The 28th Annual Family Cafe Has a Lot to Offer Self-Advocates

FL SAND Fellows will host their booth at the 2026 Family Cafe event, highlighting the Florida Self-Advocates Network's dedication to advocacy and community support.

It's that time of the year again. Florida's largest cross-disability conference, The 28th Annual Family Cafe, is June 12-14 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando on International Drive.

The Family Café brings together a multitude of vendors, trainers and speakers, microenterprise owners, parents, educators, and self-advocates from all walks of life to a three-day event full of dynamic keynote speakers, breakout sessions, musical performances, activity rooms, resource fairs, and more. 

There is so much to do and learn, you most likely won't be able to do it all. And that's totally okay. The Family Cafe can be a very overwhelming experience for a first-timer so we at Florida Self-Advocacy Central are here to break it down for you in the best way possible. 

Location, Hotels and Parking

The event is at the Hyatt Regency Orlando at 9801 international Drive, roughly 10 minutes away from the Disney and Universal attractions and right across the street from the Orlando Convention Center. Currently, the overflow hotel that we understand still has rooms at the conference rate is the Hilton which is 3/4 of a mile down the road. Transportation to the event will be provided

for those who are staying at the Hilton and the Rosen properties serving as overflow accommodations. Any rooms available can be reserved here.

International Drive is full of different hotels and resorts so if the Hilton is full at the time of this publication, don't worry. There are plenty of rooms on the strip for those who need them. And when it comes to parking, there is no fee to self-park at the Hyatt Regency during the event. Just tell them you're there for Family Cafe. 

Registration 

Registration can be found here. There is no cost to attend if you are a self-advocate or family member of somebody with a disability, but you must be registered. Your admission to Family Cafe includes access to all keynote addresses, breakout sessions, activity rooms, entertainment, the Saturday night dance party, and all other activities.

Meals  

There are no meals provided at the event. However, some restaurants within the Hyatt Regency typically give 20% discounts to those who present their convention badge at time of purchase—be sure to ask for the discount when ordering. Nearby, there are tons of restaurants on that stretch of international Drive. McDonalds and Pizza Hut are a 10-minute walk. Apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash will deliver to the hotels as long as you're in the lobby to collect your order. 

Sensory and self-care  

The Family Cafe is a really large event that can be overwhelming to some. There will be sensory rooms and quiet rooms available throughout the convention. Please check your program or app map for details when you arrive. 

Also, there is an adult changing room with a cot and waste basket for those who need it In Silver Spring 1. 

Accessibility  

Sign language interpreters will be available at Silver Spring 2 should you need them for any breakout sessions. There are also Braille programs available at the registration desk. 

Pre-Conference Events 

Did you know there are many events that happen before Family Cafe starts? 

On June 11th the following events will take place at the Hyatt Regency:

·        The FROM event (Family Run Organization Movement) offers support and advice to families operating nonprofits.  

·        The Women's Summit event offers a nice retreat focusing on mental health and self-care for women caregivers, although any woman is welcome. 

You can find information on both events here.

Though not officially affiliated with The Family Café, Florida Self-Advocates Network’D (FL SAND) is hosting The Route to Self-Determination workshop at the Rosen Plaza from 10 AM to 4PM (also on June 11). The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council commissioned Route to Self-Determination is for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, age 16 or older, who are just getting started in self-advocacy. The training is delivered through short, plain language lessons, followed by interactive activities, role-playing, and goal setting. Learners will come away feeling empowered to make informed choices about their lives, participate meaningfully in their communities, and connect with other self-advocates, self-advocacy groups, and disability organizations in Florida.

This workshop is free for self-advocates and caregivers. You can register here

Keynote Addresses 

At the Family Cafe, there are a variety of keynote speakers throughout the event in the very large Plaza International Ballroom. From a former state legislator to well-known advocates and celebrities in the disability community, there is something for everyone. 

On Friday, June 12 from 1:30 to 3 PM, join Joe Shapiro, National Public Radio correspondent, on “Uncovering Injustices and Policy Failures.” For many years, Shapiro has shined a spotlight on the systematic failures happening within the disability community, from Social Security checks being taken away from foster youth to the failure of providing home and community-based services to children, forcing them to live in nursing homes. Shapiro shares his experiences in investigative journalism and how his stories brought advocacy and justice for those with disabilities. 

On Friday, June 12, from 7 to 8:30 PM, Family Café’s annual Summit on Disabilities takes place with former Florida Senate President Bill Galvano as the main speaker. This summit is a great way to connect with Florida policy makers and learn more about what's going on at the state capitol regarding people with disabilities. There will be musical performances by Staar Fields, mother of a child with autism, along with the group St John and Friends.

On Saturday, June 13, from 12:30 to 2:30 PM, join Patrice and Gary for a screening of "Patrice the Movie," followed by a panel discussion with others who worked on the film. “Patrice the Movie” Is a documentary that follows Patrice and Gary through their fight to be married without fear of their benefits being taken away. The documentary has earned several awards, including an Emmy for exceptional merit in documentary filmmaking. Head to this keynote to learn more about their advocacy and what it was like on the set. 

On Sunday, June 14, from 10 AM to 12 PM, watch award-winning Kevin Spencer PhD, and his wife Cindy, display how their seamless blend of artistry and academia make for one amazing illusionist production. Their work is known worldwide for mesmerizing audiences at schools, hospitals, and just about every venue in between. The Spencers will share the therapeutic benefits of magic and how they have made several of their performances sensory friendly so all could enjoy. 

Concurrent Sessions  

There are a multitude of one-hour concurrent sessions on Friday and Saturday. These presentations include everything from informational seminars, succinct trainings, self-advocate stories, round tables, and a variety of other learning opportunities.  

When paging through your conference program or scrolling the Family Cafe app, you'll notice clipart images next to the name of each session. These little pictures note the different topic or age-range tracks in which sessions are categorized. There are different tracks for specific attenders such as parents, teens, or military members; and on topics such as disaster prep and advocacy. The advocacy track image is a megaphone. If you would like to follow workshops aligned with advocacy, simply look for the little megaphone next to the session names.

FL SAND will be hosting its own concurrent session: "The Self-advocacy Movement in Florida Needs You! Here's How to Get Involved." Hosted by FL SAND Fellows Chatequa Pinkston, Amanda Ranochak, Christy Shultz, Elcana Jean Pierre, and LaQuina Knox, this presentation will guide you through steps on how to get involved in the Florida self-advocacy movement, including how to join a self-advocacy group or represent people with disabilities on a disability advisory group or community board. This presentation will be held Saturday June 13 at 3:00 PM in Celebration 15. 

Several of our FL SAND members, partners, and alumni Fellows will also be presenting at concurrent sessions. Here's just a sample of what you can find 

·        Jericka Knox and Shane Campfield from our friends at Hurdle will present Friday, June 12, at 5 PM in Bay Hill 31 on "Autism Death and Grief, Experiences from Those on the Spectrum."

·        Jericka Knox will also present Saturday June 13 at 10:30 AM in Bay Hill 31 on "Creating your Own Mental and Physical Safe Space."

·        Former FL SAND Fellow and Disability Rights Florida Senior Policy Analyst, Laura Minutello, will present Friday, June 12 at 3:30 PM in Celebration 10 on "Voting Rights and Accessibility for Self-Advocates."

·        FL SAND Fellow Chatequa Pinkston will present Friday June 12 at 11:30 AM in Bay Hill 23 on "Inclusion and Advocacy in the Church" as part of her work with Hidden Treasures Ministries, which also has a table at the book fair.  

Dancing and Entertainment 

Throughout the Family Cafe, several performing artists of all abilities will be performing in the rotunda of the Hyatt convention center. From St John and Friends, Pyramid Players, Radiant Voices, and more, don't miss your chance to listen to a variety of great performances from people with disabilities. 

And on Saturday night, June 13, at 7 PM, dance the night away at Family Cafe's annual Dance Party. This is a great way to make new friends cap off a day of great breakout sessions and experiences. 

Activity rooms, exhibit hall, and more  

In addition to the keynote and concurrent sessions there are going to be multiple spaces to discover at the event. 

The main exhibit hall is split into different sections based upon age groups and resources such as micro-enterprises (businesses and organizations run by people with disabilities); books, which feature authors and illustrators with disabilities; and disability-related nonprofits, businesses, and state agencies. FL SAND’s booth is 511 in the main exhibit hall, as are exhibits for MAGICAL Self Advocates of Greater Orlando and Hurdle. Chatequa Pinkston’s Hidden Treasures Ministries booth (19) will be located with the authors. She will be reading her new children’s book “Chatty Learns to Keep Trying” during the Book Fair Friday, June 12, at 3:50 PM.

There are multiple activity rooms hosted by different organizations, but what makes these rooms special this year is that there's a room for just about everyone. There's a room that helps with enrollment for ABLE accounts, another room for sensory play, a room with therapy dogs, a disability history media room, an adaptive technology expo, an adaptive art space, and two mix and mingle rooms for self-advocates: Club Cafe for the under 30 crowd and Cafe Connections for those 30 to 50 years old. These are just some of the many spaces available to explore. 

To find out more about everything, check out the full program or download the event app at FamilyCafe.net.

What will you explore at this year's Family Cafe? What are you most looking forward to?