Disability News August 2, 2025
Editor's Note: The disability community is increasingly preferring to use identity-first language (disabled person) in place of person-first language (person with a disability). This is because many in the community view disability as being a core component of identity, much like race and gender. Some members of the community, such as people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, still prefer person-first language. Both should be considered valid. Articles shared in this newsletter may contain one or the other (or both) depending on the author's preference, and if they themselves have a disability.
The Trump Administration’s War on Disability by Mia Ives-Rublee and Casey Doherty on July 28, 2025 at the Center for American Progress
"Executive actions, budget cuts, layoffs, and legislation—all enacted in the Trump administration’s first six months—have curtailed disability rights and services, including access to Medicaid and the right to free, appropriate public education."
The Trouble With Trump’s Homelessness Plan by Christie Thompson on July 28, 2025 at the Marshall Project
"The Trump administration is pushing to involuntarily commit more people to psychiatric hospitals in an effort to keep them off the street, according to a new executive order issued Friday [July 25]. Shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order,” the memo states. It also calls for defunding “housing first” programs, which prioritize quickly getting people into stable housing with fewer restrictions."
RFK Jr. May Purge Cancer Screening Panel for Being Too ‘Woke’ by Ed Cara on July 28, 2025 at Gizmodo
"The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on Kennedy’s plan last Friday. RFK Jr. is expected to remove all 16 members of the USPSTF, allegedly because they’re too “woke.” The move would follow Kennedy’s recent gutting and reshaping of the CDC’s similar advisory panel on vaccines, which has already ushered in unscientific policy changes."