Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)

08/08/2026

Please join us in welcoming Leah Kang to DREDF as our new Supervising Senior Attorney.

Leah brings extensive experience advancing disability rights, civil rights, and racial justice. Before joining DREDF, she served as a Senior Attorney at Disability Rights California, where her work focused on issues affecting youth with disabilities. She has also worked at the ACLU of North Carolina, Forward Justice, and Advancement Project, advocating for equity and justice across communities.

Leah's experience as a litigator, educator, and civil rights advocate will strengthen DREDF's work to defend the rights of disabled people and advance disability justice.

We're excited to welcome Leah to the team and look forward to the impact she'll make alongside our community.

Learn more about Leah: https://dredf.org/person/leah-kang/

08/06/2026

Disability Culture is the pride, creativity, ingenuity, and community that have carried our movement forward for generations.

For 47 years, DREDF has been part of the disability community, working to defend our rights and advance our shared future.

This year's gala celebrates not only our history but also the vibrant disability culture which continues to power the fight for a more inclusive future.

Reserve your place for the September 10 Gala and celebrate Disability Culture: Loud. Proud. Unstoppable.

https://dredf.org/event/47th-gala/

08/05/2026

Community is one of our greatest strengths.

We are proud to partner with Brandeis University’s Lurie Institute for Disability Policy on this new case study exploring how peer support strengthens pathways to home and community-based services for disabled people of color.

Peer support helps people navigate complex systems, build community, strengthen self-determination, and remain in their communities. It also reminds us that advancing disability rights means addressing the barriers that disproportionately affect disabled people of color.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this important work.

We encourage you to read and share this resource.

07/29/2026

More than 8 million children with disabilities rely on strong federal oversight to help ensure they receive the education and supports guaranteed under federal law.

That's why DREDF is joining with disability, education, and civil rights organizations in supporting the bipartisan Protecting Students with Disabilities Act (S. 5046). This bill would prohibit the administration from moving special education and rehabilitative services out of the U.S. Department of Education, helping preserve the expertise, accountability, and transparency that children and families depend on.

Congress must act to keep special education where it belongs.

Contact your U.S. Senators today and urge them to support S. 5046 and oppose efforts to move special education and rehabilitative services out of the Department of Education. Thank Senators Kaine, Murkowski, and Collins for their leadership and for introducing the bill that will be considered in a Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee session Thursday, July 30th.

Education is a right, and the key to our future. Defend it.

Read the joint statement: https://www.centerforlearnerequity.org/press/disability-education-and-civil-rights-partners-support-the-bipartisan-bill-that-prohibits-move-of-special-education-programs/

07/28/2026

Join us tonight for an evening of conversation and connection with Dara Baldwin about her journey to become a disability activist and policymaker while facing the reality of the erasure of people of color in the disability rights movement.

Register now!: https://dredf.org/event/lets-talk-about-the-problem-with-author-dara-baldwin/

07/27/2026

A law is only part of the story. How it's implemented can determine who keeps their healthcare.

Congress has passed a law that will cause millions of people to lose Medicaid coverage. Now, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is writing the rules that states must use to implement the law. Those rules will make it easier to lose health coverage, harder to stay covered, and much harder to qualify for an exemption from the law.

The good news? The public has an opportunity to push back against those rules, document the impact, and keep them on record for future action.

Our latest carousel explains what's at stake, why this CMS rule matters, why public comment matters, and how you can participate before this Friday’s (July 31) deadline.

Together, we can fight for a better tomorrow.
Use American Association of People with Disabilities's comment submission template at https://aapd.quorum.us/campaign/166295/?utm_source=Main+AAPD+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=978313f958-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2026_07_15_01_47&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_7d4fdb3943-978313f958-49914529

Submit comment directly on Regulations.gov: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/CMS-2026-2047

07/26/2026

Today marks the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA was the result of decades of work by disabled people, parents, advocates, attorneys, and allies who organized, negotiated, and pushed for change. Their efforts established disability rights as civil rights and transformed what was possible for millions of people. At DREDF, we are proud to have been part of that history.

The ADA's anniversary is also a reminder that protecting civil rights requires ongoing work. Every day, DREDF works to defend the rights the ADA secured through litigation, public policy, education, and advocacy. As challenges emerge and efforts to erode our rights continue, we remain committed to protecting and advancing disability rights.

You can visit our website to read "The Making of the ADA" and stay up to date on our work to protect disability civil rights: https://dredf.org/the-making-of-the-ada/ and watch this segment from "Change, Not Charity" from American Experience | PBS.

07/21/2026

What does Disability Pride mean to you?

At the start of Disability Pride Month, our staff took a moment to reflect on that question together.

The answers were as unique as the people who shared them. Pride meant joy. Community. Authenticity. Identity. Resistance. Gratitude. Leaving shame behind. Taking up space. Finding belonging. Building a world where everyone is included.

The majority of DREDF's staff identify as disabled, and these reflections remind us of the shared mission at the heart of DREDF and the diverse personal experiences and passion for disability rights that fuel our work as we continue to commit to building a future where everyone can live with dignity, freedom, and access.

We invite you to read through our team's reflections and then ask yourself:
What does Disability Pride mean to you?

Tell us in the comments.

07/20/2026

Disability rights do not stop at the immigration system.

Many of those in detention centers or navigating immigration proceedings have disabilities. Yet, too many people don't know that Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act protects disabled people from discrimination by federal immigration agencies, including USCIS, ICE, CBP, and immigration courts.

DREDF's new resource explains:
- When Section 504 applies in immigration settings
- The right to reasonable accommodations and effective communication
- Examples of how these protections work in practice
- Steps advocates and attorneys can take to help enforce these rights

Read our new overview: https://dredf.org/application-of-section-504-to-immigration-2026/

07/17/2026

The Trump administration's proposal to revive a harmful public charge policy will make immigrant families, which include disabled people, even more afraid to access health care, food assistance, and other essential services.

Policies like public charge force people to choose between meeting basic needs and seeking asylum, or risking detention or deportation by ICE. This administration and these policies separate families, put people's health at risk, and make communities less safe.

No one should be punished for accessing essential services. DREDF joined 725 organizations in opposing the rule in December, and continues to oppose any policy that uses fear and discrimination to deny people their civil and human rights.

Read the comments we signed on to:https://pifcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/PIF-Public-Charge-Sign-On-Comment-December-19-2025.pdf

Learn more about What Advocates Need to Know from Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition: https://pifcoalition.org/resources/library/public-charge-what-advocates-need-to-know/

Read this article from APNews:

The Trump administration is reviving a rule that could deny green cards to immigrants who use public benefits that could include food stamps, Medicaid, housing vouchers and more.