Disabled people are being targeted. Here is what you can do to help.
Disabled people’s rights are under attack on multiple fronts. Here are two major issues with serious consequences. We will update this post with other issues as we are able.
Section 504
In Texas v Becerra, 17 states are suing the Federal government to declare Section 504 unconstitutional. Section 504 is a law which protects disability rights in education, healthcare, and more. Section 504 is a foundational civil rights law; if it were to be struck down, it would set the stage to end the ADA and more.
One of the challenges directly attacks transgender people via gender dysphoria as a protected disability. Regardless of your opinion about gender dysphoria as a diagnostic category or disability (and opinions on that range even among trans community) it is obvious that this is a part of ongoing attacks on our communities.
Again, if Section 504 was declared unconstitutional, it would end civil rights protections for people with disabilities in all settings and institutions that receive federal funding, especially education and healthcare. That includes support for disabled children in school, requirements that doctors not stop treating patients because of their disability, sign language interpreters, and more.
The 17 states are: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virgina. Please contact the attorneys general of these states, especially if you are a resident, and demand that they withdraw from the lawsuit.
Resources and contact information are available on the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund website
Medicaid
Republican officials want to make drastic cuts to Medicaid; they want to cut $2.3 trillion, 20% of the budget, to pay for tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest Americans. Over 80 million people, including 23 million adults and children with disabilities, use Medicaid to pay for healthcare, mobility aids, in home care, and more. Cuts to Medicaid would leave millions of people without access to medical care and the support they need to survive.
Contact your Congress person, whether they are a Republican or Democrat, and tell them to protect Medicaid. Tell them any kind of funding changes, work requirements, or caps are not acceptable. If you have a personal story about the impact, you can share that but we need everyone to speak up!
Resources and contact information are available on the DREDF website.