News Items - March 29, 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.
Home Care Wasn’t Ready for the Climate Crisis—Even Before Trump’s Cuts by Julia Métraux on March 26, 2026 at Mother Jones
"In 1981, Congress amended the Social Security Act to help millions of disabled people and older adults move out of institutions. Through home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers, some 7 million Medicaid recipients now receive support that lets them stay in their communities. But after years of neglect under both parties, experts fear that sweeping cuts to both Medicaid and FEMA—especially under the GOP’s most recent budget bill—may be the final straw for the often small, privatized, and budget-strapped providers behind that care."
Disabled Organizers Are Facing Down Trump’s Immigration Crackdown by Marianne Dhenin on March 25, 2026 at Truthout
"As the Trump administration’s assault on migrant communities escalates, members of the disability community are showing up for their neighbors on all fronts — in Congress and the courts, at protests, and as nodes in mutual aid and ICE watch networks. Disabled organizers who spoke to Truthout said the attacks feel all too familiar, and it’s a fight they cannot imagine sitting out."
Progress or Digital Colonization? AI Data Centers Spark Debate on Native Lands by By: Jen Deerinwater & Jesse Deer In Water on March 10, 2026 at Crushing Colonialism
"Debates rage on within Native communities over concerns about the resources needed to power the centers, the environmental impacts of such centers, and the rampant cultural appropriation and creative and cultural theft predominant in AI. Some in Indian Country believe data centers can be used for the betterment of Tribes, while others are diametrically opposed."
Olympics cave to Trump, banning transgender women from competition by Jacob Ogles on March 26, 2026 at Advocate
"The move follows mounting political pressure in the United States as Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Games. President Donald Trump said earlier this year that transgender athletes could be denied visas to enter the country for competition and signed an executive order aimed at barring transgender women from participating in women’s sports domestically."
Meanwhile: Tuesday, March 31st is Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), "to raise awareness about transgender people. It is a day to celebrate the lives and contributions of trans people, while also drawing attention to the disproportionate levels of poverty, discrimination, and violence the community faces compared to cisgender (non-transgender) people." - Post by GLAAD for 2026 TDOV.
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