5/12/26 - Home care, technology, and business accessibility
Hi there!
What's happening with you this week? When you have a few minutes to spare, here are three disability-related articles to check out – a new resource on home care policy in the US, an effort to promote assistive technology, and businesses working together to make accessibility better.
Home and Community Based Services Impacts Tracker Project
Milken Institute of Public Health, George Washington University - May 8, 2026
Source: Alison Barkoff on LinkedIn
"States’ Medicaid programs are facing increased budget pressure from federal policy changes, including over $900 billion in reduced federal Medicaid funding due to the 2025 reconciliation bill, H.R. 1 (OBBBA). Based on evidence from past major reductions of federal Medicaid funds, many states are likely to respond by cutting optional services like Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), services that support older adults and people with disabilities to live in their homes and communities. Some states are already proposing and implementing HCBS cuts."
This is a good followup to the article on Home and Community Based Services reform models shared in yesterday's newsletter. Whether or not any positive reform happens, state long term care / home care programs are about to be hit with funding cuts from the federal government, thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Each state will have to figure out what to do about it. And it looks like this will be a good place to monitor each state's approaches and how they could affect people with disabilities.
A bill would explore making NH a ‘technology first’ state on disability. Here’s what that means.
William Skipworth, New Hampshire Bulletin - April 13, 2026
"For example, in Missouri which has adopted the framework, the state offers automatic medication dispensers instead of hiring a direct support professional to come to a disabled person’s home and administer medicine when possible. Washington, D.C., has a program that allows people with physical disabilities to receive smart speakers that can control household features, such as lights, with their voice. In Ohio, the state established 10 regional “tech hubs” where people can be trained on using these new assistive technologies."
It feels like one of those situations where disabled people might get some improvement they've been wanting for decades, but for the wrong reasons. I like the idea of making assistive technology easier to get and pay for. But I don't like seeing it pitched as a solution to the cost and difficulty of providing human home care. Assistive technology can do a lot to enhance disabled people's independence. It's not always an adequate substitute for personal care.
How A Coalition Of Retail Giants Is Rewriting Accessibility Standards
Keely Cat-Wells, Forbes.com - May 10, 2026
"Launched in October 2024, the coalition brings together some of the largest retailers, hospitality brands, and consumer companies in the world to do something the industry has historically resisted: treat accessibility not as a compliance line item, but as an industry-wide design standard."
Based on the title, I thought this was going to be an article on "retail giants" banding together to weaken accessibility requirements. I'm glad to see that seems not to be the case. I hope this effort is monitored very carefully to make sure what they come up with really are improvements for disabled people. So far, the results look positive, and the way access problems are being identified and prioritized seems right.
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:
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