ANCOR American Network of Community Options and Resources

08/20/2026

TIME published an op-ed from Barbara Merrill and the Honorable Tony Coelho addressing the current attacks on disability rights that threaten the promised right to inclusion for people with disabilities.

Read here: https://time.com/article/2026/08/11/the-promise-we-made-to-americans-with-disabilities-is-under-attack/

08/12/2026

Does your organization provide employment and/or day services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)? Take the 2026 National Survey of Community Rehabilitation Providers (CRPs)!

ANCOR & Institute for Community Inclusion have partnered to launch the survey so we can better understand provider services, workforce trends, and emerging practices that support people with IDD. Your input will help inform national research, policy, and practice.

Visit https://CRPSurvey.com to learn more about the study, access the Study Fact Sheet, and complete the survey by Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

08/11/2026

In TIME, ANCOR CEO Barbara Merrill and the Honorable Tony Coelho share why the foundation that underpins our nation’s wide spectrum of community-based services is crumbling and how continued attacks risk the inclusion this country promised to people with disabilities through the ADA.

Read our op-ed ⬇️

“The foundation that underpins our nation’s wide spectrum of community-based services is crumbling,” write Barbara Merrill and Tony Coelho.

08/10/2026

ANCOR is proud to support the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Access Act reintroduced by Senator Ben Ray Luján and U.S. Senator Tim Kaine.

This bill will make much-needed investments into the Medicaid HCBS system, while addressing systemic barriers that have kept community-based supports out of reach for hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities.

Learn more ⬇️

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Access Act, legislation to ensure older adults and people with disabilities have a real choice between receiving long-term care at home or in institutional setting...

08/06/2026

Breaking news!

Today, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted the Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act unanimously out of committee. This moves this critical bill one step closer on its path to passage.

Help us keep up the momentum. Take action and ask your members of Congress to support the direct support workforce!

The bipartisan Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act urges the Office of Management and Budget to establish a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) for direct support professionals (DSPs).

08/04/2026

In the latest from Washington Post, Lydia Dawson, ANCOR Vice President of Government Relations, shares why we're concerned about the administration's commitment to community integration.

Read more ⬇️
https://www.facebook.com/washingtonpost/posts/pfbid031fvdfWYo6USW381TGLEdepnkDmaNRgvAZtXce4JLDkbtGgBL1cAw6cXD8hYHfgD5l

Tim Shriver said that a recent Justice Department memo could lead to more people with disabilities being institutionalized.

08/03/2026

Next up for the Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act: a markup in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on August 5.

With your help, we can keep up the pressure on Congress to pass this critical bill. Take action today and ask your members of Congress to support the direct support workforce and ensure better data collection!

The bipartisan Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act urges the Office of Management and Budget to establish a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) for direct support professionals (DSPs).

07/31/2026

“Support for services for people with disabilities, support for the [Americans with Disabilities Act] has always been classically bipartisan. To have this administration say they are not going to enforce Olmstead and the integration mandate is stunning.” said Barbara Merrill, CEO of ANCOR.

Read more in POLITICO's West Wing Playbook newsletter about the U.S. Department of Justice's recent guidance and why ANCOR is fighting for community living for people with disabilities.

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07/29/2026

07/23/2026

Each July, Disability Pride Month invites us to celebrate the strength, diversity, and contributions of people with disabilities while recognizing the importance of creating communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

by Jordan Baker, Relias
https://www.ancor.org/connections/disability-pride-month-honoring-progress-advancing-inclusion-every-day/?_zs=xHjem1&_zl=tlhqA

While tremendous progress has been made over the past three decades, Disability Pride Month reminds us that inclusion is an ongoing commitment — one that requires all of us to continue removing barriers and expanding opportunities.