Darren Bates
@dlbllc.bsky.social
Disability Policy Director | Global Accessibility & Disability Inclusion Strategist | Bulldog Lover | Disabled | LGBTQ+ | “If your fight for democracy doesn’t include disabled people, you’re doing it wrong.”
https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenbatesll
https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenbatesll
Reposted by Darren Bates
Republicans' Big Ugly Bill gave Trump $190 billion for DHS, including $75 billion for ICE and $65 billion for CBP.
That's money Republicans stripped from rural hospitals and helping people afford health care.
Congress should claw it back and put serious restraints on DHS.
That's money Republicans stripped from rural hospitals and helping people afford health care.
Congress should claw it back and put serious restraints on DHS.
January 28, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Republicans' Big Ugly Bill gave Trump $190 billion for DHS, including $75 billion for ICE and $65 billion for CBP.
That's money Republicans stripped from rural hospitals and helping people afford health care.
Congress should claw it back and put serious restraints on DHS.
That's money Republicans stripped from rural hospitals and helping people afford health care.
Congress should claw it back and put serious restraints on DHS.
Reposted by Darren Bates
Critical special education programs and disability civil rights enforcement functions may be moved out of the U.S. Department of Education, which could weaken federal oversight and enforcement, creating new risks for students with #disabilities and their families. Learn how you can take action ⬇︎
Take Action to Protect Special Education and Disability Rights - Disability Belongs™
Critical special education programs and disability civil rights enforcement functions may be moved out of the U.S. Department of Education.
www.disabilitybelongs.org
January 28, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Critical special education programs and disability civil rights enforcement functions may be moved out of the U.S. Department of Education, which could weaken federal oversight and enforcement, creating new risks for students with #disabilities and their families. Learn how you can take action ⬇︎
Take Action to Protect Special Education and Disability Rights
Your voice matters.
- Oppose any cuts to the Department of Education
- Reject any plan to move special education programs or disability civil rights enforcement out of the Department
www.disabilitybelongs.org/2026/01/doe-...
Your voice matters.
- Oppose any cuts to the Department of Education
- Reject any plan to move special education programs or disability civil rights enforcement out of the Department
www.disabilitybelongs.org/2026/01/doe-...
Take Action to Protect Special Education and Disability Rights - Disability Belongs™
Critical special education programs and disability civil rights enforcement functions may be moved out of the U.S. Department of Education.
www.disabilitybelongs.org
January 27, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Take Action to Protect Special Education and Disability Rights
Your voice matters.
- Oppose any cuts to the Department of Education
- Reject any plan to move special education programs or disability civil rights enforcement out of the Department
www.disabilitybelongs.org/2026/01/doe-...
Your voice matters.
- Oppose any cuts to the Department of Education
- Reject any plan to move special education programs or disability civil rights enforcement out of the Department
www.disabilitybelongs.org/2026/01/doe-...
Reposted by Darren Bates
Disabled, impacted by the winter storm & need help? Discapacitade, impactade por la tormenta invernal y necesita ayuda?
Local aid (ayuda local) try 211, 311, 800.733.2767
Call/text (llame) Disability & Disaster Hotline 800-626-4959 or [email protected]
#WinterStorm
Local aid (ayuda local) try 211, 311, 800.733.2767
Call/text (llame) Disability & Disaster Hotline 800-626-4959 or [email protected]
#WinterStorm
January 26, 2026 at 3:10 PM
Disabled, impacted by the winter storm & need help? Discapacitade, impactade por la tormenta invernal y necesita ayuda?
Local aid (ayuda local) try 211, 311, 800.733.2767
Call/text (llame) Disability & Disaster Hotline 800-626-4959 or [email protected]
#WinterStorm
Local aid (ayuda local) try 211, 311, 800.733.2767
Call/text (llame) Disability & Disaster Hotline 800-626-4959 or [email protected]
#WinterStorm
Reposted by Darren Bates
The ABLE Age Adjustment Act took effect on January 1st, raising the #disability onset age for #ABLE eligibility from before age 26 to before age 46, opening access to tax-advantaged savings for millions more disabled adults. Learn more about this change and why it matters at the link below!
State Policy Update: ABLE Age Adjustment Act Expands Eligibility Nationwide - Disability Belongs™
On January 1, 2026, the ABLE Age Adjustment Act opened access to tax-advantaged savings for millions more disabled adults.
www.disabilitybelongs.org
January 21, 2026 at 4:48 PM
The ABLE Age Adjustment Act took effect on January 1st, raising the #disability onset age for #ABLE eligibility from before age 26 to before age 46, opening access to tax-advantaged savings for millions more disabled adults. Learn more about this change and why it matters at the link below!
Reposted by Darren Bates
H.R. 1 introduced changes to provisions that directly impact the #disability community’s access to government-funded programs such as Medicaid, SNAP, the ACA, and SSI. Our H.R. 1 Tracking Project outlines key provisions and their effective dates.
Image Description: The U.S. Capitol building in D.C.
Image Description: The U.S. Capitol building in D.C.
H.R. 1 Tracking Project – Disability Belongs™
Learn more about changes in H.R. 1 that directly impact the disability community’s access to government-funded programs.
www.disabilitybelongs.org
January 17, 2026 at 5:31 PM
H.R. 1 introduced changes to provisions that directly impact the #disability community’s access to government-funded programs such as Medicaid, SNAP, the ACA, and SSI. Our H.R. 1 Tracking Project outlines key provisions and their effective dates.
Image Description: The U.S. Capitol building in D.C.
Image Description: The U.S. Capitol building in D.C.
Reposted by Darren Bates
Proud to steward this work. The Disability Belongs™ Policy Agenda is a long-term, disability-centered framework grounded in civil rights & lived experience—designed to guide advocacy beyond any single legislative cycle & advance independence, community participation, and belonging across systems.
We're excited to share our first-ever Disability Belongs™ Policy Agenda, which outlines the key reforms, legislative efforts, and suggested systemic shifts necessary to advance equity, accessibility, and inclusion. Read it at the link below!
Disability Belongs™ Policy Agenda
Our Policy Agenda outlines the key reforms, legislative efforts, and suggested systemic shifts necessary to advance equity, accessibility, and inclusion.
www.disabilitybelongs.org
January 13, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Proud to steward this work. The Disability Belongs™ Policy Agenda is a long-term, disability-centered framework grounded in civil rights & lived experience—designed to guide advocacy beyond any single legislative cycle & advance independence, community participation, and belonging across systems.
Reposted by Darren Bates
At the end of 2025, Congress let enhanced premium tax credits that had helped bring down the cost of the Stacy Cox + her husband John's ACA coverage expire. They were quoted $2,168.68 a month for the same plan that had previously cost them just under $500 a month.
@bcrodriguez.bsky.social reports.
@bcrodriguez.bsky.social reports.
What women business owners are poised to lose with health insurance cuts
The Affordable Care Act offered a practical pathway for more women to become self-employed. As a critical enrollment deadline expires with no subsidies, that could collapse.
19thnews.org
January 15, 2026 at 10:27 PM
At the end of 2025, Congress let enhanced premium tax credits that had helped bring down the cost of the Stacy Cox + her husband John's ACA coverage expire. They were quoted $2,168.68 a month for the same plan that had previously cost them just under $500 a month.
@bcrodriguez.bsky.social reports.
@bcrodriguez.bsky.social reports.
After a tense day of confusion, the Trump Admin. moved Wed. night to restore roughly $2 billion in federal grant money for mental health & addiction programs. The money had been cut off late Tues without warning....
#mentalhealth #Disability #SAMHSA #addiction
www.npr.org/2026/01/15/n...
#mentalhealth #Disability #SAMHSA #addiction
www.npr.org/2026/01/15/n...
24 hours of chaos as mental health grants are slashed then restored
For 24 hours, it was unclear which mental health and addiction programs would survive and who would still have jobs when the dust settled.
www.npr.org
January 15, 2026 at 4:07 PM
After a tense day of confusion, the Trump Admin. moved Wed. night to restore roughly $2 billion in federal grant money for mental health & addiction programs. The money had been cut off late Tues without warning....
#mentalhealth #Disability #SAMHSA #addiction
www.npr.org/2026/01/15/n...
#mentalhealth #Disability #SAMHSA #addiction
www.npr.org/2026/01/15/n...
Legal challenges like this matter because they shape how disability civil rights are enforced across systems. States pressing forward with this lawsuit risk undermining protections people rely on every day.
#DisabilityRights #CivilRights
www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/01/13/s...
#DisabilityRights #CivilRights
www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/01/13/s...
States Decline To Drop Lawsuit Threatening Disability Rights Protections
As federal officials look to clarify recent rules designed to bar disability discrimination in health care, a long-simmering lawsuit threatens to invalidate them altogether.
www.disabilityscoop.com
January 13, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Legal challenges like this matter because they shape how disability civil rights are enforced across systems. States pressing forward with this lawsuit risk undermining protections people rely on every day.
#DisabilityRights #CivilRights
www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/01/13/s...
#DisabilityRights #CivilRights
www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/01/13/s...
Proud to steward this work. The Disability Belongs™ Policy Agenda is a long-term, disability-centered framework grounded in civil rights & lived experience—designed to guide advocacy beyond any single legislative cycle & advance independence, community participation, and belonging across systems.
We're excited to share our first-ever Disability Belongs™ Policy Agenda, which outlines the key reforms, legislative efforts, and suggested systemic shifts necessary to advance equity, accessibility, and inclusion. Read it at the link below!
Disability Belongs™ Policy Agenda
Our Policy Agenda outlines the key reforms, legislative efforts, and suggested systemic shifts necessary to advance equity, accessibility, and inclusion.
www.disabilitybelongs.org
January 13, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Proud to steward this work. The Disability Belongs™ Policy Agenda is a long-term, disability-centered framework grounded in civil rights & lived experience—designed to guide advocacy beyond any single legislative cycle & advance independence, community participation, and belonging across systems.
Reposted by Darren Bates
We're excited to share our first-ever Disability Belongs™ Policy Agenda, which outlines the key reforms, legislative efforts, and suggested systemic shifts necessary to advance equity, accessibility, and inclusion. Read it at the link below!
Disability Belongs™ Policy Agenda
Our Policy Agenda outlines the key reforms, legislative efforts, and suggested systemic shifts necessary to advance equity, accessibility, and inclusion.
www.disabilitybelongs.org
January 13, 2026 at 3:25 PM
We're excited to share our first-ever Disability Belongs™ Policy Agenda, which outlines the key reforms, legislative efforts, and suggested systemic shifts necessary to advance equity, accessibility, and inclusion. Read it at the link below!
CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF BOB KAFKA
January 31st, 2026.
Text, links, and more information can be found at: adaptoftexas.org
January 31st, 2026.
Text, links, and more information can be found at: adaptoftexas.org
January 13, 2026 at 5:25 PM
CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF BOB KAFKA
January 31st, 2026.
Text, links, and more information can be found at: adaptoftexas.org
January 31st, 2026.
Text, links, and more information can be found at: adaptoftexas.org
Jan. 6, 2026: A federal judge halted HHS guidance banning DEIA language in Head Start grants. Language is not neutral—erasing words that name marginalized communities has long preceded civil rights erosion. Disabled people must not be erased.
#DisabilityRights #Accessibility #CivilRights #HeadStart
#DisabilityRights #Accessibility #CivilRights #HeadStart
January 7, 2026 at 8:15 PM
Jan. 6, 2026: A federal judge halted HHS guidance banning DEIA language in Head Start grants. Language is not neutral—erasing words that name marginalized communities has long preceded civil rights erosion. Disabled people must not be erased.
#DisabilityRights #Accessibility #CivilRights #HeadStart
#DisabilityRights #Accessibility #CivilRights #HeadStart
Reposted by Darren Bates
As we begin 2026, Disability Belongs™ remains committed to advancing disability-led public policy, expanding opportunity, and safeguarding essential programs and civil rights. (continued in replies)
January 6, 2026 at 4:46 PM
As we begin 2026, Disability Belongs™ remains committed to advancing disability-led public policy, expanding opportunity, and safeguarding essential programs and civil rights. (continued in replies)
"On January 1, 2026, a major change to ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) accounts took effect nationwide. The ABLE Age Adjustment Act raised the disability onset age for ABLE eligibility from before age 26 to before age 46..." www.disabilitybelongs.org/2026/01/able...
State Policy Update: ABLE Age Adjustment Act Expands Eligibility Nationwide - Disability Belongs™
On January 1, 2026, the ABLE Age Adjustment Act opened access to tax-advantaged savings for millions more disabled adults.
www.disabilitybelongs.org
January 6, 2026 at 3:31 PM
"On January 1, 2026, a major change to ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) accounts took effect nationwide. The ABLE Age Adjustment Act raised the disability onset age for ABLE eligibility from before age 26 to before age 46..." www.disabilitybelongs.org/2026/01/able...
Medicaid work rules are not neutral. Added paperwork and reporting have a long record of pushing eligible #disabled people off coverage.
Exemptions on paper aren’t enough. Work rules must not become a back-door Medicaid cut.
🔗 www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/01/05/m...
Exemptions on paper aren’t enough. Work rules must not become a back-door Medicaid cut.
🔗 www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/01/05/m...
Medicaid Changes Could Limit Access For People With Disabilities, Advocates Warn
As federal officials begin to outline more stringent Medicaid eligibility rules, worries are running high about what the changes will mean for people with disabilities.
www.disabilityscoop.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Medicaid work rules are not neutral. Added paperwork and reporting have a long record of pushing eligible #disabled people off coverage.
Exemptions on paper aren’t enough. Work rules must not become a back-door Medicaid cut.
🔗 www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/01/05/m...
Exemptions on paper aren’t enough. Work rules must not become a back-door Medicaid cut.
🔗 www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/01/05/m...
Reposted by Darren Bates
Legendary disability rights activist Bob Kafka passed away. What a huge loss. I sure hope heaven is accessible, otherwise they’re in big trouble. His memory will be a blessing! apple.news/Awvp9TBzjRTy...
Disability rights advocate Bob Kafka dead at 79 — NPR
Bob Kafka was an organizer with ADAPT (American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today), a group which advocates for policy change to support people with disabilities.
apple.news
December 28, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Legendary disability rights activist Bob Kafka passed away. What a huge loss. I sure hope heaven is accessible, otherwise they’re in big trouble. His memory will be a blessing! apple.news/Awvp9TBzjRTy...
Reposted by Darren Bates
A profound loss for the disability community. May his memory be a blessing.
Disability rights advocate Bob Kafka dead at 79
Bob Kafka was an organizer with ADAPT (American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today), a group which advocates for policy change to support people with disabilities.
www.npr.org
December 28, 2025 at 12:14 AM
A profound loss for the disability community. May his memory be a blessing.
Reposted by Darren Bates
When the federal government erases words like ‘disability’ and ‘accessibility,’ it doesn’t create neutrality, it weakens civil rights, obscures legal obligations, and makes disabled people and older Americans less visible across society and the programs meant to serve them.
#WordBan #Disability
#WordBan #Disability
December 18, 2025 at 8:41 PM
When the federal government erases words like ‘disability’ and ‘accessibility,’ it doesn’t create neutrality, it weakens civil rights, obscures legal obligations, and makes disabled people and older Americans less visible across society and the programs meant to serve them.
#WordBan #Disability
#WordBan #Disability
Reposted by Darren Bates
Restrictions on language in federal programs “word ban” —reflect an ugly & familiar historical pattern: when terms that name & protect marginalized groups are erased, civil rights protections weaken soon after, making #disability & access less visible in policy and practice.
san.com/cc/preschool...
san.com/cc/preschool...
Preschool network Head Start sues feds over ‘word ban’ of DEI terms
Head Start programs sued HHS over a "word ban" on terms like "disability" and "women," alleging it conflicts with federal law.
san.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Restrictions on language in federal programs “word ban” —reflect an ugly & familiar historical pattern: when terms that name & protect marginalized groups are erased, civil rights protections weaken soon after, making #disability & access less visible in policy and practice.
san.com/cc/preschool...
san.com/cc/preschool...
When the federal government erases words like ‘disability’ and ‘accessibility,’ it doesn’t create neutrality, it weakens civil rights, obscures legal obligations, and makes disabled people and older Americans less visible across society and the programs meant to serve them.
#WordBan #Disability
#WordBan #Disability
December 18, 2025 at 8:41 PM
When the federal government erases words like ‘disability’ and ‘accessibility,’ it doesn’t create neutrality, it weakens civil rights, obscures legal obligations, and makes disabled people and older Americans less visible across society and the programs meant to serve them.
#WordBan #Disability
#WordBan #Disability
Restrictions on language in federal programs “word ban” —reflect an ugly & familiar historical pattern: when terms that name & protect marginalized groups are erased, civil rights protections weaken soon after, making #disability & access less visible in policy and practice.
san.com/cc/preschool...
san.com/cc/preschool...
Preschool network Head Start sues feds over ‘word ban’ of DEI terms
Head Start programs sued HHS over a "word ban" on terms like "disability" and "women," alleging it conflicts with federal law.
san.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Restrictions on language in federal programs “word ban” —reflect an ugly & familiar historical pattern: when terms that name & protect marginalized groups are erased, civil rights protections weaken soon after, making #disability & access less visible in policy and practice.
san.com/cc/preschool...
san.com/cc/preschool...
A federal judge nominee said #disabled people shouldn’t be able to marry. What a preposterous statement, and by the way, if and when we do, marriage can sometimes come with the termination of life-saving healthcare and other benefits...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
A federal judge nominee said disabled people shouldn’t be wed. In fact, many can’t.
Marriage often nullifies the government benefits they need to get by.
www.motherjones.com
December 18, 2025 at 3:56 PM
A federal judge nominee said #disabled people shouldn’t be able to marry. What a preposterous statement, and by the way, if and when we do, marriage can sometimes come with the termination of life-saving healthcare and other benefits...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...