January 30, 2026
The Boost News
SPOTLIGHT: The “R-Word” — Again
This week, The New York Times published The ‘R-Word’ Returns, Dismaying Those Who Fought to Oust It, and if it seems as if a version of this piece has been coming out monthly, it’s because it pretty much has.
The examples of people, including those in positions of power, using the demeaning word for sport and to prove their “anti-woke” bona fides has grown exponentially. President Trump has led the way, from reportedly calling then-Vice President Kamala Harris the “r-word” in a donor meeting in 2024, to using the slur to describe Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz this past November.
“The drumbeat and use of this word has been like nothing I’ve seen in a very long time,” Katy Neas, the chief executive of the Arc of the United States, told the Times. “It’s language used by bullies to bully.”
STATE NEWS
NY lawmakers skeptical of Gov.’s claimed $1.2B Savings in Medicaid home care program The program’s transition has been controversial and contentious, with advocates calling it disastrous. Lawmakers want proof of the allegedly huge savings. (Spectrum Local News)
Calif. mother says LA school calls police over autistic kindergartner’s behavior She’d like them to stop criminalizing her son’s disability. (Fox 11 LA)
Plan to cut Medicaid rates for Coloradans with disabilities gets no support from governing board, moves ahead anyway Gov. Jared Polis gives state Medicaid officials the go-ahead. (The Colorado Sun)
In Detroit, Mich., three women with disabilities win federal ADA lawsuit Several government buildings will have enhanced mobility access. (Detroit Free Press)
Children With Disabilities Particularly Vulnerable to Minneapolis ICE Crackdown They’re missing school and appointments, and parents tell The 74 they have no faith that immigration officials would be patient with a child who can’t immediately respond to orders. (The 74)
DHHS won’t seek to cap Medicaid waiver caregiver hours for Nebraskans with disabilities, elderly (Nebraska Examiner)
Vermonters With Developmental Disabilities Can Fish for Free (Seven Days Vermont)
MEDICAID
CMS finalizes limits on state provider taxes that fund Medicaid (Modern Healthcare)
Medicaid Cuts Put Disability Services At Risk, Advocates Warn A report from ANCOR and United Cerebral Palsy warns that improvements in the state of the DSP workforce could soon be reversed due to the ending of funds from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act and the nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid. (Disability Scoop; paywall)
SECTION 504
Texas and Eight Other States Renew Attack on Section 504 and the Right of Disabled People to Live in their Communities They claim a rule about the integration mandate published by HHS is unlawful and unconstitutional. The suit is a revised version of Texas v. Kennedy. Eight states recently dropped out of that litigation after HHS proposed a package of three egregious regulations aimed at the transgender community. (The Arc)
AUTISM
Health Secretary Kennedy Names 21 New Members to US Autism Advisory Panel The panel includes vaccine skeptics, and autism experts in the scientific community are criticizing the appointments. (Reuters)
Migraine and autism: An overlooked comorbidity in need of clinical attention One study reports a lifetime migraine prevalence of approximately 42% among people with autism compared with roughly 20% in a control population. (UCLA Health)
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Private school choice could ‘undermine’ special education gains, COPAA says A look at the report from the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, which found that as private school choice programs expanded, they enrolled proportionately fewer students with disabilities. (K-12 Dive)
Should dyslexia be its own IDEA category? These bipartisan bills say yes (K-12 Dive)
OPINION: Moving Special Ed to HHS Will Treat It Like a Medical Problem. It’s Not The authors say moving the program to an agency like HHS inevitably shifts the focus of special ed from education to health care, thus pathologizing disabled students. (The 74)
HEALTH CARE
COVID exposure in utero not linked to early neurodevelopmental issues, study suggests (Univ. of Minnesota)
CAREGIVING
What it takes for families to thrive when caring for a medically complex child (Bloom Blog)
BUDGET
Two Wins that Give Children with Disabilities More Choices in the House Minibus Tucked inside the House minibus package deserves are two provisions that represent meaningful progress for children with disabilities and the families who care for them: The Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act (H.R. 1509); and The Care for Military Kids Act (H.R. 3399). (National Center for Public Policy research)
OPINION
The Independence Fallacy That Disabled People Face “Often, rehabilitation goals, outsider opinions and internalized perceptions put the illusion of independence as the gold standard. … These assertions completely ignore that the human experience has been built on interdependence.” (Psychology Today)
DO BETTER
FILM
‘Take Me Home’ Review: A Story of Caregiving Challenges Balances Dark Truths With Charm and Humor Writer-director Liz Sargent casts her sister Anna Sargent in the story of a cognitively disabled woman facing tough realities about her aging parents. (Hollywood Reporter)