The quality of life of persons living with all types of disabilities is closely tied to the services they receive in home- and community-based settings. Among these services are residential supports, personal care services, and community living supports. Despite its importance, the quality of home and community-based services (HCBS) has historically been difficult to define and even more difficult to measure. 

October is National Retirement Security Month, an opportunity for workers of all ages to reflect on their retirement savings and goals. To celebrate the month, ACL is highlighting the tireless and impactful work of our partners, including our resource centers to ensure economic security and opportunities for retirement income for older Americans. 

Today, ACL released a report on the fourth year of data collected by the National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System (NAMRS). NAMRS is the only comprehensive national initiative compiling data on the  abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults and adults with disabilities as reported to adult protective services (APS).

ACL is pleased to announce the release of the first ever Research Agenda for Adult Protective Service (APS). APS is a key provider of intervention and services to older adults and people with disabilities experiencing abuse, neglect, and exploitation. The goals of this research agenda are to:

 

Today we celebrate the start of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and recognize the often overlooked talents that people with disabilities bring to the workforce. This is a year of milestone anniversaries for the disability community as we celebrate 30 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act and 75 years of NDEAM. This year's NDEAM theme, "increasing access and opportunity," reflects the impact of these two milestones.

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) has awarded a $1.75 million cooperative agreement to Rush University that will fill the gaps in health professions training programs by embedding disability-related content on the health care of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) into interprofessional health education curriculum.

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) awarded a cooperative agreement to the University of Massachusetts Boston to implement a national Alternatives to Guardianship Youth Resource Center.