CMS Requires More Restrictive Definition of Medical Frailty in New Medicaid Work Requirements Rule (KFF)
Medicaid Changes Will Push People With Disabilities Off Program, Advocates Warn (Disability Scoop/paywall)
New Medicaid Expansion Changes Hurt People with Disabilities (Statement from ASAN)
States balk at the high price of Medicaid work requirements amid budget crunch (Politico)
The Autism-Therapy Business Is Booming—and So Is the Billing Abuse (The Wall Street Journal/paywall)
OPINION: Your Child’s ABA Therapy Is Being Rationed. Every Autism Family Needs to Know What’s Happening Right Now. (Autism Innovation)
Minnesota cuts off thousands of Medicaid providers in race to keep federal funds (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Ohio suspends payments to 49 Medicaid providers following fraud allegations (Dayton Daily News)
Trump cuts off funds to Hawaii Medicaid fraud unit over lack of cases (Reuters)
RFK Jr. Seeks To Peek at Americans’ Medical Records for Clues on Autism and Vaccines (KFF Health News)
Urine Test Can Detect Autism, Study Says (Health Day)
Despite scrutiny, special ed money flows to for-profit residential treatment centers (AP)
Screens are leaving schools fast, though some students with disabilities rely on them (NPR)
Maryland Enacts Law to Require Plain Language Summaries for Ballot Measures (The Accessible Voting Booth, via Voting Rights Lab)
Mass. state legislature approves bill removing outdated disability terms from state laws (WWLP.com)
NJ Gov. taps intellectual and developmental disabilities ombudsman (NJ Globe)
Texas’ discipline push sends kids to ‘jail-like’ campuses (Hechinger Report)
Is Wisconsin violating the rights of disabled voters? Court hears arguments (WPR.org)
Samuel and Dan Habib win Emmy for Best Social Issue Documentary (Concord Monitor)
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services just made receiving Medicaid a hell of a lot harder. Both KFF and Disability Scoop unpack the implications. (And stay tuned for next week’s newsletter, where I’ll post The Boost’s Q&A with The Arc’s Kim Musheno, senior director of Medicaid Policy.)
CMS Requires More Restrictive Definition of Medical Frailty in New Medicaid Work Requirements Rule (KFF)
The rule adopts a restrictive definition of medical frailty that differs from states’ early expectations. “At nearly 400 pages, [it] will require time to fully assess its implications. Given the complexity of the provisions in the rule, states will likely face significant challenges in operationalizing the requirements in the next six months.”
Medicaid Changes Will Push People With Disabilities Off Program, Advocates Warn (Disability Scoop/paywall)
The rule “indicates that individuals with physical, intellectual or developmental disabilities will be considered ‘medically frail’ only if their condition ‘significantly impairs’ their ability to perform at least one activity of daily living, or ADL, which includes bathing, dressing, walking, toileting, eating or getting in and out of bed or a chair.” Other categories include “a serious or complex medical condition.”
Disability advocates warn “that the parameters put forth by CMS for people with disabilities to claim an exemption are far more limited than the definition of disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
New Medicaid Expansion Changes Hurt People with Disabilities (Statement from Autistic Self Advocacy Network)
States balk at the high price of Medicaid work requirements amid budget crunch They’re costing already-strapped states millions or tens of millions to implement. (Politico)
The Autism-Therapy Business Is Booming—and So Is the Billing Abuse The latest look at Applied Behavior Analysis. (The Wall Street Journal/paywall)
Indiana pauses autism therapy provider signups “Indiana has seen an incredible surge in ABA spending over the past several years — a trend that raises concerns about sustainability and program integrity.” (Indiana Capital Chronicle)
OPINION: Your Child’s ABA Therapy Is Being Rationed. Every Autism Family Needs to Know What’s Happening Right Now. ABA “is not without controversy … and those conversations are worth having. But for thousands of families [it has] helped their child learn to communicate, manage sensory overwhelm, and move through a world that was not built for them.” (Autism Innovation)
Minnesota cuts off thousands of Medicaid providers in race to keep federal funds The state cut ties — at least temporarily — with nearly two-thirds of the Medicaid service providers the state was reviewing to protect programs against fraud and keep federal funds flowing. The decision set off an uproar among providers. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Ohio suspends payments to 49 Medicaid providers following fraud allegations (Dayton Daily News)
Medicaid termination letters leave South Florida behavioral health patients and therapists in limbo (CBS News)
Trump cuts off funds to Hawaii Medicaid fraud unit over lack of cases Without a federally certified Medicaid fraud unit, the state’s broader Medicaid funding could be in jeopardy. (Reuters)
RFK Jr. Seeks To Peek at Americans’ Medical Records for Clues on Autism and Vaccines HSS wants data from little-known state systems that allow hospitals and clinics to exchange detailed, identifiable patient information to research a debunked link between vaccines and autism. (KFF Health News)
Urine Test Can Detect Autism, Study Says (Health Day)
Despite scrutiny, special ed money flows to for-profit residential treatment centers Nationwide, “many for-profit residential facilities in the so-called troubled teen industry that claim to treat severe mental and behavioral health issues in children and teens are deftly tapping into taxpayer money meant for students with disabilities.” (AP)
Screens are leaving schools fast, though some students with disabilities rely on them (NPR)
Screen time limits call for nuance, disability advocates say Blanket policies run the risk exacerbating existing challenges and running afoul of federal law. (K-12 Dive)
OPINION: The promise of an appropriate education for every child with a disability is under strain (The Hill)
Note: This starts with New York, where a majority of The Boost’s readership currently is based, and continues alphabetically by state.
Left Behind: How school buses disadvantage New York City students with disabilities (Chalkbeat)
Colorado Gov. signs bill containing protections for kids with disabilities even as funding remains up in the air The law will add new staff to the state department of education who will investigate complaints of discrimination in schools — if Colorado finds the money. (Colorado Sun)
Maryland Enacts Law to Require Plain Language Summaries for Ballot Measures (The Accessible Voting Booth, via Voting Rights Lab)
Mass. state legislature approves bill removing outdated disability terms from state laws (WWLP.com)
NJ Gov. taps intellectual and developmental disabilities ombudsman Lisa Montalbano, a former CEO of a non-profit helping people with I/DD, will lead the office. (NJ Globe)
Most Oregon preschoolers with disabilities now learn alongside non-disabled peers (Oregon Live)
Gov. of Pa.’s Administration Welcomes 28 College Students with Disabilities for Summer Internships with State Agencies (Pa. Gov. Newsroom)
South Dakota releases annual special ed performance reports (kotatv.com)
Texas’ discipline push sends kids to ‘jail-like’ campuses Students with disabilities are more likely to end up in DAEPs, and when they do they are unlikely to get the services and accommodations they are owed under federal law, advocates said. (Hechinger Report)
Is Wisconsin violating the rights of disabled voters? Court hears arguments Those groups argued that voters with disabilities should be allowed to receive, fill out and return an absentee ballot electronically (WPR.org)
How pupils with special educational needs are more likely to see their schools close (BBC)
Frank Hayden, Who Led Global Growth of the Special Olympics, Dies at 96 (The New York Times)
EMMY WINNERS!
Samuel and Dan Habib win Emmy for Best Social Issue Documentary The award went to “The Ride Ahead: Love, Tattoos, and Other Disabled Things.” It follows Samuel as he deals with romance, transitions to independent living, pursues an associate degree and advocates for disability rights, features conversations with his mentors with disabilities. It’s their second Emmy. (Concord Monitor)
Short Naps, Long Hours: How Autism Clinics Squeeze Medicaid Dollars Out of Preschoolers (The New York Times)
Parental mental health — not medication — drives autism correlation, new study finds (Los Angeles Times/paywall)
Congress slashed Medicaid funding to providers. The Trump administration wants to cut even further (Stat News/paywall
Democratic attorneys general snub Vance’s anti-fraud roundtable at White House after late invite (CNBC)
Under White House pressure, Missouri speeds up effort to find Medicaid fraud (The Beacon News)
NJ defends record on uncovering Medicaid fraud in response to White House criticism (New Jersey Monitor)
Map: SNAP Enrollment Has Dropped in Every State (Governing.com)
What’s in the 2026 NYS Budget? Here’s What To Know (NY Focus)
New York Medicaid beneficiaries confront barriers in accessing home care, study finds (McKnights Home Care)
California’s $2.4 billion special ed boost addresses critical needs, but challenges remain (EdSource)
Colorado bill aims to protect students with disabilities, but awaits governor’s signature (9news.com)
Nearly 8,000 Await Medicaid Waiver as Georgia Cuts Budget for 400 Spots, Council Says (Press release)
Louisiana invests $5.1 million to help students with disabilities (KTAL News)
Maryland budget cuts, looming deadlines put family caregivers in a ‘complete tailspin’ (News from the States)
New law will enhance emergency response for people with disabilities (Virginia Mercury)
Ed Dept wants to end some IDEA data collections; special ed and disability groups pushed back (K-12 Dive)
Autistic students who make it through college face a bigger challenge: getting jobs (The Hechinger Report)
Federal judge refuses to block Trump executive order on mail voting — for now (Votebeat)
Adults with developmental disabilities or cerebral palsy face earlier fall injury risks (News-Medical.net)
Ranking the U.S. Airlines Most Likely to Damage Your Wheelchair (2026) (Wheelchair Travel)
Short Naps, Long Hours: How Autism Clinics Squeeze Medicaid Dollars Out of Preschoolers A NYT investigation found that the rapid expansion if A.B.A.-focused clinics has played out with little regulatory oversight and brought allegations of children being harmed by profit-motivated practices. (The New York Times)
Parental mental health — not medication — drives autism correlation, new study finds An analysis of 37 studies totaling more than half-a-million pregnancies with antidepressant use found no significant link between common antidepressant use during pregnancy and autism/ADHD in children after adjusting for the mother’s mental health and other factors. If you can’t read the Times story due to the paywall, here’s a press release. (Los Angeles Times/paywall)
Congress slashed Medicaid funding to providers. The Trump administration wants to cut even further Behavioral health providers, dentists, and doctors could face steep cuts. (Stat News/paywall
Senators call for more Medicaid HCBS funding as part of a larger plan to increase funding for long-term care services. (McKnights Home Care)
Democratic attorneys general snub Vance’s anti-fraud roundtable at White House after late invite (CNBC)
DeWine, Dr. Oz address alleged Medicaid fraud in Ohio (NBC4)
Under White House pressure, Missouri speeds up effort to find Medicaid fraud (The Beacon News)
NJ defends record on uncovering Medicaid fraud in response to White House criticism (New Jersey Monitor)
Map: SNAP Enrollment Has Dropped in Every State (Governing.com)
Note: This starts with New York, where a majority of The Boost’s readership currently is based, and continues alphabetically by state.
What’s in the 2026 NYS Budget? Here’s What To Know Human services providers (e.g., DSPs), contracted by the state will see a 2.7% increase in payments. The budget does not specify how much of that will go toward worker salaries. (NY Focus)
New York Medicaid beneficiaries confront barriers in accessing home care, study finds (McKnights Home Care)
California’s $2.4 billion special ed boost addresses critical needs, but challenges remain As TK-12 enrollment has declined by 8% over the past decade, the number of special ed students has grown by nearly 20%. (EdSource)
San Francisco County Office of Ed to Open New Special Ed Program for Students With Extensive Needs It’s for students with autism and intellectual disabilities, and the aim is to reduce costly non-public school placements and long transportation times for families. (KQED.org)
Colorado bill aims to protect students with disabilities, but awaits governor’s signature A bill sitting on Gov. Jared Polis’s desk could soon change the way Colorado schools serve students with disabilities by requiring them to adapt activities so every child can participate. (9news.com)
Nearly 8,000 Await Medicaid Waiver as Georgia Cuts Budget for 400 Spots, Council Says (Press release from the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities via The Georgia Virtue)
Louisiana invests $5.1 million to help students with disabilities FYI, a 2024 review by the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Office of Special Ed Programs found that the state did not meet federal standards in certain areas, especially regarding complaints and dispute resolution. (KTAL News)
Maryland budget cuts, looming deadlines put family caregivers in a ‘complete tailspin’ (News from the States)
PA homecare workers urge lawmakers for improved Medicaid reimbursement rate Under the current rate, homecare workers are paid 25-75% less than their peers in neighboring states. (Fox43.com)
New law will enhance emergency response for people with disabilities Regulations will require that certain healthcare providers conduct regular simulations to prepare employees to identify and respond to emergencies experienced by people with disabilities under their care. (Virginia Mercury)
Ed Dept wants to end some IDEA data collections; special ed and disability groups pushed back The proposal would remove certain data collections for racial disparities in special ed. (K-12 Dive)
Autistic students who make it through college face a bigger challenge: getting jobs Some colleges are offering career-readiness classes and one-on-one career coaching; some are also working with employers to make their hiring and employment practices more inclusive. (The Hechinger Report)
Federal judge refuses to block Trump executive order on mail voting — for now Trump’s executive order would give the U.S. Postal Service unprecedented control over mail ballots, but a judge said the agency hasn’t yet acted (Votebeat)
Adults with developmental disabilities or cerebral palsy face earlier fall injury risks Researchers analyzed more than 35.8 million emergency department visits across 21 states. (news-medical.net)
Do “special needs momfluencers” have their kids’ consent? This broadly discusses a certain type of mommy blogger — those who center themselves in the discussion — and raises interesting questions. (Rewire News Group)
Ranking the U.S. Airlines Most Likely to Damage Your Wheelchair (2026) (Wheelchair Travel)
Parents push back after Chapel Hill yearbook omits 12 students with disabilities “Honestly, it feels like [I’m] an extinct animal … because my presence is there, I made a difference, but there’s no historical record of me.” (News Observer)
How Chefs on the Spectrum Empowers Adults With Autism (Today.com)
US supreme court dismisses Alabama’s bid to execute intellectually disabled man (The Guardian)
NYC promises new scorecards and more efficient routes for dysfunctional school bus system (Chalkbeat)
Arizonans with disabilities depend on at-home services. Medicaid cuts could erode the program (KJZZ.com)
‘Makeshift Fight Club’: Arkansas Private School Founder Punished for Abuse of Disabled Student (Disabled Journalists Assn.)
New bill requires autism awareness training for Florida law enforcement (WESH.com)
The Philadelphia school district will phase out a special ed program (Chalkbeat)
Families caring for disabled relatives face unthinkable choices as Medicaid cuts loom (NBC News)
Trump administration proposes crackdown on Medicaid state-directed payments (Healthcare Dive)
RFK Jr. announces ‘the largest autism fraud bust in American history’ (Politico)
Vance takes his fight against fraud to red state Ohio (AP)
Calif. Condemns Federal Deferral of IHSS Funds (Calif. Dept. of Health Care Services)
More states are offering caregiver tax credits for families — but they only offset a fraction of expenses (Marketwatch)
Risks and Priorities in Federal Disability Measurement (Urban Institute)
2024-25 Data at a Glance: I/DD Family Surveys (NCI IDD)
Mom’s Facebook plea may help son with disabilities walk at graduation (USA Today)
Fashion Celebrates Girls With Disabilities (Today.com)
The Supreme Court threw out a challenge by the state of Alabama to a judicial finding that a death row inmate convicted of a 1997 murder is intellectually disabled and thus ineligible for the death penalty.
The Guardian explains that “because of a major 2002 supreme court precedent that executing an intellectually disabled person violates the constitution’s eighth amendment ban on ‘cruel and unusual punishment’, Alabama could not execute Smith. But that landmark ruling left it to the states to set standards for eligibility.”
It also reports that Justice Sotomayor, in her concurring opinion, said that “’the court is not equipped to provide any meaningful guidance on how courts should assess multiple IQ scores. That is because the differences between methods used to assess multiple IQ scores raise complicated questions on which even experts may disagree.”
Or, as Disability Scoop‘s headline put it, the court Punts On Deciding How Intellectual Disability Is Defined (paywall).
NYC promises new scorecards and more efficient routes for dysfunctional school bus system Of the 145,000 students reliant on yellow bus service, roughly 43% are children with disabilities. (Chalkbeat)
Arizonans with disabilities depend on at-home services. Medicaid cuts could erode the program Another look at what can happen to people with disabilities when essential services are cut. (KJZZ.com)
‘Makeshift Fight Club’: Arkansas Private School Founder Punished for Abuse of Disabled Student (Disabled Journalists Association)
New bill requires autism awareness training for Florida law enforcement A mom got the whole ball rolling. (WESH.com)
Michigan’s use of AI to process SNAP applications draws concerns about past automation failures (Michigan Advance)
Minn. counties welcome state funds to overhaul old technology to administer SNAP, Medicaid (MPR News)
NC families with disabled children press lawmakers to maintain funding as federal Medicaid cuts loom (North Carolina Health News)
The Philadelphia school district will phase out a special ed program Intensive Learning Support is meant to boost students significantly academically behind their peers. The move is “an effort to educate more special education students alongside their peers.” (Chalkbeat)
Families caring for disabled relatives face unthinkable choices as Medicaid cuts loom (NBC News)
Trump administration proposes crackdown on Medicaid state-directed payments (Healthcare Dive)
AHA STATMENT: CMS issues proposed rule on Medicaid supplemental payments Medicaid “is a lifeline for tens of millions of Americans — children, seniors, people with disabilities and hardworking individuals. [The] proposed rule raises important questions about how the statutory requirements will be implemented and the potential impact on providers’ ability to rely on critical Medicaid payments.” (American Hospital Assn.)
RFK Jr. announces ‘the largest autism fraud bust in American history’ The Dept. of Justice has arrested and indicted 15 people in Minnesota for alleged fraud schemes involving $90 million in Medicaid funds. James Clark, inspector general at Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, said his department stopped payments to some of the businesses connected to the charges more than a year ago and has already opened investigations and withheld payment to 11 of the 15 people charged. (Politico)
Vance takes his fight against fraud to red state Ohio (AP)
Ohio Gov. DeWine pushes back as GOP leaders blame administration for Medicaid fraud (Columbus Dispatch)
Calif. Condemns Federal Deferral of IHSS Funds CMS deferred $1.1 billion in federal funding tied to the state’s In-Home Supportive Services program, which serves some 905,000 seniors, children and people with disabilities with basic needs, citing fraud concerns. (Calif. Dept. of Health Care Services)
California Legislators Reject Cuts to In-Home Supportive Services in Proposed State Budget Some 31 Assemblymembers and Senators signed a letter rejecting proposed cuts to IHSS. (Sierra Sun Times)
More states are offering caregiver tax credits for families — but they only offset a fraction of expenses Connecticut is poised to become the third state (after Oklahoma and Nebraska) offering the tax credit. (Marketwatch)
OPINION: The caregivers you’ve never heard of are in crisis (The Hill)
Leucovorin Scripts Surged Even Before White House Autism Push Well, not too much before. It apparently followed a February 2025 CBS News segment featuring a family who reported dramatic language improvements in a child after treatment. (MedPage Today)
Risks and Priorities in Federal Disability Measurement Recent shifts in the approach to collecting and using data have raised concerns about how we measure and understand disabled people, their experiences and their protections. (Urban Institute)
2024-25 Data at a Glance: I/DD Family Surveys The data demonstrate how state Developmental Disability systems are impacting families. (NCI IDD)
Mom’s Facebook plea may help son with disabilities walk at graduation A Texas mother’s now-viral Facebook post said school officials told her that her son would “take too long” to walk across the stage.(USA Today)
Fashion Celebrates Girls With Disabilities Fashion brand Alivia partners with a N.C. camp where participants work on every stage of the process, from initial design to marketing to walking in a fashion show. (Today.com)
JD Vance threatens health funding to states that don’t comply with White House anti-fraud effort
Trump Administration Will Withhold $1.3 Billion in Medicaid Payments to California (The New York Times)
Ohio introduces new Medicaid fraud prevention initiatives (Spectrum News 1)
OPINION: Republicans Push “Waste and Fraud” Narrative Again to Gut the Social Safety Net (Truthout.org)
Ed Department to release $144M for special education, early intervention (K-12 Dive)
Wealthy Students More Likely to Get Disability Accommodations, Study Finds (The 74)
Why emotional disturbance, a special ed category, is a double-edged sword for students (NPR)
Antidepressants in Pregnancy: What a New Study Found (MedPage Today)
Azithromycin use in late pregnancy may pose less risk of neurologic issues in babies than other antibiotics (Univ. of Minnesota/CIDRAP)
This high Schooler Developed an A.I. Tool to Diagnose Autism and ADHD Using the Retina (Smithsonian)
AMA announces educational video series on caring for people with disabilities (HME News)
Native kids with disabilities held in wooden boxes in upstate NY school district. Reforms are coming (NPR)
The Grand Tradition of Suing for School Tuition (New York Magazine)
Nebraska demands proof, but shared living provider says 400 pages weren’t enough to keep patient’s funding tier (1011now.com)
In Texas, Houston Independent School District is under federal investigation over plans to restructure special ed services (Houston Public Radio)
Deal to cut taxes, boost special ed funds, dies in Wisconsin Senate (WPR.org)
This app lets kids with disabilities use devices with their minds. Now anyone can download it (CBC Radio)
Autism and health (Autism Speaks)
The hunt for fraud is heating up. Below, some of this week’s major headlines, with summaries focusing on Medicaid.
JD Vance threatens health funding to states that don’t comply with White House anti-fraud effort
Attorneys general in all 50 states reportedly received a letter from the inspector general at the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) warning states to investigate alleged Medicaid fraud or risk losing funding. This comes on the heels of HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. accusuing some home health aides, including family members who take care of disabled people under Medicaid-funded Home- and Community-Based (HCBS) programs, of fraud.
Andy Schneider at Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families told The Guardian that “there’s no statutory or regulatory basis for withholding all of a state’s federal Medicaid matching funds due to non-performance by a MFCU [Medicaid Fraud Control Units]. … Republican anti-fraud programs are [about] stripping away capacity in order to punish political rivals.” (The Guardian)
“In at least one case, the administration has erred in its accusations against states,” PBS reports. “In April, CMS acknowledged to The Associated Press that it made a significant error in figures it used to help justify a fraud probe in New York.” This raised a common criticism that the second Trump administration “tends to attack first and confirm the facts later.” (PBS.org)
Trump Administration Will Withhold $1.3 Billion in Medicaid Payments to California (The New York Times)
Ohio introduces new Medicaid fraud prevention initiatives (Spectrum News 1)
OPINION: Republicans Push “Waste and Fraud” Narrative Again to Gut the Social Safety Net (Truthout.org)
The National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborator recently posted Toward Holistic Health Services under Medicaid, which explained why, as an optional benefit under Medicaid, HCBS are at risk of deep cuts as federal Medicaid funding is reduced.
In hopeful news, it notes that in April federal legislative proposals — the HCBS Access Act and Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act — were reintroduced to ensure comprehensive HCBS coverage under Medicaid, along with the adequate workforce funding needed to sustain it. (NDNRC)
FY 27 Appropriations The Autism Society has a good summary of what might be in the upcoming budget, noting that “together, these changes could weaken critical supports.” (Autism Society)
Ed Department to release $144M for special education, early intervention The announcement also included guidance to states on using IDEA funds to help expectant parents of children with disabilities. (K-12 Dive)
Takeaways from McMahon hearing on Ed Dept priorities Lawmakers pressed the Ed secretary about progress in addressing a backlog of civil rights complaints. A recent report found OCR had reached agreements in only 1% of pending cases in 2025. (K-12 Dive)
Wealthy Students More Likely to Get Disability Accommodations, Study Finds Study finds that wealthy families were twice as likely as poorer ones to be granted accommodations under the federal law Section 504 — but that IEP recipients much more likely to come from low-income families than well-off ones. (The 74)
Why emotional disturbance, a special ed category, is a double-edged sword for students (NPR)
Antidepressants in Pregnancy: What a New Study Found No clear link was found between prenatal antidepressant exposure and autism or ADHD in kids. (MedPage Today)
Azithromycin use in late pregnancy may pose less risk of neurologic issues in babies than other antibiotics (Univ. of Minnesota/CIDRAP)
This high Schooler Developed an A.I. Tool to Diagnose Autism and ADHD Using the Retina (Smithsonian)
New Findings on Conflicts of Interest in Autism Research A new study examined autism intervention research published in eight Applied Behavior Analysis journals. One data point: 78% of authors were paid ABA providers, paid ABA consultants, or both. (Psychology Today)
AMA announces educational video series on caring for people with disabilities (HME News)
Feds to Reconsider Rule Barring Disability Discrimination in Healthcare HHS published an interim final rule putting off the deadline for healthcare providers to ensure that their websites and mobile apps meet certain accessibility standards. (Disability Scoop/paywall)
Note: This starts with New York, where a majority of The Boost’s readership currently is based, and continues alphabetically by state.
NYS Assembly passes bill requiring immediate parent notice of school abuse claims (CBS 6 Albany)
Native kids with disabilities held in wooden boxes in upstate NY school district. Reforms are coming (NPR)
The Grand Tradition of Suing for School Tuition This is an interesting article with no easy takeaway. It starts with the premise that the city spends over a billion a year on special-ed lawsuits brought, mostly, by white parents and notes that the rate of claims per student in New York State is 10 times higher than the national average. (New York Magazine)
Nebraska demands proof, but shared living provider says 400 pages weren’t enough to keep patient’s funding tier (1011now.com)
In Texas, Houston Independent School District is under federal investigation over plans to restructure special ed services (Houston Public Radio)
Deal to cut taxes, boost special ed funds, dies in Wisconsin Senate (WPR.org)
This app lets kids with disabilities use devices with their minds. Now anyone can download it (CBC Radio)
Rural residents less likely to receive HCBS than urban counterparts (McKnights)
Autism and health (Autism Speaks)
Who gets to speak for mothers of autistic children? (The 19th News)
Aluminum in vaccines not linked to autism, other health problems (Univ. of Minnesota CIDRAP)
OPINION: Profound Autism Is Difficult Enough Without This Debunked Method (The New York Times)
Many Minnesotans rely on programs under scrutiny for fraud (Star Tribune)
Minnesota Legislature passes office of inspector general bill aimed at preventing fraud (News from the States)
Republicans Claim Widespread Food Stamp Fraud. What’s Missing: Hard Evidence. (Mother Jones)
U.S. Rep Rob Menendez seeks hotline for caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities (Hudson County View)
Support Cracks for Bill Banning 24-Hour Home Care Shifts (The City)
Private schools, public dollars: A staggering racial gap in NYC special ed tuition payments (Chalkbeat)
Best Buddies Launches Its First Inclusive Living Community in NYC in Collaboration With Future Centered Care (Best Buddies/Future Centered Care)
CT lawmakers approve caregiver tax credit (NHPR)
Colorado overhauls school oversight for students with disabilities (Fox21news.com)
Colorado Medicaid cuts pose concerns for locals with disabilities (The Daily Sentinel)
Family caregiving inflicts emotional, financial toll, new US News survey finds (McKnights Home Care)
For Texans with disabilities, voting can take weeks — or be out of reach (Texas Public Radio)
Who gets to speak for mothers of autistic children? Controversial changes to the federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) include public members dedicated to “causes unsupported by mainstream scientific research.” Think MAHA moms. “When I look at the committee, I just see a sea of Whiteness,’ said a former member. (The 19th News)
Aluminum in vaccines not linked to autism, other health problems (Univ. of Minnesota CIDRAP)
OPINION: Profound Autism Is Difficult Enough Without This Debunked Method An historian of medicine writes that the science doesn’t back up the alleged success of Facilitated Communication. (The New York Times)
Many Minnesotans rely on programs under scrutiny for fraud (Star Tribune)
Minnesota Legislature passes office of inspector general bill aimed at preventing fraud (News from the States)
Republicans Claim Widespread Food Stamp Fraud. What’s Missing: Hard Evidence. Much of the Foundation for Government Accountability’s rhetoric hearkens back to the Reagan-era myth of the “welfare queen.” (Mother Jones)
U.S. Rep Rob Menendez seeks hotline for caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities I first saw this news in Disability Scoop, which has a paywall, but you can find its story here. (Hudson County View)
Note: This starts with New York, where a majority of The Boost’s readership currently is based, and continues alphabetically by state.
Disabled New Yorkers Oppose Bill to End 24-Hour Shifts for Home Aides The “No More 24” bill has turned allies into opponents, pitting workers’ rights activists against disability advocates and those who need round-the-clock care. (The City)
Support Cracks for Bill Banning 24-Hour Home Care Shifts (The City)
Private schools, public dollars: A staggering racial gap in NYC special ed tuition payments (Chalkbeat)
Best Buddies Launches Its First Inclusive Living Community in NYC in Collaboration With Future Centered Care I don’t usually run press releases, but this seems exciting given that the Manhattan location hopes to serve as a scalable model for inclusive housing across the five boroughs for neurodiverse adults. (Best Buddies/Future Centered Care)
CT lawmakers approve caregiver tax credit (NHPR)
Colorado overhauls school oversight for students with disabilities (Fox21news.com)
Colorado Medicaid cuts pose concerns for locals with disabilities Another example of the unfolding crisis. (The Daily Sentinel)
Family caregiving inflicts emotional, financial toll, new US News survey finds (McKnights Home Care)
For Texans with disabilities, voting can take weeks — or be out of reach (Texas Public Radio)
Want to Help Disabled People? Be More Like George H.W. Bush. As Vice President George H.W. Bush met with advocates, he came to believe that protections did not constrain Americans but rather were instrumental in empowering disabled people to live full and happy lives. (The New York Times)
New York City Ballet dancers teaching choreography to group with disabilities (abc7ny.com)