4/30/26 - More policy changes, and a guide to autism rhetoric at Health and Human Services

Good afternoon!

We're almost ready to wrap up April. Tomorrow, paid subscribers will get a recap of all of April's shared links. Everyone will get a Friday video. Monday's newsletter will be a Comments post. And of course, the Spring 2026 Poll is still open ...

And now, for the last shared links for April 2026!

The Trump Administration Aims to Penalize Disabled Adults Who Live With Their Families

Eli Hager, ProPublica - April 28, 2026

"For Burton, now 22, the $994 monthly benefit is lifesaving but not enough to completely support herself on her own. So, like many SSI recipients, she has continued to live with her father, who makes around $2,000 a month as a Philadelphia sanitation worker ... Now, President Donald Trump’s administration is poised to penalize people like Burton simply for living in the same home as their families, according to four federal officials, internal emails and a federal regulatory listing. The administration is working on a rule change that would deduct the value of a disabled adult’s bedroom from their SSI allotment, even if the family members they live with are poor enough to qualify for food stamps. This would mean slashing the benefits of some of the most low-income SSI recipients by up to a third — about $330 a month in Burton’s case — or ending their support altogether."

Trump administration delays rule aimed at improving disability access in schools

Jonaki Mehta, National Public Radio - April 22, 2026

"Many institutions had been racing, for at least two years, toward a deadline that was originally set for this Friday to comply with new federal accessibility guidelines updating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It was a day disability rights advocates had been eagerly awaiting ... But just four days ahead of the deadline, the Justice Department overrode the original rule and said public entities serving 50,000 or more people will now have until April 26, 2027. Smaller public institutions will have until that date in 2028."

These links describe two different kinds of policy change that would be bad for disabled Americans. One seems like a potentially devastating financial hit for families that care for adults with disabilities. One wonders which values or ideologies it's meant to satisfy, other than a comparatively modest savings for the government. The other move may look like a reasonable, low-stakes delay in a niche type of accessibility – certainly better than cancellation, and not that big a deal. But, it's also hard to imagine why American school need another year to make their websites accessible, when website accessibility has been well understood for years, even decades. It's starting to seem like a handful of Trump administration officials are now looking around for low-impact or under-the-radar conservative-coded actions they can take and maybe get away with – just to be able to tell certain hardliners they are doing them. It might be funny if it wasn't also so potentially harmful to actual disabled people.

Autism, HHS, and Public Health: Unpacking Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Year in Misinformation

Autistic Self Advocacy Network - April, 2026

"HHS is supposed to support public health to keep all Americans healthy. Secretary Kennedy has done the opposite. It is important to understand how HHS has hurt people and stop them from hurting more. Autistic people deserve to live in a world without our government spreading lies that endanger us. All politicians need to protect their constituents, but we cannot do that until we recognize the harm Secretary Kennedy is spreading."

Here's one more item to mark Autism Acceptance Month. There is so much to document and discuss about the changes in approach to autism that the US Department of Health and Human Services under RFK, Jr. has been pushing for the last year. At this point, trying to track it all by reading specific articles and official announcements doesn't seem adequate. That's why "toolkits" like this one are so important and helpful.

Disability 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:

• A monthly recap with links to all of the previous month's shared articles, organized by topic.
• Listing as a supporter, and a link to your website if you have one.
• You can recommend one disability-related article for me to share per month in a weekday post.

To to subscribe, upgrade to paid, or make a one-time donation, click one of the buttons below:

I am so grateful for your help and engagement, in whichever forms you choose!

Free subscribers: 1,279
Paid subscribers: 45