AAPD

ALT We Have Good News About Medicaid! (Yes, you read that right!) Today, a federal judge agreed with 25 states + DC that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) must end a policy that would make it even harder for disabled people to be exempt from Medicaid work requirements.

ALT 25 states + DC sued CMS because their definition of “medical frailty” was much stricter than the definition that Congress wrote in H.R. 1. A federal judge agreed with the states, declaring that CMS cannot propose a stricter definition than Congress did.

ALT Before today, CMS’s proposed definition meant that many people who were supposed to qualify for a medical exemption would still be forced to work, attend school, or volunteer 80 hours a month to keep their life-saving Medicaid coverage.

ALT Now, the definition of medical frailty goes back to the original one that Congress wrote! This means more disabled people will be rightfully exempt from needing to fulfill work requirements to keep their healthcare. Go to our profile to learn more.

ALT Blue and red text on a cream background with the same information on the graphic as is in the text of this post.

ALT Photo of Lilly, a white woman with long dark blonde hair, sitting in front of green foliage and wearing a pink jacket. Below her is text that reads, "I believe that disability support service portability is the next frontier of disability civil rights. A person pursuing employment, higher education, or opportunities in another state should have access to clear, reliable processes for maintaining essential disability supports across geographic boundaries."

ALT White text on a blue-to-purple gradient background with white text on it surrounded by a dark blue stroke. The text says "Be a coordinator for Disability Mentoring Day"

ALT Text that says Election Day is two weeks away with a November 3 calendar date circled in red.

ALT Text reads, “Disabled Women’s Equal Pay Day. We do more with less. October 20.”

ALT A photo of Becky Ogle on a white background. Above the photo are the words "in loving memory". Below the photo are the words "AAPD Mourns the Passing of Disability Rights Champion Becky Ogle". The photo of Becky is from AAPD's Spirit of the ADA Torch Relay in 2000. She's smiling very large and wearing sunglasses and a yellow shirt.

ALT The CDC is considering a proposal to no longer collect data about disabled people’s health. There are just 24 hours left to oppose this proposed policy: Submit a comment TODAY, using our link!

ALT The questions in the National Health Information Survey (NHIS) provide information about disabled people’s experiences with healthcare. The data helps shape policies, funding, and services for disabled people.

ALT Some of you have asked: why does this matter? Why do we even want the government to collect this info? That is a great question.

ALT We want disabled people to be included in data collections because you can’t improve a systemic problem if you don’t know it exists. This data isn’t just used by the CDC, but also researchers, funders, educators, doctors, and more.

ALT Stylized graphic showing the headshots of the 10 fall interns in a 3 by 3 by 4 grid.

ALT List of early voting start and end dates for various U.S. states in October

ALT Group of diverse people engaged in conversation around a table during a meeting, with text above and people.

ALT Diverse group of three masked individuals seated in a discussion setting, below text listing the communities that are the focus of the survey.

ALT Two people sitting on outdoor steps smiling and taking a selfie together.

ALT Graphic that looks like a calendar highlighting a webinar on October 8 from 3 - 4 PM ET about Defend Community Integration Coalition's community integration efforts.

ALT The accessible adventures disability pride dice set, 7 different dice for Dungeons and Dragons in the colors of the disability pride flag with a dyslexic friendly font on the dice. The dice are stacked on a table in 3 piles. The first pile has 2 dice. The second pile has 3 dice. The third pile has 2 dice.

ALT Blue and purple text on a navy background with a blue megaphone in the corner and purple accents: "It's National Disability Employment Awareness Month"

ALT D’Arcee Charington Neal seated in their wheelchair on a red carpet. Text reads "AAPD celebrates alumnus D’Arcee Charington Neal for his role in the upcoming movie Being Heumann!"

ALT Hale Zukas, Ron Washington, Lynette Taylor, and Judy Heumann at a press conference held at the San Francisco airport before protesters leave for Washington. Text reads "D’Arcee plays Ron Washington, who was one of the organizers instrumental in the Section 504 Sit-Ins"

ALT Large group of disabled actors and allies posing on a red carpet. Text reads "Watch D’Arcee and other incredible disabled actors when Being Heumann premieres in select theaters on November 6 and on Apple TV on November 13!"

ALT We have GOOD NEWS about community integration! A bipartisan resolution protecting community living was introduced in the House.

ALT H.Res.1586, introduced by Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), affirms that the Olmstead decision reflects Congress' intent for people with disabilities to live and receive services in their communities.

ALT H.Res. 1586 says plainly: in 1977 and 1978, federal regulations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act provided that services for people with disabilities must be delivered in the most integrated setting appropriate.

ALT This resolution confirms that the integration mandate is the law as written and enacted by Congress.