10/12/26 - Taking stock
Good afternoon ...
Let's start the week with three links aimed at assessing where we are and what's going on for people with disabilities right now.
Also, note that there's a new Take Action item below. It's an updated call for congressional support of community living, which is the topic of the first of today's links.
The federal government is backing away from a decades-old disability rights promise
Sara Luterman, The 19th - October 7, 2026
"Before the legal mandate for the “most integrated setting,” there were places like Willowbrook State School in Staten Island, New York. Thousands of people with intellectual, developmental and psychiatric disabilities were left to languish in overcrowded, isolated facilities separate from the outside world. Before Olmstead and the disability rights movement, hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities were confined to state hospitals and asylums, often for their entire lives ... This history is one of the reasons many disability rights groups have responded so loudly to the resolution of Texas v. Kennedy. The other reason is the steps that the federal government under President Trump has taken to roll back the protections guaranteeing people with disabilities a right to live in homes of their choosing and as members of a community and not an institution."
Please do read the entire article. It provides a good overview of what's going on with the U.S. government's moves away from supporting community home care, living, and deinstitutionalization. A selected quote like the one above can't convey the fully story. In this case, you can't avoid some level of complexity and mixed messaging. Sara Luterman's piece includes information on several distinct but interlocking issues, as well as serious warnings alongside valid reassurances. Even if you've read other articles about this recently, read this one. I found it helped me get a grip on the whole situation that I haven't quite had until now.
She Appeared On ‘Sesame Street’ At Age 10 To Talk About Disability. Decades Later, She's Still Fighting.
Rajul Punjabi-Johnson, Huffpost - September 29, 2026
"There’s a quote I think about a lot. It’s not intended to be from a religious standpoint, but it happens to be a quote from the Talmud, which is a Jewish book: 'You’re not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.' ... I really love that because it means that everybody has a responsibility to each other, but it also means if you need to set that work down for a moment and give yourself a rest, you can do that because there are other people who are carrying it."
This is another helpful overview. It's an interview with a longtime advocate, author, and familiar voice in disability culture, on the state of disability advocacy today. Emily is one of the first disability advocates and writers I "met" when I really started getting into online disability culture. I'm excited to see the new edition of her book. And I can relate to a lot of what she ways about where we are today and where we've all been.
Reminder: Take AAPD's Community Input Survey
American Association of People with Disabilities
"Are you dealing with a health condition, or an aging or changing body and/or mind? Does the way you navigate the world feel different from others, or overlooked? We want to learn from you! You can help us build a program that will help people with similar experiences."
And here's another online survey assessing the current state of disabled people's priorities and disability culture. It's an opportunity to add your own voice and perspective on what matters for disabled people right now.
IDisability Thinking Weekday is a Monday-Friday newsletter with links and commentary on disability-related articles and other content. You can help promote Disability Thinking Weekday by forwarding it by email or posting on your social media. You can also comment by sending me an email at: apulrang@icloud.com. Collected comments are shared on the first of each month. A free subscription sends a newsletter to your email each weekday. Benefits of paid subscription include:
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