In 1978, what is now the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) was created by an amendment to the Rehab Act. While our name has changed a few times in the years since, our basic purpose and reason for being has remained the same.

New website offers 24/7 search-by-zip code option to find local services and resources ACL’s Disability Information and Access Line has launched a new tool to help people with disabilities to find local services and resources to support community living. Through DIAL’s new website and its searchable database, users can now find the information they need, at any time of day, every day of the year.

ACL has awarded three grants that further its mission to support people with disabilities to live in their communities. The grants continue and enhance the collection and analysis of national longitudinal trends pertaining to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) around the issues of state spending for I/DD services, residential services, and employment services.

Malnutrition Awareness WeekTM (September 18-22 this year) is designed to educate

ACL is hosting a dynamic two-part webinar series, "The Rehab Act at 50 Years." This commemorative series marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Rehab Act, which was the first civil rights legislation protecting disabled people against discrimination and established both the Independent Living Services and Centers for Independent Living programs and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

September 18-22 is Falls Prevention Awareness Week. ACL’s National Falls Prevention Resource Center created this public health observance to raise awareness of the impact of falls and help people take action to prevent them.

Through these four-year awards, grantees will develop, test, and disseminate new approaches for supporting family caregivers, using the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers as a roadmap.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking input on draft guidance on the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. The draft guidance would give people with Medicare prescription drug coverage (Medicare Part D) the option to pay their out-of-pocket costs in monthly payments spread out over the year, starting in 2025.

AT is critical to allowing individuals with disabilities and those who are aging to maintain and improve their independence. It enables people to live healthy, productive, independent, and dignified lives, and to participate in civic life, education, and employment. When AT is combined with transportation, it becomes a key element of fuller community participation.

The ability to participate in our democracy by voting in elections is a foundational right of citizenship that we cherish as Americans. No adult should be denied this right because of their age or ability. This principle is clearly reflected in the Biden-Harris Administration’s Executive Order on Promoting Access to Voting.