The Arc of Texas

08/28/2026

We had some fun with the trend! 😜 Perfect merch for for the whole family -- from infants to adults -- or grab something for your favorite ! Sale ends Monday, August 31. Use code BACK2SCHOOL for 20% off your entire purchase of fun disability rights clothing and products designed by The Arc of Texas! Proceeds support our mission to advocate for and with Texans with disabilities! https://ow.ly/nc7W50ZGmBS

08/25/2026

The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission reviews state agencies once every 10 years to determine whether they should continue to operate and how they can better serve Texans. The process is particularly important this cycle because several agencies that play a critical role in the lives of Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are under review, including the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).

The sunset review process is entering its next major phase—out of agency self-evaluations and staff reviews and into the Commission’s public hearings—and Texans with IDD, their families, and advocates will soon have another important opportunity to make their voices heard. Read our blogpost to learn more: https://www.thearcoftexas.org/blog/texas-sunset-review-process-moves-forward-how-texans-with-idd-can-make-their-voices-heard/


Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Texas Workforce Commission
Texas Sunset Advisory Commission

08/19/2026

🍎 ATTENTION BACK2SCHOOL SHOPPERS: Have you seen our fun merch for the whole family?! Everything is 20% off with code BACK2SCHOOL through the end of August! https://ow.ly/sa5e50ZBCLE

Inclusive sizing for infants, toddlers, youth and adults—we've got clever designs for everyone! Grab a shirt, hoodie, backpack, lunch bag, zipper pouch, water bottle, hat, and more! Proceeds from The Arc of Texas Online Shop fuel our mission to advocate for and with Texans with IDD, so thank you for shopping!

08/18/2026

“The Arc of Texas is disappointed by the Fifth Circuit ruling in our challenge to Texas voting restrictions that create barriers for voters with disabilities,” said Sabrina Gonzalez Saucedo, Director of Public Policy & Advocacy at The Arc of Texas. “This decision is a setback for Texans with disabilities and for ensuring they have equal access to the democratic process. We remain proud of the work done by our legal partners and advocates to challenge these barriers and stand alongside Texans with disabilities. We will continue to fight for a Texas where every voter can participate safely, independently, and without discrimination or unnecessary barriers.”

The Arc of the United States and The Arc of Texas worked on the S.B. 1 case alongside legal and civil rights partners including the Legal Defense Fund, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and ArentFox Schiff. The ACLU Voting Rights Project, which challenged the law in companion litigation, also condemned the Fifth Circuit ruling. Full statement here: https://thearc.org/blog/texas-sb1-fifth-circuit-voters-with-disabilities/

The Arc of the United States
The Legal Defense Fund
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc
ACLU

The Arc of the United States and The Arc of Texas condemn a Fifth Circuit ruling that puts Texas SB 1 barriers to mail voting and voter assistance back in place for Texans with disabilities.

08/13/2026

Yesterday, our Public Policy & Advocacy Team joined the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities and Disability Rights Texas at the to testify before the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission on the experiences of Texans with and their families accessing Services through the Texas Workforce Commission. Stay tuned for our testimony and what happens next in this process!

⭐ Did you know? Through the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, the Texas Legislature considers the need for and performance of state agencies. About 130 entities are subject to eview, with 20-30 going through the process every two years.

08/12/2026

📣 Ever wonder what a day of advocacy at the Texas Capitol looks like? 📣 We joined longtime self-advocate and friend of The Arc of Texas, Ricky Broussard, to meet with legislative staff about disability rights priorities for the upcoming Texas Legislative Session, which begins in January. Ricky kept us moving and motivated — visiting with 7 legislators’ offices and attending a Senate Finance Committee meeting all in one day!

🧡 A big thanks to Donna Howard Vice Chair of Appropriations Subcommittee on Article II (Health and Human Services), for discussing the importance of Home & Community-Based Services for Texans with IDD, as well as the need to expand access to inclusive postsecondary education opportunities through funding for Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's program. Thanks, also, to the offices of Joan Huffman, Senator Molly Cook, Dr. Greg Bonnen, Judith Zaffirini, Texas State Senator, State Representative John Bucy III, and State Representative Terri Leo Wilson for visiting about issues that matter to Texans with .

🥳 Ricky, thank you for your continued leadership advocacy, and for sharing your experiences with legislators! Every time you use your voice, you help advance opportunities and supports for Texans with IDD! You rock!


Texas Advocates

08/07/2026

🐾 CUTE ALERT! Help us wish Flash a happy 10th 🥳 as wraps up! Flash's owner – Demetria Ober, Care Management Coordinator for The Arc of Texas Master Pooled Trust – says, "Flash is my guide dog. I am visually impaired, so he helps to guide me and make sure I can safely navigate obstacles. He has been such a great service dog and companion! I don’t know how I would’ve accomplished so many different obstacles without him!"

We like to call Flash our Director of Enthusiasm – an extraordinary service dog and loyal companion and family member to Demetria. They have been together since 2018 following Flash’s training with Guiding Eyes for the Blind. He is full of energy and enthusiasm for life, loves playing fetch and going on long walks, and is a huge fan of cuddles – especially belly scratches, which bring out his happiest side. Flash takes immense pride in his role as a guide and protector. Keeping Demetria safe and confident is matched only by the joy he brings to those around him (and his cuteness, which he's aware of).

Get to know Flash and Demetria, and the rest of our hard-working team: https://www.thearcoftexas.org/who-we-are/

08/06/2026

The Texas v. Kennedy lawsuit threatens disability rights protections for folks who want to live in their community instead of an institution. See below for an excerpt and sample language you can use to contact Attorney General Ken Paxton. Full article: https://www.kut.org/politics/2026-08-03/texas-disability-rights-lawsuit-paxton

AN EXCERPT:
Veronica Ayala, a self-advocate with cerebral palsy and president-elect of Arc of Texas, said she was institutionalized in the 1970s — about 20 years before the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. Ayala said she was placed in a hospital near her family's home, where she received care that could have been provided at home. But at the time, institutionalization was the only option.

“It's all about being able to make your own choices,” Ayala said. “If you live in an institution, those rights are taken from you. You don't get to decide who helps care for you. You don't get to decide who comes into your space.”

Ayala said not being able to be with her family during the formative years of her life caused her to have unnecessary bonding and trust issues. She said she worries that is what is at stake for other disabled people if the lawsuit is successful.

“If you weaken 504, then you open the door for more civil rights to be weakened, whether it be for people with disabilities or anyone else of any other community, or minority,” Ayala said.
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📣 WHAT YOU CAN DO:
We encourage all Texans to contact Paxton to demand the state’s withdrawal from the Texas v. Kennedy lawsuit and to stop attacks on . People with disabilities are in every community, every family, and every political party — so this impacts all of us.
--Email Attorney General Paxton ([email protected]) and Ryan Kercher ([email protected]), chief of the special litigation division at the Texas Attorney General’s office.
--Or call Special Litigation Division within Texas Attorney General’s Office (512-936-0567).
--Or submit comment through Texas Attorney General’s online form: https://ow.ly/640t50Ym49H

Sample Language:
“My name is [NAME] and I live in [CITY, Texas]. I am reaching out to ask Attorney General Ken Paxton to withdraw Texas from the Texas v. Kennedy lawsuit. People with disabilities should be able to live in the community with needed supports and services, and Texas should not be part of a lawsuit that puts that at risk. Our state should keep people with disabilities connected to their communities and families, rather than force them into he isolation of institutions. Thank you.”

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Thank you for this important coverage, K*T Austin!

#504

In Texas v. Kennedy, the state of Texas is challenging the constitutionality of a mandate that has allowed disabled people to receive care in their homes rather than in institutions for decades.

08/05/2026