Help us stop cuts to vital disability supports and services!

Congress is considering dramatic cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Programs for people with disabilities are at risk. 

April 23, 2025

On March 27, HHS announced it was “reorganizing” the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and would move critical programs to other departments at HHS. A leaked budget proposal showed a plan to defund and end several of ACL’s key disability programs. We need your help to save ACL’s programs!

Here’s some background:

ACL was created in 2012 with support from both parties to focus on the needs of older and disabled Americans and their families and caregivers. ACL successfully brought together aging and disability programs in one place with specialized expertise and a focus on these populations. This structure promoted the efficient administration of complementary aging and disability programs with similar goals. Dissolving ACL and defunding its programs sets back more than a decade of progress for those who want to live independently and thrive in their own homes and communities. Community living makes sense, not only from a disability rights perspective, but from an economic one. Supporting people with disabilities in the community prevents costly and less desirable institutional placement. 

Below are some ACL’s vital programs that are facing massive cuts or elimination in the leaked budget:

• Protection & Advocacy Systems investigate abuse and neglect in institutions and provide legal services in cases of disability discrimination. 
• Developmental Disabilities Councils fund community programs that promote self-advocacy and community participation for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities provide research, training, and technical assistance on issues impacting people with developmental disabilities across the lifespan. 
• National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research funds important disability research and community education to promote equal access. It also funds the national network of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regional centers.
• Other programs at risk for elimination provide assistive technology, family caregiver respite, senior nutrition programs like Meals on Wheels, and resources and support for those with traumatic brain injury and paralysis. 

See what other disability organizations are saying about what’s happening to ACL and its programs.

How you can help:

• Tell your representatives to protect ALL of the Administration on Community Living (ACL) programs that support people with disabilities. You can list the programs in bold above during your call. 
• Ask your representatives to make sure the programs listed in bold above are a priority in the upcoming budget process. 
• Share your story if these actions will affect you or a loved one, or if you benefit from one or more of ACL’s programs.

To find your House and Senate representatives’ names and contact information, visit: congress.gov/members/find-your-member 

Click here to open an email template you can copy, paste, and send to your members of Congress.

• You can share the Center on Disability’s posts about these cuts on your own social media accounts. Encourage others to help by sharing the post. 
• You can share the link to this webpage via email or text with your family, friends, and community members. Ask them to take action! 

Help get the word out, your voice matters!