News

Congress is currently debating the 2025 Federal Budget Reconciliation bill, and the proposed changes could dramatically reshape how states run essential programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). If passed, these changes could cause millions of disabled people, older adults, and low-income families to lose critical support.

What’s Being Proposed?

The federal government is proposing to expand work requirements for programs like Medicaid and SNAP. While these changes are presented as standard policy measures, they may create steep barriers to access, especially for disabled individuals who encounter workforce discrimination, unpredictable health needs, or difficulties securing reasonable accommodations. [continue reading…]

This issue brief is intended for policymakers and disability advocates. Its goal is to inform and support a deeper understanding of how the proposed budget reconciliation bill may impact the lives of people with disabilities. It also offers policy recommendations aimed at strengthening protections and improving outcomes for the disability community.

In today’s fast-moving world, it’s easy to forget where we came from—and even easier to take for granted the rights and protections on which we now rely. It is critical to remember that progress is not permanent—it must be actively protected and advanced.

The rights of disabled people have been hard-won. Recent developments, including a proposal to cut Medicaid funding, remind us that equity achieved is not equity secured.

This makes two things clear. First, we must understand history. Second, we must honor lived experiences. History helps us track how far we’ve come—and how easily we could slip back. Lived experience provides the moral clarity and urgency that data alone cannot. [continue reading…]

With one-in-five people having a disability in the U.S. today, lack of representation—just 2.2 percent of characters in the 100 top-grossing films of 2023—means that millions of people are unable to see themselves reflected in media.

The DC/DOX ’25 Film Festival, taking place June 12-15, is highlighting several disability-inclusive films. DC/DOX is a vibrant documentary film festival in the nation’s capital, celebrating bold voices, innovative visions, and dedicated truth-seekers in the art of non-fiction storytelling. Learn more about the festival’s accessibility options on their website. Accommodations requests should be emailed 72 hours in advance: wilma@dcdoxfest.com.
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The Bentonville Film Festival (BFF), taking place June 16-22, is highlighting several disability-inclusive films. Chaired by Academy Award winner Geena Davis, BFF champions women and diverse voices.

According to festival programmers, 12% of the films in the competition categories have a director who identifies as disabled. In addition, 17% of these films include a lead character with a disability. These numbers are less than in 2023, when  “over 30% of the (competition) program is comprised of creators with disabilities” and “25% (of onscreen leads) represent talent with disabilities.” However, the 2025 numbers are an increase from 2021, when eight percent of the directors, four percent of the writers, and four percent of the leads identified as having a disability.
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“I know my words carry power.”

SPEAK. follows five high school students as they prepare and compete in one of the world’s largest public speaking competitions. Viewers learn the stories of Noor, Noah, Sam, Mfaz, and Esther, the two-time reigning national champion in the Oratory division.

SPEAK. is at times electric and at others contemplative, inviting reflection as well as moments of bold, unrestrained energy. Although Disability Belongs™ often reviews films that are centered around disabled protagonists or plotlines, SPEAK. is not, at its core, a story only about disability. Teenage orators share stories about LGBTQIA+ equality, gun safety legislation, war in the Middle East, and more. The beauty of the disability representation in this film is that it is so natural, because it’s simply part of what makes several students who they are.

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On behalf of Disability Belongs™, a diverse, nonpartisan, disability-led nonprofit that drives cultural and policy change, we express deep concern about proposed federal budget cuts to essential programs that millions of Americans rely on—especially people with disabilities, older adults, and underserved communities.

Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid would have devastating consequences for individuals who already face systemic barriers to food security, quality healthcare, and economic stability. [continue reading…]

Viewers may think they know the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. However, writer/director Regan Linton has reimagined this classic tale in a new short film as part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Reframed: Next Gen Narratives program. In this series, six filmmakers adapted classic movies through a contemporary lens, tackling modern-day issues surrounding identity.

Episode Three: Jack and the Beanstalk is about a young man named Jack (Josh Elledge), who is an employee at the Beanstalk Grocery. Jack is a subminimum wage worker being exploited by his employers. Despite being an excellent worker, beloved by his colleagues and customers and recommended for a promotion by his manager, Ellie (Valentina Fittipaldi), Jack is caught off guard when the regional manager, Marge (Hannah Duggan), tries to shut his progression down. Marge cunningly cites the company’s compliance with employment laws while evading the obvious exploitation of Jack.

“That really resonated for me in relation to our disability community, and the constant battles we are fighting to be able to live fully and productively,” director Regan Linton shared in an interview with Disability Belongs™. “So, I wanted our Jack to be someone who has a lot going on underneath the surface (which most of us do), and follows the rules (however absurd they may be) in order to influence and win. And when I thought about current metaphorical ‘giants’ our community faces, there are so many, but the inherently inequitable subminimum wage issue jumped out to me.” [continue reading…]

In Sūnna (Hindi for listen), Radha Mehta invites the audience into a contemplative and atmospheric film that recognizes sound and silence as forces that can shape identity and belonging. It follows Lakshmi, a young Indian girl who experiences sudden hearing loss just as she is about to perform a cherished religious song. The film deftly explores identity, familial love, and spiritual belonging.

“I like to have sound as its own character,” Mehta shared in an interview with Disability Belongs™, “because it’s very much been its own character in my life, throughout my entire life.”

“When that sound escaped me, I felt like I was losing parts of myself,” recalled Mehta, who is hard-of-hearing herself, describing the autobiographical roots of Lakshmi’s story. “Music was all around me, [it was] so entrenched within our home.” [continue reading…]