February 28, 2025
The Boost News
Potential Medicaid cuts has people on edge, special ed enrollment climbs, Kelly Clarkson spotlights inclusive businesses and more developmental disability news for week ending Feb. 28, 2025.
SPOTLIGHT: ELON MUSK’S CONTEMPT FOR DISABLED
The richest man in the world and haphazard slasher-in-chief of federal programs keeps on mocking people with disabilities.
Elon Musk keeps tweeting the ‘R-word.’ Disability advocates say he needs to stop. In the last week alone, Musk has included it in at least three tweets. Both Musk and President Trump “perpetuate the ignorance, hate and violence that has harmed, and in many cases destroyed, the lives of disabled people in the past and in more recent times.” (usatoday.com)
After Maine native testifies before Congress, Elon Musk targets his disability A man’s testimony about how to reduce waste, fraud and abuse resulted in this tweet from Musk, followed by two laughing emojis: “blind director of watchdog group funded by George Soros testifies that he does not see widespread evidence of government waste.” (pressherald.com)
MEDICAID
As G.O.P. Eyes Medicaid Cuts, States Could Be Left With Vast Shortfalls (nytimes.com)
House Dems warn GOP plan is ‘devastating’ for 7 million New Yorkers on Medicaid (nystateofpolitics.com)
House Vote Tees Up Billions In Cuts To Medicaid, Disability Services (Disability Scoop)
Concerns mount over potential loss of Medicaid funds for schools School advocacy groups warn congressional leaders that cuts to Medicaid would jeopardize school-based healthcare for students who have disabilities and who come from low-income families. (k12dive.com)
SECTION 504
Backlash leads Republican attorneys general to declare support for a landmark disability rights law The 17 Republican state attorneys general who submitted a lawsuit targeting the addition of a gender identity-related disorder to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 — which prohibits, among other things, discrimination on the basis of disability in K-12 schools and higher education institutions that receive federal financial assistance — have “clarified” their position and told a federal judge that they support protecting disabled people’s rights. (apnews.com)
Red states try to backtrack after suing to end disability rights. Critics say their statement is legally toothless. (fastcompany.com)
NEW YORK
New York lawmakers and advocates push for increased funding for disability services (cbs6albany.com)
Kelly Clarkson Show Spotlights NY ‘businesses that thrive’ hiring people with autism, neurodiversity (Youtube)
MTA to revive popular program that allows students with autism to record PSAs for NYC’s subway system The 2024 cancellation of the program didn’t last long. (nypost.com)
OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK
Connecticut State lawmakers approve special education funding despite Lamont’s objection The bill has been sent to the governor. (nbcconnecticut.com)
Disability awareness could become part of Florida’s school curriculum (Floridapolitics.com)
Senate advances bill to ban use of corporal punishment on disabled Oklahoma school children (oklahomavoice.com)
Developmentally disabled Missourians suffer abuse, death in state’s dysfunctional system (missouriindependent.com)
Colorado to slash care to young children with developmental disabilities It’s due to “emergency cost containment measures” to early intervention programs. (denverpost.com)
TRUMP ADMIN & EDUCATION
Kids’ disability rights cases stalled as Trump began to overhaul Education Department (Chalkbeat.org)
DOGE blocked from accessing Education Department’s sensitive student data until March 10 The Privacy Act bars federal agencies from sharing personal information “to any person, or to another agency,” except for in limited circumstances. (K12dive.com)
How Department of Education cuts could hurt resources for students with disabilities (pbs.org)
Teens with disabilities were getting help with life after high school. Then DOGE started cutting. (Chalkbeat.org)
EDUCATION
Special education enrollment climbs to nearly 8M The number of students with disabilities, ages 3-21, could jump by about 1 million students between 2021 and 2025 if the current rate of increase continues. Schools already show the strain. (k12dive.com)
JUSTICE SYSTEM
‘Not a get-out-of-jail-free card:’ Should autism, other disabilities be considered in court? (wmar2news.com)
STUDIES
People with intellectual disabilities can get smarter as they age I take studies with a grain of salt, but who wouldn’t want to read this one? (Times of Israel)