and more.
During the 2026–2027 AADAC rollout: all twelve advanced AADAC Practicum sessions are cross-listed as electives and open to every attendee — consent decree analysis, digital & AI accessibility leadership, the cross-sector practicum, compliance metrics, and more, with national guest experts in the room.
Attending earns ADACP elective credit; the AADAC credential itself stays reserved for enrolled candidates. AADAC Practicum sessions are working sessions, not lectures, and are capped at 30 seats so every voice fits in the discussion — seats are confirmed in the order attendees pre-select sessions at registration, and NAADAC Professional
Associates and invited discussants are seated in every session. If a Practicum session you want is full, a door waitlist opens ten minutes before start. Sector electives are not capped, so for those you do not have to choose before you arrive.
Also included with your registration
Sunday Welcome Reception (Nov 8)
Meet faculty and fellow attendees before sessions begin. Registration opens 4–6 p.m.
Continental breakfast & lunch, Mon-Wed
Served in the conference space. Informal conversations with faculty at the lunch table are part of what makes NAADAC different.
Session materials via CORADA
All registered attendees receive access to the ADA compliance resource library at corada.com.
From Naadac Attendees
What coordinators say about NAADAC training.
“I have attended NAADAC for years and it is still the one conference I build my calendar around. The faculty bring current enforcement experience, not just textbook knowledge. I leave every year with something concrete I can use back at work the following week.”
— NAADAC Professional Associate, State Agency | Southeast Region
“There is no other conference where a corrections ADA coordinator sits in a room with the people who wrote the enforcement guidance. The content is not adapted from somewhere else — it is built for us. I left with three policy revisions I could implement the following week.”
— Senior ADA Coordinator, State Department of Corrections | Southwest Region
“My institution was skeptical about the conference cost until I came back with a transition plan framework that would have taken us months to develop internally. Small group sessions with faculty who know how these issues actually play out in litigation — that is not something you can get from a webinar or a textbook.”
— ADA/504 Coordinator, Public University System | Southeast Region
Registration
2026 Conference Registration Fees
Your fee depends on (1) whether your annual associate dues were paid before registration and (2) whether you register by the early bird deadline of August 10, 2026.
| Registration Type | Fee (USD) |
|---|---|
| Associate Early-Bird (by August 10, 2026) | $1,200 |
| Non-Associate Early-Bird (by August 10, 2026) | $1,500 |
| Associate Post-Early-Bird (after August 10, 2026) | $1,500 |
| Non-Associate Post-Early-Bird (after August 10, 2026) | $1,800 |
What your registration includes: All conference sessions (Sunday Welcome Reception through Wednesday Closing Plenary) plus daily networking breakfast and lunch, Monday through Wednesday. Hotel reservations are separate.
All fees in US Dollars. Questions about registration? Contact Brian Nelson at brian.nelson1333@gmail.com or (801) 376-9863.
Schedule at a Glance
Sun, Nov 8
Arrive. Registration 4–6 p.m. President’s Welcome Reception — meet faculty and fellow attendees.
Mon, Nov 9
Legal Update Plenary (all attendees). Concurrent Core and AADAC sessions: Digital Access, Service Animals, Effective Communication, 2024 DOJ Rule.
Tue, Nov 10
Core sessions plus electives — including the AADAC advanced sessions, open to all attendees for elective credit: Higher Education, Law Enforcement, Employment, Physical Access, Judicial. AADAC advanced workshops concurrent.
Wed, Nov 11
Core sessions; electives in Law Enforcement, Healthcare, Corrections, Housing. Closing Plenary: Hot Topics Round Tables — all attendees.
Conference Documents
2026 Conference Agenda — ADACP & AADAC Programs (PDF) (Updated July 2026 — includes ADACP/AADAC session designations)
2026 Conference Presenter Bios (PDF)
May 2026 Newsletter (PDF)
Payment Options
You may register and pay online, or pay by check payable to NAADAC, mailed to:
Brian Nelson, Executive Director
2774 W 270 N
Hurricane, UT 84737
Registration Form: Complete and submit the conference registration form to Brian Nelson at brian.nelson1333@gmail.com or by mail to the address above.
Register for the ADACP or AADAC
Conference registration and credential enrollment are separate steps. You can register for the conference today and decide on a credential later — or enroll now if you are ready. The path that is open to you depends on your NAADAC membership status. Three pathways are described below.
ADACP — ADA Coordinator Professional
Any registered conference attendee may attend ADACP-designated Core and Elective sessions — no enrollment required. To formally enroll in the ADACP, you must be an active NAADAC Associate.
Session credits count from the moment you earn them and apply automatically once you enroll, any time before November 8, 2027.
- Register for the ADACP before the conference, or wait and decide later
- Attend ADACP-designated Core and Elective sessions at the November 2026 conference
- Complete the 2027 inter-conference webinar series (W1–W9, January–May 2027)
- Credits bank automatically whether or not you register first — see enrollment timing below
AADAC — Advanced ADA Coordinator
Any registered conference attendee may attend AADAC Practicum sessions, space permitting — total Practicum attendance is capped at 30 seats. To formally enroll in the AADAC credential, you must be an active NAADAC Associate; the direct-entry pathway is currently open to Professional Associates, with ADACP graduates and individually evaluated ADACC holders joining as those pathways mature.
As with the ADACP, session credits count from the moment you earn them and apply automatically once you enroll, any time before November 8, 2027.
- Confirm your PA status is current before the conference (see membership note below)
- Attend AADAC-designated sessions at the November 2026 conference
- Apply for AADAC enrollment any time before November 8, 2027 — see enrollment timing below
- Year 1 enrollment fee is waived for qualifying PAs
Hold an ADAC credential from the ACTCP program?
You may apply for an individual evaluation pathway into the AADAC. This is not an automatic admission — NAADAC reviews each application individually. You will be asked to submit a record of credits and courses earned through the ACTCP program along with a summary of your relevant professional experience. Contact NAADAC to begin this process →
Need to Join or Renew First?
Both the ADACP and AADAC require active NAADAC membership. If your Associate or Professional Associate status has lapsed, or you have not yet joined, update your membership before registering for a credential. Join or renew your NAADAC membership →
For Supervisors and Budget Approvers
28 CFR § 35.107(a) requires entities with 50 or more employees to designate an ADA coordinator. Sending that coordinator to the NAADAC Annual Conference is the most direct investment available in both compliance capacity and professional credentialing. Your coordinator returns with sector-specific training available nowhere else, direct access to the field’s leading faculty, and credit toward the ADACP or — if a Professional Associate — the AADAC, the only advanced ADA coordinator credential in existence. Peer conferences in legal compliance and HR run $1,400–$2,000 per attendee. NAADAC delivers sector-specific ADA training with credentialing built in.
Hotel Reservations
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel
500 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
- Room block cut-off: October 12, 2026
- Government per diem: $157/night (20 rooms, documentation required)
- Conference rate: $219/night single or double occupancy
- Available 3 days before/after conference, subject to availability
- Complimentary WiFi in guest rooms and all conference spaces
Room Accommodation Requests
Contact the Hotel Directly
After booking, contact the hotel Group Services Coordinator:
Tequilla McCormick
Tequilla.McCormick@sheraton.com
(504) 595-6284
Difficulties: Brian Nelson, (801) 376-9863 or brian.nelson1333@gmail.com
Making the Case to Attend?
NAADAC has prepared a one-page brief for coordinators who need to justify conference attendance to a supervisor or budget officer. It covers the legal basis for the ADA coordinator role and the professional development value of NAADAC training. Contact NAADAC to request a copy →
Not Ready to Enroll Yet? No Problem.
You do not need to decide before you arrive. Qualifying session credits — including sessions attended since January 1, 2026 — count toward the ADACP or AADAC if you enroll by November 8, 2027. Two important distinctions:
ADACP — Foundation Credential
- ✓ 2026 conference sessions designated for ADACP
- ✓ 2027 inter-conference webinars W1–W9 (January–May 2027)
- Enroll by November 8, 2027
AADAC — Advanced Credential (PAs)
- ✓ 2026 conference sessions designated for AADAC
- ✗ 2027 webinar series does not count toward AADAC
- Year 1 enrollment fee waived for qualifying PAs