Project 2025 author and top Trump official: Special education protections and funding will remain
Chalkbeat interviews Lindsey Burke, a Department of Education official and author of the education chapter of the conservative blueprint Project 2025. Some key takeaways:
Disability rights advocates in New York lay out priorities, call on lawmakers to stop ‘stalling’ (WXXI NPR)
To cut Medicaid budget, governor says Idaho could remove disability, dental services (Idaho Capital Sun)
‘We don’t need more to worry about’: Arizona’s disability community faces funding shortfall A budget hole last year led to a bitter fight over how to keep DDD running. This year, the looming shortfall isn’t getting much attention. (ABC12.com)
Developmental disability advocates in Nebraska fear proposed changes The proposed limits would affect the Aged and Adult and Children with Disabilities Waiver. (Nebraska Public Media)
Federal judge blocks USDA from cutting off SNAP funding in Minnesota (MPR News)
New disability support hub opens at Maryland Mall to help families access resources instantly (WMAR2 News)
Vigil scheduled to honor people who died in New Hampshire’s disability care system (New Hampshire Bulletin)
$150 million wrongful death lawsuit filed after child with autism ‘secluded’ at Virginia Beach elementary school (13 News Now)
Absolutely Colorado: Black license plates generate $12M for Coloradans with disabilities (KRDO)
States Decline To Drop Lawsuit Threatening Disability Rights Protections The lawsuit generated significant backlash last year because it initially sought to completely invalidate Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibiting health care providers from making treatment decisions based on biases about disabilities. Now, it’s focused on “gender dysphoria.” (Disability Scoop)
California leads suit to preserve U.S. Department of Ed An amended complaint to a lawsuit filed in March 2025 targets the transfer of department functions to other federal agencies. (The Center Square)
Schools Brace for Mid-Year Cuts as ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Changes Begin (Education Week)
Study: Switching to Charter School Improves Performance for Special Ed Students The findings from the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice study match a similar study in Boston. There are caveats, and a reminder that in 2024 the Center for Learner Equity found that Charter Schools Are Failing Students with Disabilities (The 74).
New partnership to strengthen postsecondary accreditation for students with intellectual disability Univ. of Rochester’s Warner School of Education & Human Development has been awarded a $1 million grant from the US Department of Ed. (Univ. of Rochester News)
How States Can Support Family Caregivers Under Medicaid’s Community Engagement Requirements AARP look at how states can ensure continuity of Medicaid coverage for family caregivers as new work requirements are being implemented. (AARP)
STUDY: Payment Rates for Medicaid Home Care Ahead of the 2025 Reconciliation Law All responding states reported workforce shortages in 2025, with the most common shortages being among direct support professionals (48 states). (KFF)
And, speaking of …
STUDY: NCI State of the Workforce: 2024: National Core Indicators® Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities The study was released in early January. (NCI IDD)
Disability Voting News Check out the Accessible Voting Booth blog, which just came out with the latest news from the past month. (Accessible Voting Booth)
New book explores how the 2021 winter storm endangered Texans with disabilities (Texas Standard)
Taking a fresh look at definition of autism (The Harvard Gazette)
Barbie debuts autistic doll with sensory-sensitive, stimming features (USA Today)
How realistic is Mattel’s new autistic Barbie? (The Conversation)
Adaptive clothing for people with disabilities (Enable: The Disability Podcast) An interview with Hanan Tantush, a UK-based fashion designer who makes adaptive clothing. (Syracuse.com)
Pablo Juárez named president-elect of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (VUMC News)
Trump’s ‘beautiful’ new law means states have big decisions this year on Medicaid, SNAP and taxes (AP)
Five Key Disability Stories to Watch in 2026 (Disabled Journalists Association)
Disability Justice Organizers Are Creating the Liberatory Future We All Deserve Disability justice advocates and organizers from across the U.S. explain what’s at stake for disabled people under Trump. (truthout)
New York school board investigates wooden ‘timeout’ box allegations They allegedly were built and used to seclude children with disabilities. (The Guardian)
New York State launches Center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia (lohud)
Why are Connecticut’s new slots for autism services empty? (CT Public)
Florida deputies stop woman in alleged plan to kill herself, disabled great-granddaughter Just a heartbreaker of a story. (CBS 12)
Georgia agency proposes changes to waiting list for services for people with disabilities Program aimed at helping individuals with I/DD gain access to home care may get a refresh in 2026. (Georgia Recorder)
New state law expands insurance coverage for Iowans with autism (KCCI)
New Hampshire state senators to file legislation addressing abuse and neglect in disability care system (Valley News)
Taxpayers foot skyrocketing salaries for N.J. group home execs rolling in dough (nj.com)
Keith’s Law in Ohio to help people with disabilities communicate with first responders (New Day Cleveland)
Disability organization finds Tennessee failures in housing, access to healthcare (Times News)
High school diploma cost Washington special ed student future access, family says (Seattle Times)
What Medicaid changes in Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ mean for family caregivers’ health coverage (CNBC)
Policy relief for family caregivers seems stalled out. But there are signs of change (NPR)
Ed Department Pushing Ahead With Plan To Offload Special Education Secretary of Education Linda McMahon told disability advocates in December she’s committed to proceeding with plans to move oversight to another federal agency. (Disability Scoop)
Head Start centers told to avoid ‘disability,’ ‘women’ and more in funding requests (NPR)
Tracking the Supreme Court’s impact on K-12 schools (K-12 Dive)
Case Studies
PPS is sending special education students rock climbing to remedy learning loss (Pittsburgh NPR)
Transformational Magic: NYC’s iHOPE School Unlocks Learning for Profoundly Disabled Kids (The 74)
Tests for Autism? Companies Are Selling Them, but Research Is Still Scant (New York Times)
In utero COVID exposure linked to brain changes, developmental delays, anxiety, and depression (Univ. of Minnesota)
Brain organoids are helping researchers, but their use also creates unease Research on conditions like autism and schizophrenia increasingly relies on clusters of human cells called brain organoids. (NPR)
Disability Rights Lawyers Threatened With Budget Cuts, Reassignments Most work for the Dept. of Justice or disability rights agencies that Congress set up in every state decades ago. Trump proposed cutting the system’s federal funding from $148 million to $69 million for fiscal year 2026. (KFF Health News)
When Is it Okay to Kill the Disabled? The U.S. Supreme Court is in the process of determining how states can decide who is intellectually disabled enough to be exempt from receiving the death penalty. (The Progressive)
Mayo Clinic smartwatch system helps parents shorten and defuse children’s severe tantrums early (Mayo Clinic)
I Learned to Walk Because of IDEA. Millions of Children Still Depend on It (Time Magazine)
Raising Children With Disabilities Is Hard Work. Why Did Idaho Abandon Parents Like Me? (Rewire)
Email Confirms Early Contact Between NY Officials and CDPAP Contractor (Empire Center)
NYS 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)
American Academy of Pediatrics loses government funding after criticizing RFK Jr (The Guardian)
Born Deaf and Blind, She’s Caught in Trump’s Anti-Diversity Crusade (The New York Times)
Disability Rights Lawyers Threatened With Budget Cuts, Reassignments (KFF)
Under Trump, protecting students’ civil rights looks very different (Hechinger Report)
House and Senate Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Students from Dangerous Seclusion and Restraint Practices (Ed & Workforce Democrats Fact Sheet)
‘R-Word’ Use Surges Following Trump Post (Disability Scoop)
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)
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)
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 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)
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)
‘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)
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’ 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)
Trump administration says sign language services ‘intrude’ on Trump’s ability to control his image (AP)
FIFA’s ‘extreme’ ticket prices unfairly impact disabled fans, says supporters’ group (The Athletic)
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)
New college acting class helping students with learning-related disabilities (Fox 59)
It’s fact that children with disabilities, especially those with compromised immune systems, are vulnerable to complications from vaccine-preventable diseases. Which makes each Trump administration-related announcement regarding vaccines so infuriating. This week came several such headlines.
First, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to end the universal U.S. recommendation for the newborn dose of the safe and effective hepatitis B vaccine, Panel Votes to Stop Recommending Hepatitis B Shots at Birth for Most Newborns.
Second, the Children’s Health Defense, the nonprofit group founded by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., petitioned the F.D.A. to revoke approval of the Covid-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna.
FYI, this week the CDC also reported that Covid Vaccines Reduced Children’s Likelihood of E.R. and Urgent Care Visits.
It’s enough to make your head spin.
N.Y. health plans accuse Medicaid home care company PPL of violating antitrust laws (Spectrum Local News 1)
OPINION: With consistent oversight, New York’s CDPAP is stronger than ever You won’t be shocked to learn that PPL’s CEO is on the offensive. This follows his rosy Daily News opinion piece. (Empire Report)
Disability rights and patient advocacy groups file lawsuit against Delaware’s physician-assisted suicide law (Delaware Public Media)
How Oregon Could Cut Disabled Kids’ Services in Response To Trump Budget Bill A specific, focused look at a national problem. (Medical Motherhood)
Louisiana abruptly cuts two Medicaid contracts, putting care options for 488,500 in limbo (Louisiana Illuminator)
Federal, state budget pressure threatens Missouri at-home disability care program The state is poised to limit spending in anticipation of federal cuts to safety net programs. (Missouri Independent)
New Mexico House Republicans request federal investigation of state developmental disability program (Santa Fe New Mexican)
Housing shortage for Vermonters with developmental disabilities spurs call for more funding (Valley News)
Education Department workers targeted in layoffs are returning to tackle civil rights backlog The Office for Civil Rights had a backlog of about 20,000 discrimination cases when Trump took office in January. It has grown to more than 25,000. The government, however, still hopes to lay off the staffers. (AP)
For decades, students of color have been denied dyslexia diagnosis and intervention (The 19th)
Nurses, Social Workers Face ‘Bad Situation’ Under Proposed Loan Limits The push by Congress and Trump admin to limit the number of “professional” programs that require advanced degrees and licenses leaves out physical therapists, specialized teachers and others. (The 74)
What would education’s omission as a ‘professional degree’ mean? (K-12 Dive)
Supreme Court struggles over whether Alabama can execute man found to be intellectually disabled (AP)
Home Care Workers Are Losing Minimum Wage Protections — and Fighting Back A proposal by the Trump admin intends to end their rights to federal minimum wage and overtime. (Capital and Main)
These people know how to fix the caregiving crisis. Is it doable? The Cost of Care survey was launched in May, asking readers about their caregiving experience and what solutions would make caregiving easier. Nearly 450 people responded to the survey. (USA Today)
Solving the Home Care Quandary (New York Times)
Cracker Barrel to pay settlement to students after Maryland disability discrimination claims A group of students with autism were denied service in December 2024. (NBC News)
Trump administration reverses font change meant to aid readers with disabilities (Scripps News)
S.C. NAACP and Disabled Voters Challenge Restrictions on Voter Assistance (ACLU)
After Alice Wong’s Death, Her Friends Vow to Keep Fighting for Disability Justice (KQED)
Disney changed the disability policies for their parks. Here’s what to know (PBS)
A unique app is changing the dating game for disabled and chronically ill people (AP)
Trump administration waives $16.7 million in fines for American Airlines over wheelchair issues (Reuters)
How neurodivergent households design ‘a home that knows your brain’ (The Guardian)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, signed into law 50 years ago this week, gave children with intellectual and developmental disabilities the right to a free and appropriate education. What was then-called the Education for All Handicapped Children Act has given millions of children the chance to thrive and live full lives.
Decades later, the Trump administration has made it its mission to dismantle the structure put in place to ensure IDEA is funded and followed. So far, special ed funding and resources have been cut, state budgets are being squeezed, and the administration has already tried once to gut the program’s Office of Civil Rights in an attempt to disappear its legal responsibilities.
IDEA AT 50 This puts the law in fast context and offers an excellent slate of statistics and facts. (Center for American Progress)
The challenge of moving special ed out of the Ed Dept. Leaving federal special ed law primarily to the states means disparate access to school and resources will continue to grow. (Politico)
50 years after the birth of special ed, some fear for its future under Trump Interviews with 40 parents, educators and disability rights advocates. (NPR)
Teacher shortages hinder special ed progress Since the 1990s, the staffing storage in U.S. schools has hit special education the hardest. A look at what this means. (K-12 Dive)
Ed Dept. outsourcing is unlawful, amended lawsuit claims (K-12 Dive)
Bonuses Aren’t Solving Hawaiʻi’s Special Ed Teacher Shortage (The 74)
Michigan fails its students with disabilities, first-ever report finds (AP)
Wisconsin school districts spent more on special ed, will be reimbursed less (WPR)
Florida bill would create safety plan for students with disabilities who run away (Spectrum. News 13)
Philadelphia wants more continuity for kids with autism but planning to close classes that support it (Chalkbeat)
‘Abhorrent’: Cleveland teachers, parents criticize special ed approach in consolidation plan (Ideastream Public Media)
Upstate New York loses center providing psychiatric care to people with disabilities Factors include a lack of new psychiatrists to replace retirees. (Times Union)
Housing shortage for Vermonters with developmental disabilities spurs call for more funding (Vermont Public)
State cuts could cause lapse in transportation services for disabled adults in San Francisco (KTVU)
Oklahoma program aims to fill long-term care shortages by certifying high schoolers (Oklahoma Voice)
Minnesota issues two-year moratorium on licensing providers for HCBS (Minnesota Reformer)
California students with disabilities face ‘terrifying’ special ed cuts after Trump changes (AP)
The Undermining of the C.D.C. (The New Yorker)
Americans More Likely to Accept Guidance from AMA than CDC on Vaccine Safety (Annenberg Public Policy Center)
Kennedy Sharpens Vaccine Attacks, Without Scientific Backing (KFF)
A Look at Waiting Lists for Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services from 2016 to 2025 (KFF)
5 Key Facts About Medicaid and Provider Taxes (KFF)
To Address Disability Caregiver Crisis, Feds Look To AI U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services is launching a Caregiver AI Prize Competition. (Disability Scoop)
Trump administration threatens to withhold SNAP benefits from blue states over immigration data (NBC News)
SNAP benefits are a ‘lifeline’ — especially for people with disabilities (The 19th)
Families worry as cost of autism therapy comes under state scrutiny (Stateline)
Everyone Uses This Coping Strategy. When Does It Become a Problem? (New York Times)
Samsung Launches Accessibility Mapping Initiative for Disabilities (The Tech Buzz)
A disabled child reported missing put into federal custody for 48 days. (The 19th)
She asked her neighbours to say hi to her son. It’s sparked a conversation (CBC)
In another Trumpian “facts are not facts” move, one that has infuriated public health experts, the Centers for Disease Control’s website has adopted Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine views that childhood vaccines cause autism, “countering decades of science showing them to be safe.”
On Thursday, the website was changed to read that the claim “vaccines do not cause autism” is not evidence-based “because studies have not ruled out the possibility.”
(I honestly thought this wording would be gone by the time the newsletter went out given the PR mess it ignited, but no such luck.)
Confusingly, the header of the page still reads, “Vaccines do not cause autism,” though it comes with an asterisk explaining that “the header … has not been removed due to an agreement with the chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee [Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana] that it would remain on the CDC website.”
At least one other CDC page continues to say there was no link, reports The New York Times, as does a page on the website for the Food and Drug Administration, which Kennedy also oversees.
NPR reports that CDC scientists say they didn’t make the change, and the Department of Health and Human Services wouldn’t divulge who ordered the adjustment to the wording.
Let’s hope the facts make their way back to the website.
Education Department breakup divides K-12 community (K-12 Dive)
Ed Department Sheds Several Offices, But Spares Special Education (Disability Scoop)
Special educators, disability advocates form united front to protect IDEA The 850-member coalition supports keeping special ed programming within the Education Department, saying moving it would put IDEA at risk. (K-12 Dive)
Fragmented Federal Education Plan Could Harm Students With Disabilities, Advocates Warn (EdWeek)
AAPD Opposes Unlawful Dismantling of the Department of Education (American Association of People with Disabilities)
In NY, outcry after death of disability rights leader Jensen Caraballo Friends say he was not getting the care he needed through the state’s broken Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP). (USA Today)
Advocates for disabled rally for increased funding in Albany (Daily Sentinel)
Pa.’s independent home care workers get pay raise in state budget but agencies miss out The pay raise is only $15 from $13.51. (Trib Live)
State of New Mexico will soon offer funding for kinship caregivers through pilot program (KRQE)
Arizona disability service policies revised, but confusion and fear remains as cuts loom (Arizona Mirror)
Tennessee Voucher School Policies Often Exclude LGBTQ+ Students, Those with Disabilities (Nashville Banner)
Parents, advocates in Colorado warn of dire consequences from proposed budget cuts to ABA therapy (CPR)
Iowa Workforce Development overhaul sparks concerns about disability employment program (The Gazette)
Special education reimbursement in Wisconsin drops below rate promised in state budget (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Autistic youth are more likely to think about and die from suicide. What parents need to know (LA Times)
Medicaid Insurers Promise Lots of Doctors. Good Luck Seeing One. (Wall Street Journal)
Report: Cancer diagnoses delayed for disabled people (BBC) FYI, the U.K. study is in line with U.S. research from 2022, published by the National Library of Medicine, which shows that “a slowly growing body of research suggests that people with some types of preexisting disabilities have significantly higher rates of some types of cancer than people without those disabilities.”
As funding falters, young brain scientists rethink careers in research This “could hobble the nation’s efforts to understand and treat brain disorders including Alzheimer’s, autism, Parkinson’s and schizophrenia.” (NPR)
He Died at a School for Disabled People. Decades Later, His Brother Sought Answers. (NYT)
Disability Activists Seek Official Recognition at COP30 (Earth.org)
Food trucks are training tool for people with developmental disabilities (Dayton Daily News)
Yes, Traveling Europe With a Child With Disabilities Is Possible—Here’s What Helped Us Most (Parents)
Apple’s New iPhone Grip and Stand Puts Accessibility at the Forefront (CNET)
New NY state law requires private schools to protect against bullying (Gay City News)
NYC paraprofessionals are fighting for a $10,000 raise (Chalkbeat)
A series of tragedies exposes patterns of abuse and neglect in New Hampshire’s disability system (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 (Delaware Public Media)
New Report: Acetaminophen use during pregnancy not clearly linked to autism, ADHD (ABC News)
For Parents of Children With Autism, There Are No Easy Answers (NYT)
States scramble to send full SNAP food benefits to millions of people after government shutdown ends (AP)
NJ files neglect charges against one of state’s largest group home operators in rare move (North Jersey)
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)
Safety Expert Shares Transportation Social Story Strategies for Students with Disabilities (School Transportation News)
10 Films That Do Disability Humor Right (And a Lesson We Can Learn from Each of Them) (Reel Abilities)
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.
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)
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)
States scramble to send full SNAP food benefits to millions of people after government shutdown ends (AP)
Watch as medical students listen to the stories of people with disabilities (northjersey.com)
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)
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)
Safety Expert Shares Transportation Social Story Strategies for Students with Disabilities (School Transportation News)
10 Films That Do Disability Humor Right (And a Lesson We Can Learn from Each of Them) (Reel Abilities)
Special ed enforcement would be up to states under Trump plan (Stateline)
Trump Admin’s Recent Special Ed Layoffs Will Have Major Long-Term Impacts (CAP)
Trump Admin’s Latest Staffing Cuts at the Dept. of Ed Threaten Children’s Success Across the Country (CAP)
The Slow Death of Special Ed (The Atlantic)
Judge Orders Trump Admin on Thursday to Fully Fund Food Stamps This Month (NYT)
Trump admin appeals order to pay full November SNAP food benefits (USA Today)
SNAP Cuts Disproportionately Hurt People with Disabilities (Center for Economic and Policy Research)
The Nation’s Largest Food Aid Program Is About To See Cuts. Here’s What You Should Know. (KFF Health News)
Heightened AI use in special education brings elevated risks (K-12 Dive)
Lawmakers: N.Y. must modernize disability housing policies (Spectrum Local News)
New substance use treatment program in Minnesota is designed for people with autism (Minn Post)
‘I thought it was fake’: Arizona Autism staffer didn’t believe company email announcing termination (12 News)
Oregon schools boost graduation rates for students with disabilities (KEZI.com)
Strategies and Innovations in Medicaid Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (National Academy for State Health Policy)
New State-by-State Data Expose the Crushing Financial Strain of Family Caregiving (AARP)
Report: Most Housing Discrimination Complaints Were Disability Related (Weekly Real Estate News)
A Michigan town creates neuro-inclusive neighborhoods for people of all abilities (WXYZ.com)
Viscardi Center in Long Island, N.Y., cuts ribbon on nation’s only Museum of Disability History (Long Island Press)
Queens special ed teacher builds student confidence with help from some unlikely friends (CBS News)