Policy

We often hear about policies that impact the disability community in broad, sweeping terms. But the reality is that policies have real impacts on real people. Stay up-to-date on key policy issues that are important to the disability community

People Who Use Inhalers Aren’t Responsible for the Climate Crisis. Corporations and Governments Are.

Amidst global environmental tragedy, disabled people are the first to be impacted and the last to be considered. Meanwhile, abled environmentalists scapegoat disabled people as the cause of these tragedies. I am an environmentalist and was an aspiring wildlife educator.…

Photo of grocery store window says "we accept SNAP"

How Rule Changes for CalFresh Will Positively Impact Disabled Californians

During the decade or so before I landed my current job, I lived in Los Angeles while receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI). This is to say that I lived in a county where the average rent for a studio apartment…

Blue background with computer data. In the middle is a keyhole with a green eye staring directly through.

Here’s Why the Government Absolutely Should Not Monitor the Social Media of Disabled People

The New York Times recently published an article about a proposal that would allow government administrators to use evidence taken from social media to deny or revoke disability benefits from applicants. As someone who worked as a Social Security Disability…

Campaigners protest against raids on sex workers in London

Sex Work is a Disability Issue. So Why Doesn’t the Disability Community Recognize That?

Sex workers face enormous risks of violence both from the police and from clients, and they are about to face more.

Photo of a person's finger with an "I Voted" sticker stuck to it.

Midterm Elections are Over, But Our Work for Disability Representation in Government Isn’t Done

Minority groups have always been under- or un-represented in office - a fact that has left far too many voices out of the process of creating the laws we all must live by.

A row of inmates move down a walkway. Several are in wheelchairs. Another uses a walker.

VIDEO: Washington’s Greying Prisons and the Need for Geriatric Review

This video explores the need for post-conviction review legislation for aging prisoners in the state of Washington.

Lit up letters spelling "Fix Immigration now" against a dark blue sky with people standing behind the letters.

How Proposed Changes to Public Charge Will Make It Hard to Immigrate with a Disability

Immigration is already an expensive, difficult process for anyone—but it might soon become even harder for immigrants with disabilities. In October 2018, the Department of Homeland Security proposed a rule change to existing laws surrounding immigration known as public charge.…

Florida’s New “School Safety” Law Discriminates Against Students With Mental Illnesses

Note: In an effort not to conflate the specific legal meanings of “mental illness” with the intentionally broad umbrella term “neurodivergent,” the following article predominantly uses the terms “mental health” and “mental illness” rather than “neurodivergent.” However, in certain cases…

Photo of Brijana, wearing shorts and a tshirt, sitting on the grass, hugging her pit bull, whose tongue is sticking out.

Delta’s Pit Bull Service Dog Ban is Disability Discrimination: Here’s What You Need to Know

Defying disability rights, scientific fact and public outcry, Delta Airlines has prohibited pit bull-type service dogs on their flights. As of July 10th, any person with a disability who attempts to bring a pit bull-type service dog on a…