ASAN August Update

Dear friends,

For many people, August is the last month of summer vacation - the perfect time to sit back, relax and take it easy before work and school pick back up. But for ASAN and the disability community, the waning warm days have meant working harder than ever. Read on to learn more about what’s been keeping us busy this August.

The White House proposed a new rule that would roll back current protections against discrimination in healthcare settings. Read ASAN’s full comments on the proposed rule here. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has also now finalized their proposed “public charge” rule, an overtly racist and ableist regulation. These regressive policies don’t appear out of thin air. They’re made possible when malicious, bigoted narratives are allowed to spread unchallenged. So when the President uses disabled people as scapegoats after a mass shooting, we’re ready with the facts needed to amplify the truth. As long as dangerous, dehumanizing myths still linger, we’ll be giving you the tools you need to combat the lies and change the narrative.

This month, Congress was home for their August recess. While your elected officials were back home, you made calls, met with them in person, and used social media to implore them to #WorkWithUs to pass the legislation that would finally end subminimum wage and make integrated employment the law of the land. We’re so grateful for all of the time and energy you put into the campaign this month.

It’s been a long month, and anyone in our community would have been justified in disengaging, sitting back, and taking a vacation. But you kept fighting, and so did we. Together, we can make sure that when it comes to our rights, there will be nothing about us, without us!

Sincerely,

Zoe Gross
Director of Operations
Autistic Self Advocacy Network