December 18, 2025
The Boost News
STATE NEWS
Email Confirms Early Contact Between NY Officials and CDPAP Contractor (Empire Center)
NY state bills target lack of transparency in suspensions of students with disabilities (Chalkbeat)
Arrests and ER visits after couple says NY relocated son who has autism (Times Union)
Nebraska plans to be the first state to implement Trump’s new Medicaid work requirements (AP)
Oklahoma mental health department explores privatizing some behavioral care centers (Oklahoma Voice)
Tennessee gets ‘incomplete’ score on support for people with disabilities (Fox 17)
Illinois law protecting missing people with developmental disabilities takes effect Jan. 1 (WCIA.com)
Nebraska DHHS budget proposal threatens caregiver hours for disabled residents (WOWT.com)
HEALTH CARE
American Academy of Pediatrics loses government funding after criticizing RFK Jr Cuts, which affect projects focused on issues including early identification of autism, were made without prior notice. (The Guardian)
Rep. Sen. Ron Johnson Endorses Discredited Doctor’s Book on Chemical He Claims Treats Autism Wisconsin Senator endorses book promoting chlorine dioxide for a host of ailments. (ProPublica)
TRUMP ADMIN. FUNDING CUTS
Born Deaf and Blind, She’s Caught in Trump’s Anti-Diversity Crusade Program helped 3-year-old learn to communicate. Its funding has been cut over diversity goals. (The New York Times)
DISABILITY RIGHTS
Disability Rights Lawyers Threatened With Budget Cuts, Reassignments Most work either in Dept. of Justice or disability rights agencies Congress set up in every state decades ago. (KFF)
Under Trump, protecting students’ civil rights looks very different Most career staffers who worked in a small office within the Dept. of Justice’s Civil Rights Division devoted to educational issues have resigned, and the Dept. of Ed’s Office for Civil Rights also has been decimated. The offices traditionally worked closely together to enforce civil rights protections for students. (Hechinger Report)
GOP Senator Grills Trump Judicial Nominee on Statement that Marriage Is Not Intended for Disabled People (Talking Points Memo)
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Amid Fed Exodus, States Grab Departing Talent from Education Department (The 74)
House and Senate Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Students from Dangerous Seclusion and Restraint Practices (Ed & Workforce Democrats Fact Sheet)
RIGHT TO DIE
‘God is merciful’: Gov. Hochul to sign bill allowing medically assisted death in NY (Gothamist)
Note: Disability advocates worry that such bills might pressure vulnerable people to choose death. (Here’s a statement from the NY Association of Independent Living, and comments from Max Rodriguez, manager of government affairs at the Center for Disability Rights.)
Gov. JB Pritzker signs controversial Illinois medical aid-in-dying law (Chicago Tribune)
INNOVATIVE HOUSING
SD microhomes to give adults with developmental disabilities a home of their own (Mitchell Republic)
Cincinnati breaks ground for a ‘smart home’ for adults with disabilities (The Enquirer)
R-WORD RESURGENCE
‘R-Word’ Use Surges Following Trump Post Posts containing the word “retard” on X jumped 225.7% in the hours after Trump used the word to describe Minn. Gov. Tim Walz on Thanksgiving, and a “high volume” of such posts persisted in the days following. (Disability Scoop)
ACCESSIBILITY
Trump administration says sign language services ‘intrude’ on Trump’s ability to control his image (AP)
SPORTS
FIFA’s ‘extreme’ ticket prices unfairly impact disabled fans, says supporters’ group (The Athletic)
OPINION
Opinion | America is abandoning people with disabilities (Minnesota Star Tribune)
A Family Transformed by a Special-Needs Preschool (The New York Times)
Unpaid caregiving work can feel small and personal, but that doesn’t take away its ethical value (The Conversation)
GREAT IDEAS
New college acting class helping students with learning-related disabilities (Fox 59)