Disability News - January 31, 2026
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.
Texas and Eight Other States Renew Attack on Section 504 and the Right of Disabled People to Live in their Communities Published the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund on January 28, 2026
"The states’ latest attack on disability rights is a revised version of the lawsuit Texas v. Kennedy (formerly Texas v. Becerra). In the earlier version of the case, Texas and 16 other states argued that Section 504 itself is unconstitutional and challenged updated Section 504 rules published by HHS in 2024. After outrage and advocacy from the disability community, the states withdrew their claim that Section 504 is unconstitutional. The remaining states continue to challenge the updated rules."
The DREF website has several pages of information on this topic. If know people in Texas, Alaska, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, and South Dakota ask them to contact their governors and attorneys general to withdraw this lawsuit and stop attacking the right of people with disabilities to live and participate in their communities. Also encourage them to spread the word to others in those states.
AAPD Resources and News Sources Amidst ICE Violence Published by the American Association of People with Disabilities Press Team on January 28, 2026
This is a collection of resources for individuals with disabilities both in Minnesota and elsewhere. There are also news articles about how ICE activity is impacting disabled people.
‘I’d Be Left Alone’: Medicaid Cuts Put Disabled Patients’ In-Home Care at Risk by Hyeyoon Cho on January 18, 2026 at KQED
"The budget proposed over $1 billion in mostly ongoing cuts to in-home supportive services, including limits on provider pay and hours and the elimination of benefits for certain groups. Although this was not adopted in the final budget, a plan for freezing new Medi-Cal enrollments from undocumented adults, including IHSS eligibility, was adopted and is set to begin in 2026, while existing enrollees retain coverage."
The Trump Administration’s ICE and CBP Have Become a Threat to Americans: Congress Must Ensure That DHS Follows the Law and Adopts Commonsense Reforms by Dan Herman, Allie Preston and Gréta Bedekovics on January 28, 2026 at the Center for American Progress
"The recent killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis are the latest in a pattern of dangerous, reckless law enforcement tactics that are terrorizing communities, costing lives, trampling on Americans’ constitutional rights, violating the law, and undermining actual immigration enforcement."
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