AAPD - The American Association of People with Disabilities

In a new blog for AAPD, disability advocate Lilly Grossman wrote about why it's so important for disability support services to be portable across states. Read the blog at https://ow.ly/tTiY51019kg.

Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) has officially started! Learn more about becoming a DMD coordinator on our website: https://www.aapd.com/disability-mentoring-day/

Election Day is on November 3, less than two weeks away. AAPD has made it easy to make your plan to vote using our My Plan To Vote form. Fill the form out to make your own voting plan ASAP! It is available in many languages. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Dvez-WEgnKNrNOiUe9u8nm5kDrUd6lhN/edit

It’s Disabled Women’s Equal Pay Day. Too many disabled women are forced to live in poverty due to asset limits and work requirements that restrict access to lifesaving programs. We deserve better. Help fight for economic security for disabled women: https://aapd.quorum.us/campaign/57635/

Earlier this week, the disability community lost Becky Ogle, one of our greatest advocates. Ogle was instrumental in the passing of the ADA and spent decades mobilizing disabled people in political action. She will be deeply missed.

There's still time to submit a comment opposing the changes to the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Comments close October 20th at 11:59 PM ET. Leave a comment: https://aapd.quorum.us/campaign/170801/

AAPD's 2026 Fall Interns have arrived! 🥳 Read more about them at: https://www.aapd.com/meet-the-fall-2026-interns/

Early voting starts in 13 states this week! Check your registration at vote.gov, review your options for voting in your state, and vote as early as you can!

There's still time to participate and complete our Community Input Survey for our new learning program. Learn more at: https://ow.ly/yaSw50ZW65o

Tomorrow! Join the Defend Community Integration Coalition’s (DCIC) Community Briefing on Texas v. Kennedy and Community Integration, October 8, from 3-4 PM ET. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5FL6kIydQ9q_11HXEMFu8Q#/registration

Voter registration deadlines are quickly approaching! 11 states have voter registration deadlines today. Check your registration status or complete your registration at vote.gov.

We're so excited to announce that Sirius Dice has launched the Dungeons & Dragons Accessible Adventures – Disability Pride Dice Set! A portion of the money from each physical dice set sold will be donated to AAPD. Disabled people belong in every community, in fantasy worlds and in real life.

October marks National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)! It’s a month dedicated to recognizing the contributions of people with disabilities in the workplace.

Today is the LAST DAY to apply to join our 2027 Summer Internship Program! Read below to learn more. Applications close on Thursday, October 1 at 5 PM ET. Apply today at https://www.aapd.com/summer-internship-program/.

AAPD is proud of Summer Internship Program alum D'Arcee Charington Neal for his role in Being Heumann! D'Arcee plays Ron Washington, one of the organizers of the Section 504 Sit-Ins. Being Heumann premieres in theaters on Nov. 6 & on Apple TV on Nov. 13. Congrats to D'Arcee & the Being Heumann team!

The US House of Reps is working to protect community integration. Newly introduced H.Res. 1586 reaffirms that we have a right to exist in our communities.

There are just 5 days left to register for AAPD’s first-ever in-person Alumni Network Gathering in Washington, DC, from November 6 - 8. Register by September 30 at 3 AM ET. Registration may close sooner if we reach capacity. Register: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NovemberAlumniGathering

There is still time to apply to join AAPD’s 2027 Summer Internship Program! Within the Summer Internship Program, AAPD hosts a Bobby Silverstein Fellow for folks interested in the legal field. Applications close October 1 at 5:00 PM ET. Apply: https://www.aapd.com/summer-internship-program/

Update to the Texas v. Kennedy case. Some community integration regulations from Section 504 of the Rehab. Act of 1973 will no longer be in effect. Full statement at: https://www.aapd.com/aapd-statement-on-ruling-vacating-community-integration-provisions-in-2024-section-504-rule/

AAPD is excited to announce the eight recipients of our 2026 Tony Coelho Media Scholarship! Learn more about the recipients at https://www.aapd.com/aapd-announces-2026-recipients-of-the-tony-coelho-media-scholarship/

Disability Voting Rights Week may be coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean our work is! Election Day is in just 46 days. We're calling on all Accessible Democracy Defenders to take these 5 actions:

Getting involved with your local community before Election Day is important. Here are a couple ways you can do that. See if there’s a REV UP coalition in your state: https://www.aapd.com/revup-join/

Quick reminder that there is just one week left to apply for the 2027 Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leader Award. The application closes Wednesday, September 23 at 5 PM ET. Apply here: https://www.aapd.com/paul-g-hearne-emerging-leader-award/

We know that election day feels far away, but if you're disabled, you already know: planning ahead is how we ensure success (and success at the ballot box is your right!). Plan ahead. Vote. Be an accessible democracy defender! Are you already registered to vote in 2026? 😎

Being an accessible democracy defender means making voting accessible to everyone. This includes voters with disabilities, who face many barriers to voting. If you’re interested in participating in Disability Voting Rights Week, go to https://www.aapd.com/dvrw-2026-toolkit

DVRW is here, starting today, through this Friday, September 18. Search here to find events in your area: https://www.mobilize.us/rev-up-aapd/. If you find one, go connect with your local community! Be sure to download our DVRW toolkit: https://www.aapd.com/dvrw-2026-toolkit

As of Thursday, Sept 10, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) has been moved from the Department of Education to the Administration on Disabilities within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This move could be stopped and reversed.

The Department of Labor just updated Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, and it's going to negatively impact disabled workers. Let’s talk about it. Read our full statement: https://www.aapd.com/labor-day-2026-dol-regulations-statement/

New news regarding the protecting the right of people with disabilities to live in our homes and in our communities. Read the full letter: https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2026-09/Governors_Letter_on_Olmstead_9-2026.pdf

AAPD is launching a new program! We need input from many people, and we want to hear from you! Survey takes 10 minutes and is in English, Spanish, ASL with voiceover, and Easy Read. Learn more: https://www.aapd.com/community-input-survey-for-new-learning-program/

Summer Internship Program alum HuáHuī Samuel Vogel wrote a beautiful reflection about how his adoption story and medical journey inspired their passion for advocacy. Read it: https://ow.ly/eBKF50ZyZgg

Our partners at DREDF and AAPD released a new report on barriers to #DisabilityBenefits. They found more barriers came about as the government cut staff and regional offices, replacing some with #AI: lnk.to/barrier. @dredf.bsky.social @aapd.com 📸 Photo Credit: @affecttheverb.com/Disabled and Here…

Before the week/month conclude, I need to share a huge CONGRATULATIONS to the 2026 @aapd.com summer interns. I'm so glad I got to learn from them this summer. Their presentations this afternoon were excellent. Special shoutout to Raven Diaz for her amazing work @americanprogress.bsky.social!

Calling disabled leaders with bold ideas: The 2027 AAPD Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leader Award applications are now open! Apply by September 23rd, join our webinar on August 26th, and learn more today on our website: www.aapd.com/paul-g-hearn...

AAPD is hiring 2 Alumni Network Regional Gathering Co-Organizers to help plan and execute our upcoming Washington, DC Alumni Network Gathering on November 6-8, 2026! Apply here by August 16, 5 PM PT: https://ats.rippling.com/aapd-jobs/jobs/9ac50c26-64b9-4d68-812b-9850e98a23c4

We’re feeling ✨kinda chic✨lately, are you?

36 years ago today, the ADA was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush (with AAPD co-founder Justin Dart by his side!). The ADA transformed this country and access to public life for disabled people. Today, we are still fighting to protect the ADA and other hard-fought disability rights.

Summer Internship Program alum Jack Reeves wrote about the intersection of LGBTQI+ Pride Month and Disability Pride Month. As the U.S. celebrates its 250th anniversary, Jack argues it is important to ensure the rights of disabled and LGBTQI+ Americans. Read the blog at https://ow.ly/BR4t50ZmfFv.

Last month, AAPD was in PBS NewsHour, The New York Times, NPR, and Where the Ramp Ends for our work on disability rights and independent living. Across these stories, AAPD was cited as a leading voice on how recent changes to disability policy could threaten the dignity of disabled Americans.

AAPD is hosting a webinar on July 14 from 2 - 3:30 PM ET about the Medicaid work requirements. Panelists Rachel Patterson from Patterson & Meek and Jennifer Lav from the National Health Law Program will discuss how disabled people may be affected. Register at https://ow.ly/nnv750ZlLqm.

The ADA’s legacy is still being written. Join AAPD on July 22 at the Westin DC Downtown as we celebrate 36 years of the ADA, honor the leadership of Rep. Steny Hoyer and gather in community for the work ahead. Tickets: https://ow.ly/6HR550ZlcZH #ADA36 #DisabilityRights

Disability Mentoring Day takes place this October! Join an AAPD orientation call to learn how you can become a DMD Coordinator and help disabled students and young people connect with mentors and explore career paths. July 16 or Aug. 20, 4 - 5 PM ET Sign up: https://ow.ly/Ol5A50ZjrRv

July is Disability Pride Month! To kick off the month, AAPD Editorial Manager Naomi Hess wrote a blog about the importance of disabled love in all its forms. Read the full blog: https://www.aapd.com/disabled-love-will-keep-us-going/