> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 9/28/26 - Another strike against community integration - URL: https://disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io/9-28-26-another-strike-against-community-integration/ - Published: 2026-09-28T18:30:58.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-28T18:30:58.000Z - Author: Andrew Pulrang ## Good afternoon! Last week ended with some bad news for community integration policy. Put that way, it doesn't sound as bad as it probably is. And how bad it actually is remains uncertain. For now, the best we can do is catch up on what happened, and revisit why it matters. ![Fall leaves illustration divider](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/51/9951e709-0bb8-4ee3-8557-6b5a3d3af05b/content/images/2026/09/Autumn-Trim.png) ## [***Texas v. Kennedy* Abandons Federal Commitment to Community Integration**](https://mailchi.mp/aapd/the-defend-community-integration-coalition-dcics-statement-on-texas-v-kennedy?e=00adff17a6&ref=disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io) American Association of People with Disabilities - September 24, 2026 > "Yesterday, the federal judge in the case of *Texas v. Kennedy* entered an order throwing out the community integration provisions of the Section 504 rule issued in 2024 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The order applies across the country." I don't know if the American Association of People with Disabilities was the first disability organization to announce and comment on this latest development in the legal fight for and against community integration. But, their statement was the first I heard of it on Thursday evening. ## [**Defend Community Integration Coalition**](https://ncil.org/community/?ref=disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io) Updated September 24, 2026 > "National disability organizations, allies, and advocates all across the country are coming together to defend the right of people with disabilities to live in our own communities. The Defend Community Integration Coalition is a coalition of national, state, and local organizations and individuals who will work together to protect community living." This relatively new coalition of disability organizations seems to be closely coordinating their responses to U.S. government and judicial threats to the principles and practices of supporting disabled people in their own homes and communities. The list of cooperating disability agencies is impressive, though the absence of some others is notable, too. That's probably something worth discussing in the near future. ## [**For Disabled Americans, This Section 504 Ruling Is Personal**](https://gracedowwrites.com/2026/09/27/for-disabled-americans-this-section-504-ruling-is-personal/?ref=disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io) Grace Dow, Grace Dow Writes - September 27, 2026 > "I have cerebral palsy, and I’ve lived in my own apartment for the last six years. Living in my own home and being independent is extremely important to me. It is about having choices. Think about the choices all of us make every single day, like what you want for dinner tonight, what you’re going to do today, and when you want to get up in the morning ... If I lived in a nursing home or other institutional setting, many of those choices would no longer be mine to make. Dinner might be whatever is on the menu that night. The staff could dictate what my schedule looks like. I could lose much of my freedom. That is why a federal court decision issued this week is so concerning." Some disability issues only require basic explanation a handful of times, after which pretty much everyone "gets it," even if they don't care so much. At this point, most people understand what ramps are for, even if they don't see them as a priority. Most people know it's some kind of wrong to make fun of disabled people, even if they do it anyway. If you try to explain these things too often, it can come across as repetitive and condescending. But I don't think it's possible to over-explain "community integration," or why it's important to make it possible for disabled people to live in their own homes and not be forced into care facilities like nursing homes. Personal descriptions and testimonies like Grace Dow's will always be needed – even more so when we are faced with seemingly obscure court rulings and administrative obstacles to our own freedoms. ![Fall leaves illustration divider](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/51/9951e709-0bb8-4ee3-8557-6b5a3d3af05b/content/images/2026/09/Autumn-Trim.png) ![Take Action](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/51/9951e709-0bb8-4ee3-8557-6b5a3d3af05b/content/images/2025/05/Action-1.png) [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/51/9951e709-0bb8-4ee3-8557-6b5a3d3af05b/content/images/2026/09/Action-Alert-Panel-2.png)](https://adawatch.org/defend-community-integration/?utm%5Fsource=ADA+Watch%2FCoalition+for+Disability+Rights+%26+Justice&utm%5Fcampaign=883c34243d-EMAIL%5FCAMPAIGN%5F2026%5F09%5F07%5F08%5F47%5FCOPY%5F04&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fterm=0%5F7665bb8412-6f264753f3-293996726) [![Tell Congress to Stop the Dismantling of the Department of Education and Protect Students with Disabilities - American Association of People with Disabilities](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/51/9951e709-0bb8-4ee3-8557-6b5a3d3af05b/content/images/2026/06/Action-Alert-Panel-1.png)](https://aapd.quorum.us/campaign/148277/?ref=disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io) [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/51/9951e709-0bb8-4ee3-8557-6b5a3d3af05b/content/images/2026/06/Action-Alert-Panel-5.png)](https://aapd.quorum.us/campaign/160329/?ref=disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io) ![Fall leaves illustration divider](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/51/9951e709-0bb8-4ee3-8557-6b5a3d3af05b/content/images/2026/09/Autumn-Trim.png) ![Share, Comment & Subscribe](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/51/9951e709-0bb8-4ee3-8557-6b5a3d3af05b/content/images/2025/09/Like--Comment--Support.png) [*Disability Thinking Weekday*](https://disability-thinking-weekday.ghost.io/) is a Monday-Friday newsletter with links and commentary on disability-related articles and other content. 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