The past few weeks have been hard for our communities. This is a Plain Language explanation of some of the tough things. We also talk about ways you can act now to protect our rights.

President Trump put out some dangerous executive orders. Executive orders are instructions by the President about how the government should follow a law. President Trump put out executive orders about:

• Stopping Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) programs. DEIA programs help people who have been discriminated against get better chances in life. Discrimination means getting treated unfairly because of who you are. For example, racism is a kind of discrimination. A DEIA program might help people of color get better jobs. But President Trump said DEIA programs are against the law. This will hurt people who get discriminated against at jobs and in other places. You can learn more about this from AAPD.

• A plan to “Make America Healthy Again”. This executive order says bad things about disabled people. It also calls autism a “disease”. This is not fair to autistic people and people with other disabilities. You can learn more about this from ASAN’s statement.

Also, Robert F Kennedy became the head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS is the part of government in charge of rules about health care in the U.S. Robert F Kennedy thinks vaccines cause autism. Having him lead HHS could be very dangerous. You can see ASAN’s statement here.

It can be overwhelming to watch so much go wrong all at once. It can make us feel like there is nothing we can do. But there is still action we can take. We will put out more “roundup” emails like these. We will talk about ways you can fight against policies that harm our communities. We will also share resources to help you learn and advocate. Our community is stronger together, and we’ve got your back.

Here are some of the actions you can take this week:

Speak out for Medicaid

Talk to your Representative and Senators and tell them to say no to cuts to Medicaid!

Medicaid is a life saving program for disabled people. Medicaid services help disabled people do things like:

• Eat

• Get dressed

• Get to and from work or school

We know Medicaid is very important for people with disabilities. But some people in Congress think the government should spend less on Medicaid.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives plans to vote on a budget resolution. A budget resolution is a plan for what will get cut from the U.S. budget. Right now, Congress is working on a budget resolution that would take away money from Medicaid. We need to work together to stop this budget resolution. Call and/or email your Representative today or tomorrow to make sure they hear from you before the vote!

First time calling your members of Congress? Don’t worry - we’ve got a guide to help you feel prepared.

Cutting money from Medicaid means people with disabilities will lose their services. There is no way to cut Medicaid that won’t hurt disabled people who need it. We need to tell Congress: no cuts to Medicaid! 

Want to set up a meeting with your Senators or Representatives? They’re an extra helpful way to make sure your elected officials hear from you. We still need your members of Congress to hear how important Medicaid is after this vote. So you should still try to meet with them, even if that meeting happens after Tuesday. We have a guide on how to set up and get ready for your meeting here. 

When you talk to your members of Congress about Medicaid, work requirements might come up. Work requirements are rules that say some people need to work to get Medicaid. These rules are not fair. We want to fight back against work requirements in Medicaid. You can look at some extra information about work requirements here. 

Our elected officials work for us, so make your voice heard!

Tell Congress to vote “no” for Linda McMahon to lead the Department of Education

The Department of Education is the part of government in charge of making rules about schools. President Trump chose Linda McMahon lead the Department of Education. Next, Congress has to vote to give the okay to the President’s choice. 

Linda McMahon is not a good choice to lead the Department of Education.  She thinks it is okay to discriminate against disabled students and other children. She also does not understand important laws about schools. For example, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that gives rights to children with disabilities in schools. When she got asked about IDEA, Linda McMahon did not know what IDEA was for.  

Students are already getting hurt by new rules from the government. President Trump has gotten rid of services to help students who get discriminated against in school. He also said he would fire or arrest teachers who teach about racism or support LGBTQ+ students. President Trump even said he wants to get rid of the whole Department of Education. The Department of Education is a very important part of government. Students would have a much worse time at school without the money and rules from the Department of Education. 

ASAN wants all students to have what they need at school. If Linda McMahon leads the Department of Education, schools would have a harder time getting students what they need. Please call your Senators and tell them to vote NO on McMahon! We’ve got a script and tips to help you call.

Protect Section 504

Right now, 17 states are in a lawsuit to try and get rid of Section 504. Section 504 is a law that says places that get money from the government cannot discriminate against disabled people. For example, places like:

• Schools

• Doctor’s offices

• Workplaces

• Government buildings and websites

One part of Section 504 talks about gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is a feeling some trans people get when their bodies don’t match how they feel inside. Doctors will say someone has gender dysphoria so that person can get trans health care, like hormone therapy.  In 2022, a federal court said that sometimes gender dysphoria may count as a disability. This means that disability law can protect people with gender dysphoria. Section 504 rules say that it agrees that this is the law. It said that Section 504 uses the same definitions for disability and that Section 504 also could sometimes protect people with gender dysphoria. 

The lawyers in each state that lead big lawsuits are called Attorney Generals. Some of the state Attorneys General who want to end Section 504 are lying to people. These Attorney Generals say they only want to get rid of the part of 504 that talks about gender dysphoria. But this is not true. The lawsuit asks the courts to get rid of Section 504 entirely. This would hurt trans people, and it would also hurt all disabled people. 

The state Attorney Generals are making excuses. They are discriminating against trans people, and using that discrimination to try and get rid of 504. This would make things worse for both disabled and trans people in many ways. We’re in this fight together. We won’t let these states hurt the rights of disabled people. We won’t let these states get away with discriminating against trans people.

Here are the 17 states in the lawsuit against Section 504:

• Alaska

• Alabama

• Arkansas

• Florida

• Georgia

• Iowa

• Indiana

• Kansas

• Louisiana

• Montana

• Missouri

• Nebraska

• South Dakota

• South Carolina

• Texas

• Utah

• West Virginia

If you live in one of these states, call or write to your State’s Attorney General. Ask them to drop the lawsuit against 504. This link explains more about how to do that, and has examples of what to say.

Our communities are better and stronger together. We must keep taking care of each other. We must keep fighting back against the ways the government tries to hurt disabled people. ASAN will be here with you every step of the way. Thank you for reading, and for taking action!

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

PO Box 66122
Washington, DC 20035

 

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