November 13, 2025
The Boost News
SPOTLIGHT: MAIL-IN VOTING
With the November elections, and its Democratic victories in key races, fresh in our minds, it’s a good time to look at the White House’s fight to ban mail-in voting.
Vote by mail is a critical tool for many individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who want to exercise their right to vote. The Trump administration, however, which wants to erase the Voting Rights Act (and, with the Supreme Court’s help, is on its way to doing so), has had absentee voting in its crosshairs.
This week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the White House “is working on an executive order to strengthen our elections in this country and to ensure that there cannot be blatant fraud, as we’ve seen in California with their universal mail-in voting system.”
There’s no evidence of fraud in California to back up the claim. In fact, mail voting fraud is rare, and Brookings released data this week (and there’s lots more out there) to back this up: Mail voting in the US: Data points to very low fraud and significant benefits to voters.
In an effort to weaken mail-in voting, Republicans are also trying to eliminate the counting of absentee ballots after Election Day. Thirty states currently authorize that these ballots be counted, but a challenge has been making its way through the courts. Now, the Supreme Court announced this past Monday that it will weigh in on the issue: Supreme Court to decide whether states can count ballots that arrive after Election Day (Politico)
Stay tuned.
STATE NEWS
New NY state law requires private schools to protect against bullying (Gay City News)
NYC paraprofessionals are fighting for a $10,000 raise (Chalkbeat)
Everyone said it was impossible: disabled hikers in NY find freedom through off-road wheelchairs (The Guardian)
A series of tragedies exposes patterns of abuse and neglect in New Hampshire’s disability system This is one of three in an excellent series investigating the state’s disability system, and it points to the post-high school “disability cliff” as a major factor in the breakdown of care. (New Hampshire Bulletin)
This LA public defender’s office is dedicated to clients with cognitive disabilities (WBUR)
UPDATE: NC judge freezes Medicaid rates for autism treatment, blocking DHHS cut (NC Newsline)
Colorado Medicaid cuts to impact more than 40,000 individuals with disabilities (9News)
Michigan autism group rallies to save key program after state slashes $2M (Bridge Michigan)
Delaware Public Ed Funding Commission continues discussions on hybrid funding model It would see public schools prioritize low income, special education and multilingual learner students and would be among the most generous formulas in the nation. (Delaware Public Media)
AUTISM
No Evidence of Link Between Tylenol and Autism or ADHD, Study Confirms (Time)
For Parents of Children With Autism, There Are No Easy Answers (NYT)
SNAP
States scramble to send full SNAP food benefits to millions of people after government shutdown ends (AP)
HEALTHCARE
Watch as medical students listen to the stories of people with disabilities (northjersey.com)
CERTIFIED HOUSING
North Alabama group homes ordered to be shut down (WAFF)
Santa Ana, Calif., Joins Regional Crackdown on Problematic Group Homes (Voice of OC)
NJ files neglect charges against one of state’s largest group home operators in rare move (North Jersey)
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Advocates ask to keep data collection for special ed racial disparities (K-12 Dive)
As Shutdown Ends, Ed Dept. Resumes Efforts to Downsize (The 74)
States face different special ed staffing challenges that require targeted responses (Brookings)
TRANSPORTATION
Safety Expert Shares Transportation Social Story Strategies for Students with Disabilities (School Transportation News)
ENTERTAINMENT
10 Films That Do Disability Humor Right (And a Lesson We Can Learn from Each of Them) (Reel Abilities)