As the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) approaches, ACL is featuring guest blogs from leaders in the disability community and highlighting how ACL programs continue to advance the ADA’s promise of inclusion and civil rights for people with disabilities. DD Councils and the Four Pillars of Integration By Donna Meltzer, CEO, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD)

Before independent living was a program, it was an idea that sparked a social movement to advance the rights of people with disabilities. The independent living movement embodies the idea that no one should be denied dignity, self-determination, or equal opportunity simply because they are living with a disability. And no one could be a greater expert on the needs of people with disabilities than a person with a disability. Decades before federal laws required curb cuts and workplace accommodations, this was considered a radical idea.

ACL is soliciting comments, and will be hosting 12 listening sessions, on newly-released draft voluntary guidelines for Adult Protective Services (APS) systems. ACL envisions a comprehensive, multidisciplinary system that effectively supports older adults and adults with disabilities so they can exercise their right to live where they choose, with the people they choose and fully participate in their communities without threat of abuse, neglect, self-neglect, or financial exploitation.

As the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) approaches, ACL will be featuring guest blogs from leaders in the disability community.

On July 14, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Older Americans Act into law. Over the past 50 years, the aging network established and funded by the Act has helped millions of older adults live and thrive in the communities of their choice. These services include home-delivered and congregate meals, caregiver support, preventive health services, transportation, job training, elder abuse prevention, and so much more.

Yesterday, the Administration for Community Living and the HHS Office for Civil Rights hosted Community Living for All: Celebrating 25 Years of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Advocates and leaders provided a variety of perspectives on the progress of the last 25 years and the work that remains before a packed room of disability and aging advocates.

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is pleased to announce the release of a new grantee report outlining services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in the U.S. territories. The report, “Services for People with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities in the U.S.

Approximately a quarter of a million Americans live with spinal cord injuries and an additional 4 to 5 million people in this country are affected by paralysis of the extremities. For many, obtaining reliable information about paralysis, and gaining access to opportunities that increase independence, self-confidence, and the ability to participate in their communities can be a challenge.

Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD). Established by the United Nations in 2006, WEAAD brings together people from around the globe to shine a spotlight on the mistreatment of older adults. Each year in the U.S. alone, hundreds of thousands of older people are abused, neglected, and exploited. Our seniors lose an estimated $2.6 billion or more annually to financial abuse and exploitation, depriving them of funds that could have been used to pay for basic needs such as housing, food, and medical care.