On April 7 and 8, 2011, the World Institute on Disability, Mathematica Policy Research, and the National Council on Independent Living convened an invitational summit at the Mathematica offices in Washington, D.C. Participants known to hold a wide range of policy perspectives were invited, including policy analysts, advocates, government and private sector researchers, insurance representatives, along with Congressional and Administration staff. Former and current senior Social Security Administration staff from the 1980s to the present joined the dialogue, as well as officials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The goal of the Summit, as described in the event invitation, was to come to consensus on solutions for the low employment rates of Americans with disabilities in the context of the country's fiscal and deficit environments. Over the one and one-half day Summit, participants focused on policy changes and resource realignment that would help workers with disabilities, or workers who first experience disability while working, stay in the labor force rather than enter the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program.

Additionally, the Summit sought to develop policy options and identify concrete steps at the state and federal levels necessary to support workers with disabilities and workers who first experience disability while working without regard to the origins or the onset of the disabling condition. In fact, the dialogue sought to shape new policy options that would significantly decrease applications to the SSDI program of individuals with disabilities who can work.

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