5/6/26 - Forced to work, punished for working, and yelled at for parking

Hello!

I'm afraid it's another day of articles about the many ways disabled people are pushed, pulled, and browbeaten for trying to live our lives. I promise, tomorrow I'll try to share something a bit more encouraging!

As States Implement Medicaid Community Engagement Requirements, Due Process Safeguards Loom Large

Sara Rosenbaum, Alison Barkoff, Allyson Crays, Health Affairs - April 15, 2026

"Under H.R. 1’s community engagement standards, adult Medicaid beneficiaries ages 19–64 whose eligibility is based on the ACA Medicaid expansion must document 80 hours per month of work or community engagement activities unless they qualify for an exemption. Eligible activities include employment, job training, education, or volunteering; the exemptions span health considerations, family status (for example, being a parent of a child under 14), and certain living circumstances such as residence in a federally identified disaster area ... Thus far, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees implementation of the community engagement amendments, has not addressed the due process issue, other than mentioning hearing rights in a relatively offhand fashion."

This is a fairly dense, complex overview of the new "community engagement" requirements that will soon be applied to millions of Medicaid recipients, including at least some – probably many – who have disabilities or chronic illnesses. But it's worth reading. We should all at least be aware that some fairly damaging decisions will soon be made, cutting off people's health care based on new rules and involving tangles of technicality – with relatively little attention to building out the "due process" procedures disabled people might use to get their health care back. It's been said before, but these efforts to push disabled people on benefits into work are especially ironic. Maintaining eligibility and compliance for getting benefits is a job in itself. And here in the US, it's about to become a much harder, more time-consuming job than ever before.

Disabled woman feels 'penalised' for wanting to work

Galya Dimitrova, British Broadcasting Corporation - April 27, 2026

"Lucy Robinson, president of the European Spinal Cord Injury Federation (ESCIF), said she has received care for years from personal assistants, both at home and when travelling outside the UK for work ... But the 38-year-old, from west Oxfordshire, said Thames Valley Integrated Health Board (ICB) wrote to her on 14 April, telling her care delivered overseas could not be authorised under its current policy. ... Robinson said the decision letter said "their provision ceased at the border and that they weren't able to provide the care"."

This sort of decision resonates for disabled people in general, not just one person with spinal cord injury and a unique job. Most disabled people don't have jobs that require overseas travel. Most don't need 24 hour personal care either. But many of us do need that much care or at least a lot of it. Some of us do travel beyond our city, county, state or national borders for work. And some of us dare to think that maybe we deserve some recreational travel once in a while, even though we use government-funded care. This case seems particularly pointless, since the cost of Robinson's care would be exactly the same during her international trip as it would at home. But even if it happened to cost a bit more, shouldn't there be some provision for allowing care to happen during trips – for family visits, for work, and yes, even the occasional vacation?

‘People assume we’re grifters’: disabled Britons report rise in abuse over blue badges

Frances Ryan, The Guardian - April 29, 2026

"The AA has called for a crackdown on people using fake or stolen blue badges as the number on the scheme grows, while the Daily Mail “names and shames” drivers taken to court for fraudulently using a badges ... But the culture of suspicion has, according to the dozens of users who contacted the Guardian, given rise to a tide of abuse from members of the public towards badge holders, including accusations that they are faking their disability."

The UK seems to be suffering an especially nasty strain of anti-benefits bile at the moment. But Americans with disabilities are also quite familiar with being badgered and questioned about whether we deserve to park in accessible spaces. I have had a theory about this for a long time. I think that for many people who are otherwise ignorant of disability rights issues, getting outraged at what they see as misuse of "handicapped parking" is their version of standing up for disability rights. They may not care about our support benefits, home care, building accessibility, or health care. They may even use disability slurs like the R-word now and then. But if they see someone that "doesn't look disabled" parking in an accessible space, they go ballistic – and then pat themselves on the back for defending some Platonic idea of the "real handicapped person" who is deserving of help. I don't want to completely dismiss the possibility of good intentions. But as a disabled person who uses accessible parking, with a permit, I want to say, "Thanks, but could you chill?"

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