Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled

Months after the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that advocates said could have major implications for intellectual disability and how it is defined, the justices said never mind.

Supreme Court Punts On Deciding How Intellectual Disability Is Defined

"This means that if a household qualifies for SNAP or other public assistance programs and is deemed to be living in poverty even if federal programs have confirmed they are poor, their loved one with a disability over the age of 18 will be evaluated based on the value of their bedroom and how much income and assets their relatives make."

Proposed Change Could Cut SSI For Nearly 400,000 Beneficiaries Social Security is proposing a rule change that may affect hundreds of thousands of people on Supplemental Security Income who live with family or friends.

"The National Science Foundation is denying or cancelling reasonable accommodations for its disabled and medically vulnerable employees – setting a dangerous precedent that could destabilize disability rights across the entire country."

Agency Denial of Disability Accommodations Sets Dangerous Precedent for All Workers The National Science Foundation is denying or cancelling reasonable accommodations for its disabled and medically vulnerable employees – setting a dangerous precedent that could destabilize disability rights across the entire country.

The Assembly Must Pass A.6569-B!

On Tuesday, the Senate passed the Consumer Wheelchair Repair Bill of Rights (A.6569-B/S.4500-B) unanimously, after hard work from the Independent Living community to move the bill forward. This bill would improve repair processes for wheelchair users by requiring wheelchair manufacturers to provide any documents and parts needed to consumers who want to perform repairs themselves. It also establishes a timeline repair providers must adhere to for timely wheelchair repairs, eliminates prior authorizations for repairs, and establishes oversight of repair processes.

In the Assembly, A.6569-B is stalled, and there are only two days left to pass it. The Assembly is holding the bill due to concerns from two large national repair providers, even though this is a consumer bill of rights. Being without functional mobility equipment can leave wheelchair users bed bound, at high risk for pressure sores and other life-threatening issues. When repairs do not happen in a timely manner, people lose the ability to engage meaningfully with their community, cutting them off from their job, family, friends, and medical care. Despite hearing from advocates who shared their firsthand experiences with repair delays, the Assembly has prioritized appeasing corporations instead of standing up for the well-being and independence of wheelchair users.

Disabled New Yorkers wait months for their wheelchairs to be repaired. The legislature shouldn't make us wait months for a solution too. Call Assembly Speaker Carl Heastier TODAY to tell him A.6569-B (Bores) must be passed!

To call Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie: Call the Assembly switchboard at 518-455-4100 and ask for the Speaker's office.

Here is a suggested script:

"My name is [name]. I am from [town/city/village]. I am calling to urge the Assembly to pass A.6569-B (Bores), The Consumer Wheelchair Repair Bill of Rights. Disabled New Yorkers are waiting months for their wheelchairs to be repaired, putting them at risk for life-threatening health issues and cutting them off from their communities. Mandating the timeliness of wheelchair repairs as well as making other improvements to the wheelchair repair process as detailed in A.6569-B are urgently needed to ensure wheelchair users can maintain independence and quality of life. Wheelchair users cannot afford to wait any longer. The Assembly must pass A.6569-B (Bores)."

The NYS Office of the Chief Disability Officer, OPWDD, OMH, and OGS will host the 2026 ADA Celebration on July 8, 2026 from 10:00 AM–2:00 PM at Empire State Plaza.
Nominations are now open for three awards:
• Judy Heumann Lifetime Advocacy Award
• Advocate of the Year Award
• Curb Cut Effect Award
Nomination deadline: June 12, 2026, at 5:00 PM.

36th Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Awards Nomination Form The NYS Office of the Chief Disability Officer (OCDO), the NYS Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the NYS Office of General Services (OGS) are co-hosting our annual ADA celebration on July 8, 2026 at the Empire State Plaza from 10:00....

From the New York State Office of the Chief Disability Office-

The NYS Office of the Chief Disability Officer (OCDO), the NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the NYS Office of General Services (OGS) are co-hosting our annual ADA celebration on July 8, 2026, at the Empire State Plaza from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

This year, the OCDO will be sponsoring three (3) of nine (9) awards that will be presented at our ADA Celebration. Below is the nomination form for the OCDO awards. Please take a few minutes to complete a nomination for any or all of these three (3) awards.

· The Judy Heumann Lifetime Advocacy Award
· The Advocate of the Year Award
· The Curb Cut Effect Award

Nominations are due on Friday, June 12, 2026 at 5:00 pm.

Please use this link to make your nominations:

36th Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Awards Nomination Form The NYS Office of the Chief Disability Officer (OCDO), the NYS Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the NYS Office of General Services (OGS) are co-hosting our annual ADA celebration on July 8, 2026 at the Empire State Plaza from 10:00....

With the US Supreme Court poised to issue a ruling that could strip Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from hundreds of thousands of immigrant workers, the Caring Majority and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso are holding a press conference to stand with the Haitian home care workers who are the backbone of New Yorker’s home care economy.

Friday, June 5, 2026 | 10:30am EST
Location: outside the Newkirk Ave – Little Haiti Subway stop, Brooklyn

New York's home care industry was already in crisis before the current federal immigration climate: chronic workforce shortages and poverty-level wages have left hundreds of thousands of elderly and disabled New Yorkers at risk of losing the care they need to stay in their homes. Immigrant workers, many of them Haitian TPS holders, are the backbone of this workforce. The federal uncertainty coming out of Washington is making a dire situation even worse.

The press conference will bring together directly impacted Haitian home care workers and consumers who are living this crisis firsthand, alongside industry advocates and experts who can speak to how central immigrant workers are to keeping home care functioning in New York.

If you're able to attend, we'll look forward to seeing you there.

The primary election is quickly approaching on June 23, 2026, when New Yorkers will decide who will be their voice in Congress. Candidates are running in eight competitive congressional districts across a city historically dominated by the Democratic Party — at least outside of Staten Island.

When a candidate wins a party primary in New York City, it many times means they’ll sail to an easy win in the November general election. So, learn now who’s running in your district and why it matters — and remember, you must be registered with a party by June 13 to vote in the upcoming June primary election.

What can these individuals who represent you in Washington do for you back at home? A lot — if they put in the effort for their constituents. That entails handling problems with federal programs like Social Security or immigration services, complaints, red tape and more for locals.

What Can a Congressional Rep Actually Do For You? A Guide for NYC Voters Before voting kicks off in June’s primaries, here is how your federal representative can serve constituents at home.

Preserve Access to the Nursing Home Transition and Diversion Waiver!

In January, a cap was placed on the number of enrollees in the Nursing Home Transition Diversion (NHTD) Waiver. The waiver immediately hit capacity, and they have stopped accepting any new referrals.

The NHTD Waiver was developed by the disability community to provide a unique and necessary set of community-based services. There is no process in place for someone seeking these services to get them once a spot opens up. Right now, someone who needs these waiver services would have to call the Regional Resource Development Center (RRDC) in their region every single day to see if there is a spot open and start the enrollment process.

A.10403 (Paulin)/S.9573 (Rivera) creates a region-specific waitlist for the waiver. If this bill is not passed this week, people with disabilities and their families will spend the rest of the year wondering if they will ever be able to access these services, with no answers or path forward. Disabled people have fought decades for our right to live in the community. Don’t let session end without a way for us to get out and stay out of institutions.

Tell the Legislature it is time to take action and pass A.10403 (Paulin)/S.9573 (Rivera).

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie: Call the Assembly switchboard at 518-455-4100 and ask for the Speaker's office.

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins: Call the Senate switchboard at 518-455-2800 and ask for the Majority Leader's office.

https://ilny.us/advocacy/action-alerts