Disability Justice Initiative

Submitting Comments in Support of DOL Rule To Eliminate Section 14(c), Ending Subminimum Wages for Disabled People

This column provides background on Section 14(c) and guidance on how to submit a comment on the Biden administration’s proposed rule to eliminate subminimum wages for disabled people.

‘Patrice: The Movie’: A Reel Progress Screening

Join the Center for American Progress for a special screening and discussion on a documentary rom-com about the next phase of marriage equality: disability.

The Top 5 Ways Project 2025 Would Hurt Disabled People

Project 2025 would directly harm disabled people by removing basic civil rights protections and making it harder for these individuals to access necessary resources and services.

How the Biden-Harris Administration Is Ensuring Voting Accessibility

Disabled voters face significant barriers to voting, which the Biden-Harris administration has taken significant action to address.

Congress must reauthorize the Older Americans Act to keep seniors safe from heat

In a new article published in STAT, Marquisha Johns and Casey Doherty discuss the threat extreme heat poses to older adults, especially those with disabilities, calling on Congress to authorize the Older Americans Act.

It’s Past Time To Address Reproductive Equity for Disabled People

Advocacy groups and policymakers have long ignored reproductive rights and equity for disabled people, which is why it is essential to bring these issues to the forefront.

Long-Term Solutions to the Overincarceration of People With Mental Health Disabilities

Policymakers must focus on long-term structural changes in order to reduce the negative interactions of people with mental health disabilities with police.

The Recent COVID-Fueled Rise in Disability Calls for Better Worker Protections

Policymakers must take steps to address the recent rise in disability, which has been fueled by long COVID.

2023 CAP IDEAS Conference

Join the Center for American Progress as we celebrate 20 years of innovative policy solutions and look boldly forward to a progressive future.

Toolkit: Submitting Comments in Support of HHS Rule To Improve Medical Equipment Accessibility

This toolkit provides guidance for reproductive rights and disability rights organizations and others who seek to submit a comment on the Biden administration’s proposed rule on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Opinion: The GOP wants to put work requirements on Medicaid recipients. That could be devastating for thousands of Americans

Mia Ives-Rublee explains how instituting Medicaid work requirements could be detrimental to thousands of Americans.

A Collaborative Agenda for the Disability and Reproductive Justice Communities in 2023

The Center for American Progress recently hosted a roundtable of more than 20 advocates from the reproductive and disability rights and justice communities—and has compiled the top five policy priorities important to focus on this year.

Revolutionizing the Workplace: Why Long COVID and the Increase of Disabled Workers Require a New Approach

Using new data from the U.S. Census Bureau to examine the impacts of long COVID on the labor market, this report recommends that employers, unions, and policymakers create better workplaces for disabled workers and all workers.

Administrative Burdens: How the Social Safety Net Is Failing Disabled People

Disabled Americans describe their, often dehumanizing, experiences trying to overcome unnecessary barriers to access vital assistance from the government.

How Dehumanizing Administrative Burdens Harm Disabled People

Unnecessary barriers make accessing basic supports extremely difficult for disabled people across the country.

Keeping Americans with disabilities from poverty must remain a priority

Mia Ives-Rublee discusses how the Supplemental Security Income program helped her overcome the structural barriers to employment and economic security that millions of disabled people experience and urges lawmakers to strengthen the program.

The ADA at 32: Understanding the Rights of Disabled Asylum-Seekers

Experts discuss the Americans with Disabilities Act while highlighting the important intersection between immigration and disability rights.

Crossing the Border: How Disability Civil Rights Protections Can Include Disabled Asylum-Seekers

Civil rights protections designed to protect disabled people from discrimination, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, are powerful tools for ensuring that disabled asylum-seekers have access to the protection and services they need in the U.S. immigration system.

Rethinking Guardianship: Emma’s Story

Emma Budway describes her experience as a nonspeaking autistic woman under guardianship and the benefits of less restrictive alternatives.

Rethinking Guardianship To Protect Disabled People’s Reproductive Rights

Restrictive guardianships deserve increased scrutiny from policymakers in order to ensure that disabled people are not denied their reproductive rights.

The 32nd Anniversary of the ADA

Improving the U.S. Asylum System for Disabled Noncitizens

Removing Obstacles for Disabled Workers Would Strengthen the U.S. Labor Market

Although disabled people saw increased employment rates in 2021, their rates continue to lag significantly behind those of their nondisabled counterparts, signaling the urgent need for policy reform across federal and state governments.

COUNTERPOINT: Masks remain an essential tool to protect against COVID

Mia Ives-Rublee argues that masks remain a critical preventive measure to avoid future COVID-19 surges and protect those at higher risk of severe illness.

As the US reaches 1 million COVID-19 deaths, Congress still has work ahead

Mia Ives-Rublee writes about the congressional action that is still needed to address COVID-19.

Reproductive Justice for Disabled Women: Ending Systemic Discrimination

As access to reproductive rights continues to shrink in the United States, disabled women struggle to gain visibility around their rights and needs.

Employers Are Ignoring Disabled Workers at Their Own Peril

Mia Ives-Rublee urges employers to adjust to the needs of the disability community in response to the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

Living at the Intersection: Black Disabled Women and Girls

This video features two Black disabled women—Eman Rimawi-Doster and Heather Watkins—who discuss the barriers they face.

Expanding Education Access for Black Girls With Disabilities

To create more equitable education systems, policymakers must understand how racism, ableism, and sexism intersect and negatively affect Black disabled girls’ ability to attain an education.

How To Make Policies Work for Black Women With Disabilities

To create more equitable systems, policymakers must take an intersectional approach that includes Black women and girls with disabilities.

10 Policies To Improve Economic Security for Black Women With Disabilities

To advance economic security for Black disabled women and girls, policymakers must make intersectionality central to modernizing the social safety net and to dismantling the barriers that contribute to inequality.

Improving Health Outcomes for Black Women and Girls With Disabilities

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed disparities in access, care, and health outcomes that Black disabled women and girls have had to face.

Alleviating Food Insecurity in the Disabled Community

As food insecurity worsened for the disability community during the pandemic, several disability organizations developed innovative solutions that could provide a road map toward better equity around food access.

Returning To School Must Include a Reinvestment in Section 504 Plans

The United States Must Advance Economic Security for Disabled LGBTQI+ Workers

Data indicate that disabled LGBTQI+ workers experience higher rates of barriers to obtaining and maintaining employment, resulting in difficulties in obtaining economic security.

Supplemental Security Income: An Essential Program for Disabled Americans

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a vital anti-poverty program for disabled people, and Congress has the monumental opportunity to raise benefits and fix harmful archaic rules.

The ADA at 31: Expanding Disability Rights in the Time of COVID-19

On the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and in light of the devastating impacts of the ongoing pandemic, this video emphasizes the need to permanently expand disability rights.