Share Your Story: Advocate for Disability Benefits and Programs
Are you an individual with a disability who has benefited from programs designed to assist us or received guidance from a supportive council? Now is your opportunity to share your experiences.
The ongoing lack of federal funding poses a significant threat to disability benefits and programs. The Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal endangers these essential services through detrimental restructuring and consolidation. In response, the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) has launched an advocacy campaign encouraging individuals to share their stories about how various disability benefits and programs have positively impacted their lives. The goal is to persuade Congress to maintain full funding.
NCIL is committed to protecting and promoting the rights of individuals with disabilities through advocacy for all Centers for Independent Living (CILs) in the U.S. However, there has been a lack of advocacy efforts asking people with disabilities to share their experiences with programs that have been beneficial. This advocacy aims to urge Congress to:
– Increase funding for programs that support individuals with disabilities throughout their lives
– Reject proposals that seek to eliminate, restructure, or block grant disability programs
– Recognize the unique and essential value of each program and ensure they continue to operate
Furthermore, the campaign encourages individuals to advocate for the preservation and full funding of specific programs, ensuring they are not restructured or eliminated:
– The Independent Living Program
– The University Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
– Projects of National Significance
– Limb Loss Resource Center
– Paralysis Resource Center
– State Developmental Disabilities Councils
– Protection & Advocacy for Voting Accessibility (PAVA)
– Protection & Advocacy for Individual Rights (PAIR)
– Protection & Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI)
– Client Assistance Program
The campaign emphasizes that these programs are not redundant; each serves a crucial and distinct role in empowering individuals with disabilities to live, learn, work, vote, and thrive within our communities.
The National Disability Rights Network, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, Amputee Coalition, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, National Association of Statewide Independent Living Councils, and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities stand united with NCIL in urging Congress to fully fund and protect these vital federal programs that support independence, freedom, and full participation for individuals with disabilities. They now call upon people with disabilities to join in this effort by sharing our stories.
The more individuals with disabilities share how these benefits and programs have improved their lives, the greater the impact. If a disability benefit or program has made a positive difference for you, tell Congress by submitting a letter through the campaign. If writing a letter is challenging, you can still support the NCIL’s campaign by sending a prewritten letter that NCIL has made available, highlighting the importance of federal funding for disability programs.
To submit your letter for the NCIL campaign advocating for the funding of disability programs, please visit Preserve and Fully Fund Disability Programs in FY 2026.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about how you can advocate for this cause, feel free to contact ACIL at 937-341-5202 or [email protected].