News Items - August 1, 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.
The ADA at 36: An Unfinished Promise Under Attack Blog post by Center for Racial and Disability Justice Staff Members on July 26, 2026
"Defending the ADA requires more than celebrating its anniversary. It requires opposing efforts to delay accessibility, weaken enforcement, narrow the integration mandate, undermine Section 504, or push disabled people back into institutions, while demanding the social and material conditions that allow people to exercise their rights. This includes affordable and accessible housing, fully funded home and community-based services, equitable health care and education, safe and accommodating workplaces, and freedom from policing, incarceration, and institutionalization. The ADA cannot create those conditions by itself. That work requires confronting the systems that determine who receives support, who is subjected to control versus care, and who is left behind."
Disease Researchers Blame DOGE Cuts for Spiraling Cyclospora Outbreak by Sasha Abramsky on July 29, 2026 at Truthout
"CNN reported last week that cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have created a “perfect storm” in which the outbreak could go from a minor inconvenience to a national public health crisis within a matter of weeks. DOGE cut eight of the 11 jobs at the CDC lab specializing in cyclospora. Meanwhile, the rapid dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which shared facilities and personnel with the State Department and CDC, also led to the loss of many of the experts and labs dealing with exotic diseases stateside, such as cyclospora. Take down USAID — an act that DOGE marketed as being about snuffing out supposedly bloated foreign aid programs — and there’s a guaranteed impact on the CDC and on the health of Americans stateside."
DOJ, HHS, FTC, FDA: The alphabet soup of efforts to restrict gender-affirming care by Orion Rummler on July 6, 2026 at The 19th
"The United States is using the full power of the federal government to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The American Psychological Association has accused the Trump administration of ignoring science and undermining mental health through its anti-trans policies. Groups including Planned Parenthood, AIDS United and the Human Rights Campaign see these tactics as a serious threat to the private medical information of everyone, not just trans people. If doctors can’t provide treatment without fear of political retaliation, these advocacy groups say, public health will be harmed."
Thousands of Migrant Kids Are Set to Lose to Legal Representation by Brett Wilkins on July 31, 2026 at Truthout
"The Trump administration’s move to withhold over $65 million in congressionally appropriated funding starting late last year forced dozens of nonprofit advocacy groups to trim operations, refuse new clients, or end vital programs altogether. There is no apparent plan for continuing representation for roughly 20,000 children currently receiving legal assistance as they navigate the US immigration courts and deportation process."
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