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To access this resource as a PDF, click here.

What does it mean to advocate?

Advocacy simply means promoting the best interests and needs of a person or a group, including yourself. Advocates identify a problem and voice their opinion about potential solutions.

Why should you advocate?

An advocate is anyone who presses for change and improvement to the status quo to better their own lives and the lives of their communities. Advocacy helps people become more involved in important decisions that affect their daily lives, enables the voices of the masses to be heard, and, if done effectively, can sway policies and laws for the better. 

How do you advocate?

You can advocate in multiple ways, and you should engage in as many levels and ways as possible. Advocacy can happen at the local, state, and federal levels. You can 

• Participate in town hall and city council meetings
• Join organizations that support causes important to you
• Spread awareness and knowledge on social media
• Produce data and research that highlights your community’s pressing needs
• Host educational conferences and trainings

Who should you be talking to? 

Aside from raising awareness among your community and working in coalition with like-minded people and organizations, you should be talking to local, state, and federal-level decision-makers and politicians. Meet with your local and state officials as often as possible and send them emails, letters, petitions, and phone calls. You can do the same with your members of Congress as well. Try to meet with your member of Congress in person while they are at their in-district offices during congressional recess. You can also meet with them virtually if it is more accessible and if the offices can set it up.

Find your elected officials here. 

Where do you advocate? 

Face-to-face meetings with elected officials are the best way to communicate your message. You can meet with them or their staff in their offices in Washington, D.C, or their districts. While it is always great to advocate directly in front of your members of Congress in their DC offices, it is not always accessible to travel that far.  Members are often in recess, so they hold meetings within their state and district. Below are the steps to schedule either a Capitol Hill meeting or an in-district meeting with your elected officials. 

1. Find the contact information for your elected officials and their staffers here. 
2. Send an invitation to the office and request a meeting to discuss your concerns – you are more likely to meet with a staffer than the official themselves, but these meetings with staffers are just as important. 
3. Don’t be afraid to follow up if you don’t hear back within a reasonable time (they are busy people, but so are you!)
4. Once you hear back, respond with an email confirming your attendance and thanking the office.
5. Research the representative or senator and the issues that are important to them or what they are known for, and find ways to connect your problems and concerns to their areas of interest. 
6. Create a state/district-specific one-pager to leave behind
   1. For example, AAPD has a Medicaid leave-behind on our website that is free for everyone to use
7. Make it personal and tell your story! The whole point of this meeting is for elected officials and their staffers to hear from the people they are directly representing
8. Send a follow-up email after the meeting – thank them for their time, reiterate your message, and include any materials that were referenced or promised during the discussion

What should you be talking about?

One of the mottos of the disability community is “every issue is a disability issue”. However, you have limited time when speaking with a member of Congress and/or their staff, so you must pick the most urgent issue to discuss with them. This is often an issue that is a top priority for your area/state and relevant to the current political atmosphere. For example, since the start of President Trump’s second term, the top issues AAPD has been working on are cuts to Medicaid and the dismantling of the Department of Education. You can find talking points for those issues on our website. 

The post AAPD Advocacy Guide appeared first on AAPD.

To access this resource as a PDF, click here.

The Issue

Medicaid supports over 70 million Americans, especially people with disabilities, by providing essential services like healthcare, Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), employment supports, and school-based care, including preventive health screenings and physical, occupational, and speech therapies.

Right now, the system is already strained. There is a severe shortage of care workers, and over 700,000 people with disabilities are on waiting lists for HCBS, most of which are delivered through Medicaid I/DD waivers. The proposed cuts of $930 billion would further endanger access to critical services and deepen this crisis. Cutting or converting Medicaid funding to block grants could reduce services and increase wait times, forcing more people into institutional care and limiting their independence.

Additionally, the proposed change to impose mandatory work requirements for Medicaid is also dangerous since most adult beneficiaries are already working or are exempt from work requirements because they are unable to work. The consequences would be devastating; up to 5.2 million Medicaid beneficiaries could lose their coverage in 2026. 

Medicaid is the nation’s largest health insurer and is critical to the financial stability of our healthcare system, particularly in rural areas where often providers are already operating on scarce funds. In 2023, over 700 rural hospitals faced potential closure, predominantly in states that did not adopt Medicaid expansion. Therefore, reducing Medicaid funding would trigger a significant healthcare crisis in rural communities. Also, it would make things harder for family caregivers, who benefit from Medicaid as enrollees and the Medicaid-covered services for their care recipient. About 1 out of 10 family caregivers nationally receive Medicaid coverage for their own health care.

Medicaid can be the difference between life and death for our most vulnerable communities. Please join us in fighting to preserve and expand Medicaid, instead of supporting devastating cuts.

Calls to Action

• Do NOT support any cuts to Medicaid, including per-capita caps, work requirements, or block grants 
• Make sure Medicaid is fully funded and supported, and spread that message throughout Congress and the states—your constituents need and deserve full access to Medicaid!

The post Reject Harmful Cuts to Medicaid appeared first on AAPD.

Note: This resource is based on a rapidly evolving situation and will be updated as we receive more information.

UPDATE from July 3, 2025:

Last night, the House started a vote on the rule to open debate around 9:30 pm ET. Initially, the rule did not have enough votes to pass, but vote was held open for five hours in order to get some Members of Congress to change their vote. The rule passed 219-213, and the bill could move forward for a full floor vote. The only Republican member of Congress to vote no was Representative Brian Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania, the Chair of the Bi-Partisan Disabilities Caucus.

The House floor is currently debating the Senate-passed version with no changes. Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been speaking for more than four hours reading stories about the importance of Medicaid from all 50 states. There is still time to contact your Representatives to ask them to oppose this bill and to protect Medicaid and SNAP.

UPDATE from July 2, 2025 at 7:53PM:

Current State of Play: Speaker Johnson brought the House to the floor today to vote on the rule to debate and the budget reconciliation text from the Senate, but the Republican  leadership is short of the votes needed to pass the rule for debate. The House floor has been frozen since the vote began around 2:00 pm ET as the leadership tries to have conversations to sway Members of Congress who have not decided how they will vote yet. This means that the bill is stalled. 

The content of the bill is still the same as what was in the Senate bill. It is critical that you contact your Representatives to ask them to oppose this bill and to protect Medicaid and SNAP.

UPDATE from July 2, 2025:

Current State of Play: Early Wednesday morning, the House Rules Committee advanced the budget reconciliation bill after 12 hours of debate. The House Rules Committee plays an important role in determining how a bill will be considered on the floor. The committee can set time limits for debate, restrict or allow amendments, and even determine how certain amendments will be handled. 

There were no changes to the Senate’s version of the budget reconciliation bill in the House Rules Committee. The content of the bill remains the same as described in the update from July 1st update. The House is set to convene Wednesday morning and start voting on the rules to advance the legislation.

UPDATE from July 1, 2025:

Current State of Play: The Senate passed its version of the budget reconciliation bill on July 1st, with Vice President Vance casting a tie-breaking vote. This bill must still pass the House in order to be final.  Contact your Representatives to ask them to oppose this bill and to protect Medicaid and SNAP. 

The Senate budget reconciliation bill makes the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, almost $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts. This is about 20% of the federal Medicaid budget and would cause 17 million people to lose access to healthcare. The bill also contains nearly $200 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Four out of five households that receive SNAP benefits include a person with a disability. If passed by the House, these cuts will mean that disabled people and our families will go hungry. 

Throughout the Vote-A-Rama process, amendments were passed that changed what was in the original bill. Some parts of the bill were also taken out because they violated rules about what can be voted on by a simple majority through the reconciliation process. 

The following amendments were added to the Senate bill:

• The rural health fund was increased to $50 billion from $25 billion. It directs money to mental health and behavioral health clinics, but not other disability-specific providers.
• Minor funding for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS)

Neither of the increases within these amendments will come close to fully addressing the closures of rural health providers or the reduction of HCBS that this bill will cause if passed by the House.  

Some dangerous provisions got removed:

• The Medicaid funding reduction for states that cover undocumented immigrants with their own funds. This means that states that provide Medicaid coverage for undocumented immigrants with state funding will still receive their full federal match for Medicaid. 
• The prohibition on Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming care. 
• A requirement for Medicaid applicants to verify citizenship 
• A 5-year moratorium on the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms by states as a condition of accessing funding for broadband infrastructure and bridging the digital divide faced by marginalized communities. This means that states can still 

But there are many harmful parts remaining. Here are a few examples of what’s still in the bill:

• Stricter work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and increased program costs for states with high overpayment rates
• A one-year prohibition on Medicaid payments to reproductive health 
• Medicaid cuts to states through provider tax caps, work requirements, more frequent eligibility determinations, and new copays for Medicaid recipients. All of these changes will make it harder for people to become eligible for and stay on Medicaid, resulting in people losing benefits. 
• A national school voucher program that will divert $30 billion from public schools to fund private school tuition, making it more difficult for students with disabilities to access special education services

What’s Next? We take the fight to the House. 

This fight is not over. Because the bill the Senate passed is different from the bill the House passed, the House has to pass this version of the bill for these changes to be final.

The House Rules Committee has already come together to prepare the Senate-passed bill for House floor consideration. The bill could be on the House floor as early as Wednesday morning, and debate and final votes on the Senate-passed bill begin. Please contact your Representatives to ask them to oppose this bill and to protect Medicaid and SNAP. 

We are encouraged that some House members have already indicated their opposition to this harmful legislation. We urge everyone to contact their Representatives immediately and demand they vote NO on this destructive bill.

 AAPD is firmly against any legislation that undermines the rights and well-being of people with disabilities. We call on Congress to protect Medicaid and ensure that people with disabilities have continued access to the services they need to thrive.

UPDATE from June 29, 2025:

Current state of play: Very late on Saturday night, the Senate passed the motion to proceed by a vote of 51-49. Passage of the motion to proceed allows the Senate to begin debate on the reconciliation bill.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) joined with all Senate Democrats voting against the motion to proceed. Senator Paul has been outspoken in his opposition to the bill because of its substantial increase to the federal debt. Senator Tillis has been making headlines for his very recent, but very vocal, opposition to the bill’s Medicaid cuts.

After intense negotiations with Senate Republican leadership and Vice President Vance, several Republican holdouts withdrew their opposition. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) reported that he and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) agreed to vote for the motion in exchange for an amendment to the final bill that would end the 90% Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) for Medicaid expansion. Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) did not confirm Senator Johnson’s statement. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was given several Alaska-specific provisions, including an increased FMAP for the state (although this was later ruled out by the parliamentarian after senator Murkowski voted for the motion to proceed). A previously included $25 billion rural hospital fund was enough to quell opposition from Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO).

Next steps: Last night’s vote was only the beginning of the Senate floor process. Senate Democrats are forcing a full reading of the 900+ page bill by the Senate clerks. The Senate has now entered 20 continuous hours of debate, called “vote-a-rama.” The hours are divided evenly between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats will likely use all of their 10 hours of debate to highlight the unpopular parts of the bill. Republicans will probably forfeit most of their time to speed up vote-a-rama. If all stays on track for Republicans, a vote on the final bill should occur sometime on Monday.

Negotiations with Senate Parliamentarian still not finished: While a Monday vote is ideal for Senate Republicans, Sunday morning rulings from the Senate parliamentarian are casting doubt on that goal. The parliamentarian is still working but here’s what we know as of now, according to Senate Democrats. As of writing, more than 209 amendments have been filed.

What’s been removed from the bill?:
Repealing parts of the Biden era eligibility and enrollment rule for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
Repealing parts of the eligibility and enrollment rule for the Medicare Shared Savings Program
Repealing parts of the nursing home staffing rule
Increased FMAP for high poverty states – this is an Alaska-specific provision
Increased payment for outpatient hospital treatments in Alaska and Hawaii
Expansion of the orphan drug exclusion in Medicare drug price negotiations

What’s still in the bill?:
Provider tax language provision that remains unchanged from Saturday morning draft
Limiting receipt of Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits by certain immigrants
Barring Medicare participation for most non-citizens

What does this all mean?: Passage of any sort of reconciliation bill is not guaranteed! Thune continues to say a Monday vote is aspirational, and parliamentarian rulings are making that even harder. This makes all the more important that your Senators need to hear from you NOW that you oppose this budget and all cuts to Medicaid. Click here to tell them to vote NO on cuts to Medicaid and SNAP!

*If* the bill passes the Senate, it still has to be passed by the House. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) says he will give House members 48 hours to return to DC to vote. As of now, several House Republicans are on record as no votes, with a potential final vote occurring Wednesday or Thursday.

Original Post from June 28, 2025:

This weekend, the Senate is trying to pass the budget reconciliation bill. AAPD is an outspoken opponent of the budget reconciliation bill, because of its significant cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other essential programs. 

The Senate Parliamentarian – a person whose job is to help the Senate follow its rules – found that some key parts of the bill violate budget reconciliation rules (read more about the budget reconciliation process here). In response, Senate leadership released a rewritten 1000-page bill early this morning. The Senate is trying to push through a vote on it today, even though there is no way Senators will be able to read all 1000 pages of the bill before they vote. 

This is especially concerning because the contents of this bill have the power to drastically change the country by taking away food and healthcare from millions of Americans, force millions of Americans into poverty, and kill at least 51,000 Americans every year whose deaths would have otherwise been preventable without this budget.

Your Senators need to hear from you NOW that you oppose this budget and all cuts to Medicaid. Click here to tell them to vote NO on cuts to Medicaid and SNAP!

The bill caps Medicaid provider taxes, which  makes it harder for states to fund Medicaid. Currently, Medicaid makes up 30% of state budgets, much of which is funded by Medicaid provider taxes. The bill also cuts federal Medicaid funding for states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, or currently provide coverage to undocumented immigrants with their own state funds. The bill also requires more people who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to work, also known as “work requirements.” SNAP is an essential program that helps millions of people with disabilities, seniors, and their families buy food each month.

These rules will add substantial new costs for states, which could result in state cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, or other key areas like education and transportation. 

In addition, the revised bill says that states are not allowed to regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms for ten years. States must agree to this if they want to access the bill’s funds for AI deployment and increasing access to broadband internet. States are more likely to agree to this because they want – or need – to access the bill’s $500 million in AI deployment and $42 billion in broadband internet funding. 

Artificial intelligence is a fast-evolving technology, and regulatory frameworks around AI are still under development. Without regulations and laws, it is easier for AI to discriminate based on disability, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender, or other identities. This leaves marginalized groups, including people with disabilities, at risk of discrimination by the AI platforms and algorithms the government and many companies are now  using for everything from hiring processes to approving (or denying) benefit applications.

There are some positive things in the bill that would help disabled people. The bill does include minor funding increases for Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers. It also extends certain tax advantages for people with disabilities who have ABLE Accounts. These tax benefits help people with disabilities save money, which can be used for expenses that Medicaid or other insurance does not cover. 

However, these helpful parts are overshadowed by the bill’s massive cuts to Medicaid. These cuts would result in new, burdensome administrative and work requirements that will result in many people being unenrolled from Medicaid, even though they qualify for it. 

AAPD remains strongly opposed to the budget reconciliation bill. 

If successful, this afternoon’s procedural vote will trigger what is known as a “Vote-a-Rama”.  During this step of reconciliation, any Senator can offer an amendment to the bill to add or remove harmful provisions.  Once the Senate votes on final passage, the bill has to go back to the House of Representatives to work out the differences between the Senate Bill and the House Bill. Once the House approves the Senate’s version, the bill goes to the President to be signed into law. You can read more about the Budget Reconciliation process in AAPD’s Reconciliation Explainer here. 

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, plans to offer an amendment to the reconciliation bill during the “Vote-a-Rama” that would strike all provisions that cut Medicaid from the bill, and ensure that the ultra-wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share of taxes. AAPD has endorsed Sen. Wyden’s amendment.

The bill’s text could still change, especially during Vote-a-Rama. Several Senators have expressed continued reservations about the bill’s contents, and there are many hours of debate to come. AAPD will share updates as this process continues. 

Your Senators need to hear from you NOW that you oppose this budget and all cuts to Medicaid. Click here to tell them to support Sen. Wyden’s amendment and vote NO on cuts to Medicaid and SNAP!

The post Action Alert: Senate Budget Reconciliation Update appeared first on AAPD.

Note: This resource is not intended to be legal advice and should not be used as such. These are tips for organizers and attendees on making protest spaces more accessible so everyone can use their power. If you have feedback on these suggestions or additional resources you would like AAPD to consider sharing, please email revup@aapd.com.

Tips for Protest Organizers 

Preparation

• Provide as much information as possible about the march, protest, or action so that disabled attendees can make informed decisions about their participation and access needs. Be clear about the access features you do or do not have. If you are not able to provide all information publicly, provide a point of contact that people can reach to ask questions. 
  • Consider providing the following information and other relevant details:
    • Location and route information
    • Timeline of action 
    • Available accommodations (seating, mobility devices available, American Sign Language Interpreting, trained first aid volunteers available, etc.) 
    • Bathroom access
    • Spots along the route to rest and take a break
    • Transcripts of chants, rally cries, and any planned remarks  
• If possible, consider providing accommodations like American Sign Language interpretation, captioning transcripts of speeches, microphone amplification for speakers, mobility devices, chairs for people to sit in, golf carts and more.
• Encourage attendees to wear KN95 masks and take a COVID-19 test before attending. If possible, provide COVID-19 tests and KN95 masks for attendees  
• Train organizers who are helping guide the action on how to create safe aisles for people with disabilities to move, march at their own pace, and participate.
• Clearly label any food that is provided or distributed with ingredients and allergens.
• Provide ways for people to support your cause remotely, if they are not able to attend in person. 
• Make sure advertisements and materials:
  • Are written in plain language, with an 8th-grade or below reading level. You can check the reading level of your writing for free using Hemingwayapp.com
  • Have large enough text
  • Have strong color contrast
  • Are accessible to screen readers if shared in an online format

During the Action

• Leave seating for people with disabilities and older adults. Know that not all disabilities are visible.
• Keep paths to ramps and curb cuts clear.
• Ask someone if they need or would like assistance first. Do not touch people, their mobility devices, or service animals without their consent. Accept the answer if it is “No, I do not need help.”
• Talk directly to the person with a disability, not their aide, companion, or interpreter first. If the person designates someone else for you to speak with, then you can speak to that person. 
• In groups, state your name before speaking.
  • Some people who are blind or low-vision may also find visual descriptions helpful. You can ask if they would like that visual information.

Additional Resources for Protest Organizers 

• Action Network: Ability Access/Disability Inclusion Checklist for Marches and Rallies
• AAPD Checklist for Accessible In-Person Events
• Showing Up for Racial Justice: Nuts and Bolts of Disability Access
• HEARD: The Revolution Must Be Accessible
  • The Revolution Must Be Accessible: Spanish Resource
  • The Revolution Must Be Accessible: ASL Resource

Tips for Disabled Protestors 

Preparation

Depending on whether you are attending a high-risk or a low-risk protest, you want to be prepared. 

For both types of protests, make sure you have:

• Travel logistics planned
• Comfortable clothing and shoes
• Face mask (plus one extra)
• Water bottle
• Snacks
• Check to see if you know someone else going and plan to go with a friend

When attending a high-risk protest, you may want to wear glasses instead of  wearing contact lenses, bring a two-day supply of medication in the case of arrest, and bring goggles to protect against chemical irritants. You may also want to cover tattoos, wear plain or all black clothing, carry cash, and turn off your cellphone’s location services. It is also a good idea to let someone know where you are going and to memorize or write down an emergency contact’s phone number.

Etiquette and Safety

Safety can look different based on the identities that you hold. People with disabilities are generally at an increased risk of police violence.

• Black, Indigenous, and other people of color may have even greater increased risks when interacting with the police at protests.
• Undocumented people and people with previous interactions with the criminal legal system may face heightened risk in the event of an arrest.
• Disabled people may face specific obstacles that can impact safety. For example,  mobility disabilities can make it more difficult to get away quickly from unsafe interactions, and communication disabilities can impede access to rapid directions communicated verbally or visually. 

For everyone, going to a protest with a friend is one of the most important ways you can stay safe. It is key to discuss with your group any specific needs and your comfort level with certain risks. For example, discuss whether you are comfortable with being arrested or whether that risk is too great for your situation.  Discuss any access needs and any plans if the action becomes greater than your risk tolerance.

Another crucial part of maintaining safety during protests is not to talk to the police. If possible, you may want to maintain distance from the police. If you have interactions with the police while protesting, you have a right to refuse to talk with them and to request a lawyer. You should not tell the police anything about yourself or anyone else at the protest. The organizers may have specific people who are tasked with interacting with the police at an action.

Some protests ask that people not take photos or videos that show protestors’ faces. It is best etiquette to follow the direction of the organizers to make sure everyone is safe.

General Tips for Disabled Protestors

Protests can be more physically and emotionally taxing than you think. You can improve your experience at protests by:

• Using earplugs or headphones if you experience noise sensitivity
• Bringing a portable stool/chair or a walking stick that converts into a seat if you struggle to stand or walk for long periods
• Staying with your mobility device at all times 
• Being familiar with the route of the march
• Checking if the organizer has provided any access information
• Bringing extra medication, since the protest might last for longer than you anticipate
• Bringing chargers and batteries
• Ensuring you have enough food, water, and electrolytes
• Wearing a medical alert or ID badge
• Wearing sunscreen
• Planning space to debrief and take care of each other when the action is over

Access Needs and Direct Actions

You don’t have to tell anyone that you are disabled or about your condition or impairment, but it may be helpful to tell the organizer or the group you are going with about any access needs you have. This could include:

• Wheelchair access or access for other mobility equipment
• Access to public transit or parking
• Access to toilets or seating
• Sensory needs
• ASL or language interpretation
• Sighted Guide Support

If you have questions about the route or questions specific to your access needs, organizers are often open to discussing these with you directly, even if the route is not publicly shared. It is best to contact the organizers to discuss your participation and to improve access to a protest. 

While not all actions will be made accessible to everyone, there also may be alternative roles disabled people can play in direct actions to support what is happening on the ground.

Other Resources for Protesting While Disabled

• DREDF Webinar: Tips and Tools for Protestors with Disabilities
• DREDF: Know Your Rights as a Protestor with a Disability – Check this resource for answers to legal questions and learning about your rights if you’ve been arrested.
• DREDF: Protesting While Disabled Pocket Guide 
• Cripping the Resistance: No Revolution Without Us
• ACLU: Know Your Rights as a Protestor (English, Spanish)

The post Accessible Organizing: Tips for Protest Organizers and Disabled Protesters appeared first on AAPD.

To access this resource as a Word Document, click here.

What Is Reconciliation? 

• The House and Senate must each pass a budget resolution every year. Reconciliation is the name for a fast-track legislative process Congress uses to address certain budget issues.
• Reconciliation addresses areas of the Congressional budget in which revenue (money the government brings in), spending, and federal debt levels need to be adjusted – or reconciled – for Congress’ final budget to work. Reconciliation is not the only process used for the federal budget, but it is an important one!
• Congress can spend money in two ways: discretionary spending and mandatory spending. Mandatory spending is required  (or “mandated”)  by laws Congress has already passed. Reconciliation only deals with mandatory spending. Discretionary spending is managed by a different legislative process, called “appropriations.” 
• Mandatory spending consists mostly of social and benefits programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP. Social Security is the only mandatory program whose funding cannot be touched in reconciliation. 
  • The Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, unemployment insurance, federal foster care funds, programs to help military veterans retire, and required payments towards the federal debt (specifically, payments towards interest on the debt) are also part of mandatory spending. In 2023, mandatory spending was roughly 60% of the federal budget. 
• The Senate has a special set of separate rules for reconciliation bills. These Senate rules include less debate time, they can only add amendments to the bill that are considered relevant to the bill’s topics, and Senators cannot filibuster. Filibustering is when someone uses an official process to speak for a long time to delay, block, or protest a law from moving forward in Congress. 
  • The most significant difference in the rules for reconciliation and regular legislative processes is that reconciliation bills only need a simple majority in the Senate to pass, instead of a 2/3 majority (60 votes). 

History and Use of Reconciliation

• The reconciliation process was created 51 years ago by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Over the last 51 years, reconciliation has been used 28 times: 23 bills have been signed into law, four were passed by Congress but vetoed by the President, and one passed in the House but not the Senate. 
  • Sometimes, one party in Congress is working on proposed legislation they intend to push through the reconciliation process, but ultimately, the reconciliation process does not happen. Those instances are not counted as part of the 28 times reconciliation has been used. One recent example of this is the Build Back Better Act of 2022.
• As the United States and Congress have become increasingly partisan in recent decades, it has become much harder for legislation to receive 60 votes in the Senate. When one party has a slim majority in the Senate, they will sometimes use reconciliation to pass legislation that would otherwise never receive 60 votes. Both Democrats and Republicans have used the rules of reconciliation to their advantage to pass significant legislation.
• Reconciliation has been used to reform benefit programs, create new ones, balance the federal budget, and enact significant tax reform. 
• Most reconciliation processes have focused on reducing the federal deficit, but in some years, most recently in 2017 and 2021, reconciliation legislation has increased the federal deficit. 
  • The federal deficit is the amount of money the government spends in a year that is greater than the revenue the government brings in that year. Increasing the deficit requires the government to take on more debt.
• Examples you may remember of major legislation passed in recent years under reconciliation include the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the American Rescue Plan of 2021 (COVID-19 stimulus package), and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

What is the Budget Reconciliation Timeline? 

Step 1: Concurrent Budget Resolution

Before a reconciliation bill can be considered, the House and Senate must each pass a “concurrent budget resolution” (concurrent means they happen at the same time). The budget resolution is a kind of first draft or framework that sets the big priorities for that year’s budget. When the budget resolution is passed, it does not go to the President for signature and does not carry the force of law. 

Passing the budget resolution establishes the framework of the budget. The budget resolution contains many instructions to various congressional committees. Sometimes, it instructs committees to spend more money on a particular program or issue. Other times, it instructs committees to find savings, which means cutting programs or expenses. 

The instructions provide specific dollar amounts – fiscal targets – of how much money should be spent, saved, or repaid. However, the resolutions do not contain any instructions or suggestions about how to meet those targets. Decisions about how to meet those targets are then made in committees.

Step 2: Committee Work

After passing the Concurrent Budget Resolution, committees in the House and Senate begin drafting legislation outlining how they will meet the fiscal targets set by the resolution. Committees that don’t receive any specific instructions in the budget resolution are not involved in developing the reconciliation bill. 

The committees that receive specific instructions will respond with recommended changes to the law that would meet the budget resolution instructions. This stage involves a lot of negotiation and discussion. Committees may also respond with proposed changes to the targets they’ve been given.

Once the committee has determined their response and written their portions of the bill, the committee votes to submit their reconciliation recommendations to the Budget Committee. 

The Budget Committees in the House and Senate then combine all the legislation passed by the committees into one single (usually very long) reconciliation bill. At this stage, the Budget Committee cannot make substantive changes to the legislation drafted by the other committees. Then, the Budget Committees send the reconciliation bill to the House and the Senate to consider it for a vote.

Step 3: Debate and Passage

The House and Senate then debate the content of the reconciliation bill and vote on it. 

The reconciliation debate process is subject to different rules than other bills. 

In the House, the House Rules Committee establishes guidelines for debate (like how many hours they can debate) and whether representatives are allowed to submit amendments. After the time allotted by the Rules Committee for debate has passed, the House will vote on the bill. If the bill receives a simple majority, it passes.

In the Senate, floor debate is limited to 20 hours, and only 51 votes are needed to pass the bill. Even after the 20 hours of debate, senators are allowed to offer amendments and make other motions. This is usually called “vote-a-rama.” During vote-a-rama, amendments are voted on one after another without debate, until no more amendments are offered. Once vote-a-rama is concluded, the Senate will vote on the bill’s final passage.

Step 4: Conference Between Chambers

If both the House and Senate have passed the reconciliation bill, the next step is for the House and Senate to resolve any differences in the bills passed by their respective chambers of Congress. Resolving these differences to finalize one unified bill is a requirement before the President can sign the reconciliation bill. 

Amendments made in the Senate can create significant policy differences between the two bills. Members of both chambers usually form what is called a “conference committee” to negotiate policy differences between the House bill and the Senate bill. The conference committee must finalize one unified bill that both chambers can agree upon. 

After the conference committee delivers the text of one final, unified bill, the Senate and the House must vote one more time to pass the unified bill. During this final vote, no changes or amendments may be made to the bill. 

Step 5: Final Approval 

After both the House and Senate pass the unified bill with no changes or amendments, it goes to the President to sign it into law.

The post Budget Reconciliation 101: Explaining Budget Reconciliation in Congress appeared first on AAPD.

As Americans begin to vote, AAPD is providing information about some of those key disability issues, and relevant policy changes in those issue areas since the last presidential election. 

For the past several months, voters across the country have been hearing about “Project 2025” and its agenda to reconstruct public policy, affecting everything from housing to healthcare to civil rights and, in many cases, rescinding longstanding laws and regulations protecting marginalized and vulnerable communities. 

Project 2025 is a policy blueprint spanning over 900 pages released by the Heritage Foundation, a prominent non-partisan, non-profit think tank in Washington, D.C., meant to guide the agenda of the next conservative president, should one be elected. 

Project 2025, if enacted, poses threats to the health, well-being, and fundamental civil rights of people with disabilities and other marginalized groups, including women, LGBTQIA+-identifying individuals, people who can get pregnant, and immigrants.

This blog provides a brief overview of how the Project 2025 policy proposals could impact the disability and other marginalized communities:

Medicaid and Home- and Community-Based Services

Many people with disabilities rely on Medicaid to receive home—and community-based services (HCBS) that allow them to live independently. Project 2025 seeks to turn Medicaid into a block grant program or per-capita funding scheme, which would lead to massive funding cuts by limiting Medicaid funding to a formula that does not consider the specific needs of Medicaid recipients. In 2017, disability advocates fought passionately and successfully against turning Medicaid into a block grant program because of the devastating consequences such a change could have on people with disabilities and our families.  

Additionally, Project 2025 proposes limiting HCBS “to serve the most vulnerable and truly needy and eliminate middle-income to upper-income Medicaid recipients” (468) and incorporate work requirements and time limits when receiving Medicaid. This would severely limit the number of Medicaid recipients, many of whom are people with disabilities and who rely on Medicaid and HCBS to live their lives safely, healthily, and independently. 

Furthermore, Project 2025  recommends rolling back caps on prescription drug costs, repeal a law capping insulin at $35 a month for Medicare recipients, and eliminate prohibitions against insurance companies discriminating against individuals with pre-existing conditions.

Nondiscrimination Protection

Project 2025 also advocates for the elimination of many nondiscrimination provisions that protect disabled people, people who are pregnant, and those who identify as LGBTQIA+. 

Specifically, Project 2025 promotes the removal of regulations such as “disparate impact.” “Disparate impact” discrimination is usually not intentional but occurs because of systemic and institutional biases. Project 2025 would eliminate the ability of individuals to seek legal redress for disparate impact and prohibit the government from supporting individuals seeking such relief. This is especially significant for disabled people, as even unintentional discrimination can cause significant harm to disabled people, and structural ableism is baked into many parts of American life. Legal action is not just about justice or righting wrongs – it is one of the main tools through which people with disabilities can highlight the ableism within institutions and make an attempt at improvement, hopefully paving a better path in the future for other disabled people.

Project 2025 calls for the dismantling of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives that have been instrumental in helping American institutions address centuries of systemic biases and discrimination and would eliminate the ability of businesses and other institutions to use DEI initiatives to improve outcomes and provide safe, comfortable environments for all.

The proposal recommends eliminating legal protections for people who are pregnant and transgender individuals by allowing government agencies, healthcare facilities, employers, K-12 schools, and institutions of higher education to discriminate against people based on their pregnancy status or gender identity under the guise of “conscience rights” and “religious liberty” while retaining their right to receive federal funding.  

Project 2025 proposes reinforcing a patriarchal, heteronormative vision of family arrangements (p. 451), prioritizing straight, married couples with children and a “working father” as the “ideal” family unit and excluding families with LGBTQIA+-identifying individuals from protections in federal housing policy, child-placement and adoption, and other federal programs. Many disabled people, straight and LGBTQIA alike, cannot get married because of policies that penalize marriage in the receipt of public benefits, like Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid. 

The policy blueprint also seeks to restrict the definition of sex to “biological sex as determined at birth,” thereby denying the existence of transgender and nonbinary individuals. Research has shown transgender people are more likely to be disabled at every stage of life, and  such restrictive provisions would harm the disability community as well. 

Reproductive Rights

Project 2025 aims to nearly eliminate access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion care, by removing access to mifepristone (medication abortion) and the use of telehealth for abortion, both of which are more accessible for people with disabilities. Disabled people get pregnant at the same rate as nondisabled people but are 11 times more likely to die in childbirth.

Furthermore, Project 2025 suggests the federal government recognize “fetal personhood,” giving legal status to fetuses from the moment of conception. Laws that recognize fetal personhood frequently force physicians to make medical decisions not to provide lifesaving care, putting a pregnant person’s life at significantly increased risk

Project 2025 would also jeopardize access to birth control, emergency contraception (Plan B), and fertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Access to all of these healthcare treatments is vital for everyone, but especially disabled people who may need medication birth control to regulate their hormones or prevent pregnancy that could endanger their health. Disabled women are more likely to experience infertility and utilize reproductive technologies, like IVF, to have children. 

Education

Project 2025 supports  the elimination of the US Department of Education and critical oversight agencies that ensure school districts comply with protections and regulations for students with disabilities, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Disabled students already have a hard time thriving and being sufficiently supported in school, and there is already a lack of funding for these programs. Without the regulations and oversight provided by the Department of Education, students with disabilities would be completely abandoned and unprotected.

The proposals include provisions that would block grant federal education funding and supercharge the growth of unregulated charter schools and voucher programs that allow students to attend private schools that do not have to abide by federal or state nondiscrimination protections with public funds. Private schools do not have to follow Section 504 or the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

Conclusion

The proposals in Project 2025 threaten to roll back decades of necessary federal protections for disadvantaged communities and prioritize an exclusionary vision of America – one that discounts or even actively jeopardizes the lives of those who are disabled, non-male, LGBTQIA+, Black, brown, or indigenous persons of color, and multiply marginalized members of these communities.

Further Reading

This is not an exhaustive list of Project 2025’s policy proposals. We’ve compiled additional overviews from several of our partner organizations. Each of the organizations who have prepared the below resources are nonpartisan, independent organizations with strong editorial standards and rigorous fact-checking and research processes. 

Helpful information about Project 2025’s potential impact on the disability community can be found in these reports written by: 

• The Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities (CCD), of which AAPD is a member: Read CCD’s report here
• Read this analysis from the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) 
• The Center for American Progress (CAP)’s Disability Justice Initiative’s report can be found here

Make a Plan to Vote

Have you voted yet? Be sure to check out AAPD’s state guides for information on accessible voting, and make a plan to vote on or before November 5, 2024. 

The post Election 2024 Policy Brief: Project 2025, People with Disabilities, and Other Marginalized Communities appeared first on AAPD.

As Americans begin to vote, AAPD is providing information about some of those key disability issues, and relevant policy changes in those issue areas since the last presidential election. 

Ask any disabled person: for many of us, going to the doctor isn’t just unpleasant, but it can involve discriminatory and demeaning interactions. Access to healthcare has long been a critical issue in presidential elections, and for disabled Americans, the stakes are especially high.

Despite legislative improvements delivered by the Affordable Care Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, healthcare costs remain extremely high for Americans. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that persistent gaps in access to high-quality, affordable healthcare remain a reality for many and that our healthcare system is not robust  enough to help everyone who needs it. And, research continues to show healthcare professionals are biased against people with disabilities. 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recently updated existing regulatory law to ensure that people with disabilities are treated fairly when seeking medical care and when interacting with human and social services entities like child welfare agencies. For the disability community, the revised Section 504 and Section 1557 are among the most impactful and transformative new regulations to be issued in a long time. 

Section 504 Rules

Section 504 aims to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities in government-funded programs or activities. Section 504 covers all health and human services programs and activities funded by HHS, such as hospitals and doctors that accept Medicaid or Medicare or states’ child welfare programs. 

The final rule from the HHS, released on May 1, 2024, is a result of decades of advocacy by people with disabilities and provides more robust protections for the rights of disabled individuals. It also addresses unfair treatment in the healthcare system and sets clear accessibility standards that must be met. 

There are many updates from this new regulation; some are minimal, like changes in definitions, and some are major and life-changing new policies for disabled Americans, including:

• Prohibiting discrimination in medical treatment – Disallows discrimination in administration, criteria, and protocols related to the medical care of individuals with disabilities, including how resources are distributed
  • Prohibits discrimination in organ transplant programs and crisis standards of care
  • Makes sure that medical decisions are not based on the belief that the life of a disabled person has less value than the life of a person without a disability
• Value assessment methods – These tools are used to help decide the proper medical treatment for specific situations and costs. The rule ends the discriminatory application of these methods, or using these methods to deprioritize the medical needs of people with disabilities.
• Accessibility of medical equipment – The new rule adopts the U.S. Access Board’s accessibility standards for medical equipment 
• Web, mobile app, and kiosk accessibility – The rule adopts the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA accessibility standards for all websites and mobile applications that are part of any stage of the healthcare delivery process, as well as self-service kiosks in offices 
• Child welfare programs and activities – The rule prevents parents with disabilities, or prospective parents seeking to adopt, from being discriminated against on the basis of their disability. Too often, child welfare staff assume a parent with a disability, especially BIPOC parents with disabilities, cannot provide adequate parenting. 
  • Clarifies that states cannot remove children simply because the parents take prescribed medications for opioid use disorder
  • Parenting evaluation tools and materials must assess the individual’s parenting ability and not their disability 
• Community integration – helps make sure that people with disabilities get the support they need in the most integrated setting that is appropriate for them
  • Defines “most integrated setting” as environments where people with disabilities can fully engage with everyone in their community and live, work, and receive services as they please with the freedom to make their own choices. This is consistent with other legal standards derived from the Olmstead v. L.C. Supreme Court decision. 
• Updates standards and definitions – 
  • The rule reinforces many of the definitions in the Americans with Disabilities Act, including for service animals and mobility devices
  • The rule clarifies that term “disability” should be interpreted broadly to provide as much coverage as possible. Also, the Department now lists long COVID as a condition that may constitute a disability.

To see what AAPD said about the Section 504 Regulations when they were finalized and released, read our statement here. 

Section 1557 Rules

While Section 504 is disability-specific, Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in covered health programs and activities. The second regulation we are summarizing sought to update regulations about Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. 

As AAPD President and CEO Maria Town said in our statement about this regulation, “The protections established in this rule are significant because they provide protection not only for disabled people as a community but especially for multiply marginalized disabled people [who] are the most likely to face discrimination or substandard care when trying to receive healthcare.” 

The Section 1557 final rule, released on April 26, 2024, enables healthcare settings to be safer and fairer for the people who need them most. Below are some of the updates made to the final rule:

• Requires services be provided in the most integrated setting, bringing HHS regulations in line with the Supreme Court decision in Olmsted v. L.C.
• Requires effective communication and reasonable modifications for people with disabilities, which includes accessibility standards for buildings and facilities, as well as ensuring that health programs or services offered electronically (e.g., telehealth) are accessible for people with disabilities
  • Covered entities must provide auxiliary services and language interpretation 
• Covered entities must post notices providing information on how to submit and process complaints and how to ask for accommodations/communication assistance 
• For the first time, federal law includes sex discrimination in its protections in healthcare, including discrimination based on: Sex characteristics (including intersex traits), pregnancy-related conditions (including termination of pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex stereotypes 
• Preempts state laws banning gender-affirming care
• Requires mitigation of harm that can result from the use of patient care decision support tools (such as Artificial Intelligence or algorithms) that use input factors such as color, national origin, sex, age, or disability
• Mandates staff training on implementation and compliance 

Conclusion and Further Reading

To see what AAPD said about the Section 1557 Regulations when they were finalized and released, read our statement here. 

To learn more about these impactful regulations, watch AAPD’s webinar, Strengthening Disability Rights: New Section 504 + 1557 Rules, with our President and CEO Maria Town and HHS’s Director of the Office for Civil Rights, Melanie Fontes Rainer. 

AAPD has been in enthusiastic support of both of these new regulations. We would like to see these rules continue to be implemented, so their benefits for our community can be fully realized. 

Unfortunately, the Attorneys General of 17 states have challenged these new nondiscrimination protections in a recent lawsuit filed in federal District Court. The lawsuit seeks to not only discard the new regulations but also severely undermine the rights of people with disabilities to receive healthcare and other services and to live in the community, rather than being forced to live in a nursing home or institution. AAPD is very alarmed by this challenge to necessary and long-overdue disability nondiscrimination protections. 

Federal regulations can change with new presidential administrations. New administrations sometimes overturn or re-regulate the previous administration’s regulations. 

Have you voted yet? Be sure to check out AAPD’s state guides for information on accessible voting, and make a plan to vote on or before November 5, 2024. 

The post Election 2024 Policy Brief: HHS’s New Section 504 and Section 1557 Regulations appeared first on AAPD.

As Americans begin to vote , AAPD is providing information about some of those key disability issues, and relevant policy changes in those issue areas since the last presidential election. 

One of the major policy priorities for the disability community is home- and community-based services (HCBS) and community integration more broadly.

Many people with disabilities rely on Medicaid for their healthcare and for services that help them live interdependently  in their communities. These services, called home- and community-based services (HCBS), allow individuals to get the care they need while staying in their own homes instead of being forced to move to a nursing home or institution. HCBS can include help with everyday tasks like getting dressed and taking medication, as well as therapy and other types of support. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), over 7 million people get HCBS through Medicaid. In addition, these services are provided by care workers who are often people of color, many of whom have disabilities themselves. The turnover rate is high because employees work long hours, have heavy workloads, and receive low pay and benefits.

There are many barriers to accessing HCBS successfully: a persistent shortage of direct support workers, inadequate funding for services that leaves people receiving fewer hours of services than they need, and years-long waiting lists to access HCBS to name a few. More than 700,000 Americans are estimated to be stuck on HCBS waiting lists, even though they have had a doctor certify that they qualify for and would benefit from receiving care at home. Further, there are many, many more people in need of Medicaid funded HCBS who have not even been able to make a waiting list in there first place. There are many states where people with disabilities are being erroneously dropped off the Medicaid rolls and losing their HCBS as states review Medicaid eligibility after the federal Public Health Emergency was ended.

Thankfully, decades of advocacy from a movement of disability and labor activists fighting to increase access to care have paid off, and recent changes in rules and policies have made great strides toward strengthening the care economy, improving the quality and dignity of jobs in the care workforce, and increasing access to healthcare.

The Biden-Harris administration made a significant achievement by investing $40 billion in the HCBS care workforce as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. States have used these funds to recruit and train new care workers and improve pay and benefits for their existing care workers. Maine used its share of funding to pay well-deserved bonuses to provide financial stability for care workers last summer. 

The Biden-Harris Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services has also worked with disability advocates and issued several new regulations this year to strengthen access to care and services for individuals with Medicaid, improve pay for care workers, and ensure safe staffing levels for long-term care facilities. 

The Managed Care Access, Finance, and Quality Rule (Managed Care Rule) ensures that people with Medicaid don’t have to wait too long to see a doctor. It sets limits on how long they should have to wait for appointments, like 15 days for regular check-ups and women’s health services and ten days for mental health and substance abuse appointments. Ensuring timely access to routine and preventive healthcare is critical for disabled people and helps prevent loss of independence, hospitalization, and even institutionalization. 

The Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services Rule (Access Rule) makes it easier for people to get home- and community-based services by ensuring that the planning process is focused on the individual and their choices. States will also have to set up a system for people to complain if they have problems with their services and to report if they are being mistreated. The rule will also require that 80% of the money Medicaid pays for HCBS goes to those who provide the care rather than administrative costs or profits. Lastly, states will have to have groups of people who receive home care, the workers, and others to help decide how much Medicaid will pay for home care and how much the workers will be paid.

These investments are a big step in supporting the care workforce, but it’s just a fraction of what the disability community truly needs and what was initially promised in the Build Back Better plan. The President has proposed a $150 billion investment in HCBS over the next ten years as part of his 2025 budget proposal. AAPD and the broader disability community will be working to ensure that HCBS receives the funding it needs in any final budget enacted by Congress. We are strongly advocating for the passage of the HCBS Access Act, which establishes mandatory funding for HCBS, eliminates waiting lists, and expands access across states.

This election will have significant consequences for the future of HCBS and access to care. Vice President Kamala Harris has proposed a comprehensive plan that would expand access to Medicaid to give more people Medicaid-covered access to care at home. Former president Donald Trump recently expressed support for a tax credit for family caregivers. This article from the Kaiser Family Foundation can help you better understand the different candidates’ plans for access to care. 

Project 2025, a 900-page governing agenda put forth by the Heritage Foundation as a blueprint for a new administration, threatens cuts to Medicaid funding, work requirements and time limits for Medicaid, and guts funding for Home- and Community-based Services, which would add to the more than 700,000 people on the waiting list for care and services necessary for them to live independently, forcing many into nursing homes and other congregate care settings against their will.

Have you voted yet? Be sure to check out AAPD’s state guides for information on accessible voting, and make a plan to vote on or before November 5, 2024.

The post Election 2024 Policy Brief: Improvements to the Care Economy Since 2020 appeared first on AAPD.

As Americans begin to vote, AAPD is providing information about some of those key disability issues, and relevant policy changes in those issue areas since the last presidential election. 

For far too long, disabled people have faced significant barriers to safe, accessible air travel: wheelchairs and other assistive devices are frequently lost, broken, or damaged, passengers sustain personal injuries during seat transfers, and aircraft lavatories are inaccessible.

The cost of this harm is very high for disabled passengers. Sustaining bodily injuries and losing the use of one’s wheelchair or mobility device can result in lost wages, inability to work or participate in daily activities, severe pain or health complications, and even death. In 2021, disability rights activist Engracia Figueroa died from injuries sustained after her customized wheelchair was damaged on a United Airlines flight.

As part of the Biden-Harris administration, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has made improving air travel for people with disabilities a top priority, creating an Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights in 2022, finalizing a rule to require accessible lavatories on single-aisle aircraft in 2023, and announcing a proposed rule to ensure that who use wheelchairs can fly safely earlier this year.

The Biden-Harris administration has demonstrated a significant commitment to hold airlines accountable. Last week on October 23, the Department of Transportation announced it was fining American Airlines a $50 million penalty for their mistreatment of disabled passengers and their mobility equipment. The fine was levied after a Department of Transportation (DOT) review of complaints against American Airlines from 2019-2023 which revealed “cases of unsafe physical assistance that at times resulted in injuries and undignified treatment of wheelchair users, in addition to repeated failures to provide prompt wheelchair assistance.” We applaud the efforts of individuals and organizations in the disability community who took time to share their experiences of mistreatment while traveling and filed complaints with the Department of Transportation. 

These actions have been vital actions for safer air travel for disabled passengers. However, DOT has yet to issue the finalized version of its recent proposed rule, “Ensuring Safe Accommodations for Air Travelers with Disabilities Using Wheelchairs,” which would require prompt, safe, and dignified assistance for air travelers with disabilities, mandate training for airline and airport contractor personnel who assist passengers with disabilities, and establish new actions that airlines must take to protect passengers with disabilities when a wheelchair is broken or damaged during transport. 

AAPD submitted comments with Hand in Hand (link) supporting the rule and calling for its expansion in June. Importantly, our comments included stories from disabled people people who experienced discrimination while flying. We also joined the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents airport workers, and the National Disability Rights Network to urge the Department of Transportation to implement the strongest possible rules mandating airport worker training for those who assist passengers with disabilities. Improved training for personnel who assist passengers with disabilities in both getting through TSA security and to the gate, as well as those who assist passengers with boarding and deplaning will significantly reduce the incidence of bodily harm to passengers and workers, and greatly reduce the number of lost, broken, or damaged wheelchairs.

AAPD supports the changes made by the Biden-Harris administration to achieve accessible and safe air travel for disabled passengers, and hopes these efforts will continue. 

Federal regulations can change with new presidential administrations. New administrations sometimes overturn or re-regulate the previous administration’s regulations. 

Have you voted yet? Be sure to check out AAPD’s state guides for information on accessible voting, and make a plan to vote on or before November 5, 2024. 

The post Election 2024 Policy Brief: DOT Improves Air Travel for Passengers with Disabilities appeared first on AAPD.