AAPD

The recent Medicaid work requirement rule has caused a lot of fear and confusion in our community, so here are some fast facts. You can learn more at our webinar from 2-3:30 PM ET today, and via AAPD's recent explainers. Register for the webinar at us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regist…. To carry out massive cuts to Medicaid passed by Congress in 2025, the federal government is forcing states to use work requirements to determine Medicaid eligibility, starting in January 2027 in most states. Work requirements are designed to be confusing and difficult to understand. This can lead to disabled people being incorrectly kicked off their benefit programs and losing healthcare coverage as a result. There are several months to prepare for these changes, but these requirements are complex. Now is the time to start learning and preparing! Don't procrastinate — join us today to get started! ID: 12 teal and purple graphics with a True/False format answering questions about the Medicaid work requirements.

Summer Internship Program alum Jack Reeves wrote a new blog about the intersection between LGBTQI+ Pride Month and Disability Pride Month. Especially as the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, Jack argues that it is even more important to strengthen our democratic institutions and ensure the rights of disabled and LGBTQI+ Americans are protected. Read the blog at ow.ly/T1s050ZmfHh. ID: A photo of Jack Reeves, a white man with brown hair and glasses, in a purple business-casual button-down smiling at the camera in front of trees

Last month, AAPD was featured in PBS NewsHour, The New York Times, NPR, and the Where the Ramp Ends podcast for our work defending disability rights and independent living. The coverage focused on recent threats to disability policy, including the proposed move of special education from the Department of Education to HHS and a Department of Justice memo targeting the community integration mandate. Across these stories, AAPD was cited as a leading voice on how these policy changes could threaten the dignity, rights, and independence of disabled Americans. Read and listen at the following links: PBS NewsHour: ow.ly/zISK50ZmffN NPR: ow.ly/8rFV50ZmffP The New York Times: ow.ly/AywS50ZmffO Where the Ramp Ends: Anywhere you listen to podcasts ID: Slide 1: PBS NewsHour article with the headline "New Justice Department memo questions decades of protections for people with disabilities." There is a picture of AAPD President and CEO Maria Town being interviewed. There is a quote from Maria about how changes to special education and the recent DOJ memo send us back in time. Slide 2: NPR article with the headline "DOJ memo stokes fear among disability advocates of a return to institutionalization." There is a picture of the sign for the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building. There is a quote from an AAPD press release about how the memo send us back to a time of ignorance and cruelty Slide 3: New York Times article with the headline "Disability Groups Fear RFK Jr.’s New Special Education Role." There is a quote from Maria Town about how kids with disabilities deserve to be in the classroom like any other kid. Slide 4: Where the Ramp Ends podcast logo featuring a blue microphone. There is a picture of the episode title from June 17 featuring Maria Town.

AAPD is hosting a policy webinar on July 14 from 2 - 3:30 PM ET about the new Medicaid work requirements and what they may mean for disabled people. Panelists Rachel Patterson from Patterson & Meek and Jennifer Lav from the National Health Law Program will discuss how disabled people may be affected by the work requirements, what may vary from state to state, and what questions people should be asking now. The webinar will be on Zoom. Audience members will have the chance to ask questions. ASL interpretation and CART captioning will be provided. Register for the webinar at ow.ly/R1O550ZlLqK. ID: Graphic of a calendar highlighting the Medicaid Work Requirements Webinar

The ADA’s legacy is still being written. Join AAPD on July 22 at the Westin DC Downtown as we celebrate 36 years of the ADA, honor the leadership of @RepStenyHoyer, and gather in community for the work ahead. Tickets: ow.ly/rz4x50ZlcUE #ADA36 #DisabilityRights ID: Graphic with information about AAPD's ADA Celebration, an evening honoring Rep. Steny H. Hoyer. There is an illustration of the Capitol Building with the steps in the colors of the disability pride flag.

Disability Mentoring Day takes place this October! Join an AAPD orientation call to learn how you can become a DMD Coordinator and help disabled students and young people connect with mentors and explore career paths. July 16 or Aug. 20, 4 - 5 PM ET Sign up: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI… ID: Reminder to sign up for disability mentoring day, with white text with a navy blue stroke on a purple-to-blue gradient.

July is Disability Pride Month! To kick off the month, AAPD Editorial Manager Naomi Hess wrote a blog about the importance of disabled love in all its forms, especially during this time in which disability rights are under attack. Seeking out disability community reminds us what we are fighting for: a more inclusive future rooted in equity, justice, and accessibility for all. Read the full blog: aapd.com/disabled-love-… ID: Naomi Hess sits on a rooftop in a power wheelchair with the Washington Monument in the background. She is smiling, wearing dark sunglasses. There is a quote underneath the photo that says "All of my experiences being in community with other disabled people have shown me that I am not alone. None of us are. If love means showing up for each other and supporting each other through the good times and the bad, there has never been a more important time for disabled love than the current moment."

This week’s Supreme Court decisions on TPS and asylum will affect immigrant communities, including disabled immigrants, care workers, families, and people seeking safety. AAPD is in solidarity with everyone affected by these decisions. Statement from Care for Seniors, Care for America: careforourseniors.org/supreme-court-…

AAPD Alumni, save the date: our first-ever Alumni Network Regional Gathering is coming to Washington, DC, from November 6 - 8. Join us for a weekend of connection, resource sharing, networking, and joy with disabled community. Registration details will be sent to alumni in July! #AAPDAlumni #DisabilityCommunity ID: Stylized graphic about our first ever regional gathering, with a megaphone in the corner and colored bands across the background.

27 years ago today, the Supreme Court decision Olmstead v. L.C guaranteed disabled people the right to live and receive services in their communities. Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson, two women from Georgia with developmental and mental health disabilities, filed the lawsuit after waiting years to transition out of a state psychiatric hospital due to limited community living options. Their advocacy led to a new era for disability civil rights, in which receiving services and healthcare at home — also called home- and community-based services (HCBS) — became the norm and not the exception. Olmstead gave us a world in which disabled people could live and receive care at home, and that care has allowed our community to become more independent. Olmstead affirmed that disabled people not only have a right to be in our communities, but that our communities benefit from our integration as well. Olmstead gave us independence, community, freedom, and so much more. But the right to community living is now under attack, and the government is trying to turn back the clock on the world Olmstead created. Just last week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) published a memo advocating that the government should adopt new policy that does not recognize the Olmstead decision as mandating that people with disabilities be integrated into their communities. The government is laying the groundwork to return to a time of forced institutionalization. AAPD will keep fighting for community living, in honor of Lois, Elaine, and the many disabled people who did not make it out of institutions. ID: Navy text on a background featuring the Supreme Court. The text says: "27 years ago, the Olmstead v L.C. Supreme Court decision allowed people with disabilities to live in their communities. Olmstead freed people with disabilities from institutions and gave us community living. We cannot go back!"

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is considering a new process to how ballots are mailed and collected, which could result in eligible voters not receiving their ballot. This process is a result of President Trump's 2026 Executive Order related to voting. You can take action today by sending in a comment to USPS. Learn how at: aapd.com/action-alert-p… ID: Cream colored text on a navy background that says "Proposed Changes to Mail Ballots Could Affect Disabled Voters" with a warning-style icon above the text.

Today is Juneteenth! AAPD celebrates and honors Juneteenth with gratitude for the generations of Black disabled leaders, advocates, and community members whose voices, experiences, and contributions have shaped our movement and community for the better. #BlackDisabledLivesMatter

In our new blog to honor and celebrate Juneteenth, REV UP grantee Saint-Osei McClendon wrote about the intersection of civic engagement and community care. Saint-Osei is part of BLAC–SWPA (Black Liberation Autonomous Collective of Southwestern PA), the first youth-led nonprofit in the region founded by and for Black trans youth. They used their 2025 REV UP grant to run a series of civic healing gatherings for Black trans disabled youth that combined voter education, movement, creative expression, and peer support. As Saint-Osei wrote, "Community care is not a backup plan. It is the plan." May every Black trans disabled young person, and every Black person, be sustained by the joy of community care on Juneteenth, and every day. Read the blog: aapd.com/binders-bus-ro… ID: Photo of Saint-Osei McClendon with a quote from their blog: “Civic engagement isn’t just about showing up at the polls or at County Council, it also includes community care, and harnessing our power also includes the freedom to be fully ourselves.”

You’re invited to a virtual screening of On the Moov with AAPD’s 2025 Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leader Award Recipient and founder of the On the Moov organization, Fabiola Amaya. The documentary focuses on the movement for accessibility in higher education.  The virtual screening will take place on Zoom from June 25th from 6-7:30PM Eastern. Register here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…

We're so excited to announce that our 2026 Summer Interns have officially started! Read about them here: aapd.com/meet-the-2026-…

Today, PVA + @AAPD spoke w/ media on a @USDOT rule that will soon require airlines to train/assess staff who assist passengers w/ disabilities + handle their devices. See how 80 years of the #PowerOfPVA's advocacy helped + join in #PushingAccessForward: bit.ly/43qrsNy.

Work requirements threaten the health, safety, and independence of the millions of people with disabilities who rely on Medicaid. New work requirement policies go into effect on January 1, 2027, and AAPD is working hard to educate our community about this new policy. We will have many resources for you, starting with our new FAQ! Learn more here: aapd.com/medicaid-work-…

Happy Pride Month from AAPD! Did you know that research from @lurieinstitute found that 13% of disabled people identify as LGBTQ+, compared to 7% of non-disabled people? It’s true! Pride should be safe and accessible for everybody and every type of body. Check out this link for guidance on how to make events accessible! aapd.com/wp-content/upl… ID: Pride flag with a yellow triangle and purple circle, accompanied by text highlighting that disabled people are nearly twice as likely to be queer, celebrating Pride Month, and how Pride has to be accessible to everyone.