Policy

In 2020, voters with disabilities were twice as likely to report difficulties voting. Only 17% of polling places were fully accessible in 2016. And more than 38 million eligible voters with disabilities could benefit from improved access. Passing the Accessible Voting Act (AVA) would be a major step towards addressing these issues.

Disability Belongs™ works to advocate for accessible voting for all Americans. At the federal level, we vigorously supported the Accessible Voting Act in the last Congress (118th) and are hoping for its reintroduction in the current Congressional session (119th). [continue reading…]

Issue Brief

On May 5, 2025, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced the release of more than $1 billion in grant funding for programs authorized under the Older Americans Act (OAA).

These grants fund a range of essential services—including home-delivered meals, caregiver support, transportation, and independent living services and programs—for older adults and people with disabilities. [continue reading…]

Work requirements are federal or state policies that mandate individuals to work or participate in job-related activities in order to receive benefits such as Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and housing assistance. While framed as promoting independence, too often these policies fail to account for the challenges faced by people with disabilities.

The Problem

Many disabled individuals who rely on benefits already have jobs. Those who are not employed often face systemic barriers that make employment difficult or impossible. Work requirements risk cutting people off from essential services—not because they do not want to work, but because the system fails to accommodate them. [continue reading…]

Executive Summary

The U.S. Department of Education plays a critical role in ensuring that students with disabilities receive access to inclusive education, services, and legal protections under federal law. Recent proposals to dismantle, restructure, and defund the Department threaten to undermine decades of progress in disability rights and educational equity. This policy brief outlines the essential role of the Department of Education, the risks posed by dismantling it, and a call to action to safeguard the rights and opportunities of students with disabilities. [continue reading…]

Washington, D.C., March 18 – This past week, reports confirmed that the Department of Education has implemented massive layoffs, cutting nearly 50% of its workforce. These cuts directly impact the Office for Civil Rights, along with the Office of Special Education. Disability Belongs™ expresses deep concern over this unprecedented move, fearing that it signals a disturbing trend aimed at dismantling an essential institution that supports American families and students, especially those with disabilities.

Disability Belongs™ recognizes these layoffs as part of a larger strategy that threatens the educational landscape for countless students. The ramifications of such drastic workforce reductions are far-reaching, directly impacting the protections afforded to public school students, particularly those facing discrimination and inequitable educational experiences. The current environment raises serious concerns about the ability of students to raise complaints and receive the necessary support to ensure their rights are upheld.  [continue reading…]

Under current law, more than one million Americans with lifelong disabilities who receive benefits as ‘Disabled Adult Children’ (DACs) lose their Social Security and Medicare benefits if they marry a non-disabled person. This can severely limit disabled individuals from having access to lives of their choosing, including marriage. People shouldn’t have to choose between marriage to the person they love and losing their benefits.

What Does the Bill Do?

The Marriage Equality for Disabled Adults Act includes the following key provisions:

• Eliminates the requirement that a DAC beneficiary remain unmarried to receive Social Security benefits
• Ensures that DAC benefits are not revoked upon marriage
• Modifies Social Security’s rules regarding common law marriages
• Protects Supplement Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid eligibility for DACs who marry a non-disabled person

[continue reading…]

At Disability Belongs™, eliminating barriers to work and advancing competitive, integrated employment (CIE) is one of our top policy priorities. We are committed to ensuring all workers are valued and paid fairly in inclusive workplaces. The path to fair wages and inclusive employment for disabled workers is a challenging one, but with your continued support we can help make it a reality. That starts with legislation that ensures all employees be compensated fairly and equitably.

Last session, Disability Belongs worked to advance the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA), a bold step toward ending subminimum wages for disabled workers by eliminating 14(c) certificates nationwide and promoting CIE. Despite our advocacy and the incredible support of our larger network, TCIEA didn’t make it through the legislative process in the 118th Congress. However, some of its key provisions were incorporated into a larger funding bill, called a continuing resolution, near the end of last session that would have also reauthorized the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). WIOA is a landmark law that connects job seekers with education, training, and support services while linking employers with skilled workers.

Unfortunately, Congress did not reauthorize WIOA as part of the continuing resolution. Instead, a stopgap version of the funding bill was passed, excluding key provisions from both TCIEA and WIOA. Now, as we move into the 119th Congress, the future of these critical pieces of legislation remains uncertain. [continue reading…]

What are ABLE Accounts?

Download PDF

Established more than a decade ago, ABLE accounts are savings and/or investment options which allow qualified individuals with disabilities to save up to $100,000 without losing eligibility for Social Security and other government benefits. Medicaid eligibility is retained regardless of the account balance. Interest earned is tax-free. [continue reading…]

For tens of thousands of Americans with disabilities, working a full day for less than a dollar an hour is a harsh reality. But it’s one that we have the power to change.

The Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA) H.R.1263 and S.533 is a landmark piece of legislation that aims to create a more equitable workforce for people with disabilities. Its primary goal is to end the outdated practice of paying subminimum wages to persons with disabilities through sheltered workshops that operate under Section 14 (c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. This provision allows employers to obtain a 14(c) certificate, permitting them to pay workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage.

Sheltered workshops often isolate disabled people from the rest of the workforce. According to a 2023 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, more than half of these workers earn less than $3.50 per hour, with some making as little as $0.25 per hour. This practice affects approximately 42,000 persons with disabilities across the United States. The TCIEA seeks to change this by creating pathways for persons with disabilities to transition into competitive, integrated employment, where they can receive equal pay and access real opportunities for job development, training, and career advancement. [continue reading…]