Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law

ICE: NO ONE IS SAFE - Official Trailer This is happening in ICE detention right now. People with disabilities are being locked up. Watch & share the trailer, then join the free premiere - March 22, 7PM PT. In-person: bit.ly/4uomAov Virtual: bit.ly/40qGGAO

The Senate starts debating the SAVE America Act this week. Disabled voters could be blocked from registering or voting. Contact your Representative and urge them to oppose the SAVE America Act. #disabilityrights #votingrights #congress

The Trump admin is moving to push homeless veterans into institutional or involuntary care by putting them into guardianship. The gov't says these veterans are “stuck” at hospitals because they can’t make health care decisions. In our experience, people remain hospitalized for a simpler reason: there isn’t enough housing and community-based mental health support available for them to leave safely. nytimes.com/2026/03/11/us/…

A must watch. pbs.org/newshour/show/…

For more info: dredf.org/protect-504/

A new lawsuit could weaken Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which protects disabled people from discrimination and supports their right to live and receive care in the community. If you live in one of the 9 states involved, contact your Attorney General and urge them to drop the case. #DisabilityRights #MentalHealthMatters

Register: dredf-org.zoom.us/webinar/regist…

A major disability rights case is unfolding now. Texas v. Kennedy could weaken protections that help people with disabilities avoid unnecessary institutionalization. Join our webinar with @DREDF and partners to understand what’s happening and what’s at stake. Registration link in the comments.

Ariel Vasser ’26 has been awarded a Skadden Fellowship to fund her work at @bazeloncenter, where she will challenge state policies expanding involuntary commitment. @SkaddenFellows law.virginia.edu/news/202601/ar…

The Trump admin has waged war on mental health care, Senate Finance Committee Minority members warn. But states have the legal tools - and obligation - to protect people with disabilities from losing coverage. #MentalHealthMatters

Learn more: bazelon.org/wp-content/upl…

1.7 million people. That’s how many could lose access to Medicaid-covered mental health care under Trumpcare, according to Senate Finance Dems. “The Republican health care plan will sever major pathways to mental health care [...] pushing more people into crisis systems, homelessness, incarceration, and preventable disability.” But states aren’t powerless. They have legal duties to protect people with disabilities.

House Dems kicked off a new AI Commission this week. As AI policy debates ramp up, let's be clear-eyed about what deregulation efforts mean for people with disabilities. bazelon.org/ai-regulation-…

Taking steps that help people with disabilities avoid losing Medicaid coverage even though they remain eligible is not just good policy. It is also required by disability rights laws. @disabilityscoop @MichelleDiament disabilityscoop.com/2026/01/05/med…

Read more here: bazelon.org/ai-regulation-…

Let’s be clear: The White House’s AI executive order tries to scare states into backing down from state AI regulation. That chilling effect could have serious consequences for people with disabilities. States have taken critical steps to tackle algorithmic bias in healthcare, Medicaid, and long-term services. When states are discouraged from acting, people with disabilities may face less transparency, fewer protections, and fewer ways to challenge harmful AI decisions.

Why are we sending police to mental health emergencies? #Police #MentalHealthAwareness #Emergency

Interesting read by @lilianasegura for @theintercept about the recent Supreme Court hearing in Hamm v. Smith. Back in October, the Bazelon Center joined @_aaidd, @TheArcUS, and the @NDRNadvocates in an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to uphold precedent and protect people with intellectual disability from execution based on a holistic assessment of intellectual disability rather than a narrow inquiry about IQ. Executing people with intellectual disability is unconstitutional - a principle the Supreme Court has upheld for two decades. A ruling is not expected until next summer. theintercept.com/2025/12/14/ham…