Easterseals

10/28/2026

Big news from Tampa Bay!

Easterseals Southwest Florida and Easterseals Florida are teaming up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a five-year partnership to make game days more accessible and connect more families with disability services across the region.

As part of the partnership, Easterseals will sponsor sensory rooms and in-seat sensory toolkits at Raymond James Stadium, while helping more Floridians learn about available resources, from autism services and therapy to employment support and more.

We're proud to see our affiliates working with such an iconic organization to make a difference on and off the field.

The Buccaneers are partnering with Easterseals to expand autism awareness and support services in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties.

10/27/2026

Employment for people with disabilities is not only a matter of inclusion. It is an economic issue.

When people with disabilities have the support they need to work, they contribute their talents, earn wages, support their families, strengthen businesses, and help local economies grow.

But too many people still face barriers that have nothing to do with ability. Transportation, personal care, job coaching, health needs, and gaps in community-based services can all affect whether someone is able to get to work, stay healthy enough to work, and succeed on the job.

Medicaid-funded disability services help remove those barriers. They support independence, employment, and community participation for people with disabilities across the country.

This National Disability Employment Awareness Month, let’s recognize the economic impact of protecting the services that help more people work and thrive.

Tell Congress to protect Medicaid disability services.

Take action: https://hq.easterseals.com/ProtectMedicaidDisabilityServices

10/26/2026

More than 650,000 Americans are on waiting lists for Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS), leaving people with disabilities and their families waiting months or even years for essential care.
New reporting from NPR's Midwest Newsroom highlights the difficult choices families across the Midwest are facing as they struggle to access services like in-home care, specialized therapies, and respite care.

In Kansas alone, more than 5,000 people are waiting for services through the state's intellectual and developmental disability waiver. Some families have been told they could wait as long as eight years.
These services help people with disabilities live independently in their communities while allowing family caregivers to continue working and caring for their loved ones.

With federal Medicaid cuts threatening to put even greater pressure on these programs, it's critical that we strengthen access to community-based care and ensure families can get the support they need.

Families in many Midwestern states face long waiting periods for Home and Community-Based Services Medicaid waivers that help keep people with disabilities out of institutions.

10/23/2026

Bad at trivia? Perfect! Join us on Friday, October 30, from 7 – 9 pm CT / 8 – 10 pm ET.

Easterseals, Neighborhood LTC Pharmacy, and MGA Fundraising LLC are back for another evening of gaming and connection, hosted by Marc Almanzor, Erin Hawley, Ashley Meints, Derek Neihart and special guest host Cole Sydnor of Roll with Cole & Charisma!

This round is Jackbox's Trivia Murder Party, where wrong answers knock your character out, courtesy of a host who's enjoying it a little too much. You don't stay out, though. You come back as a ghost with a shot at the final round.

No gaming or trivia experience needed, all you need is a phone or a browser. Follow the Easterseals Twitch channel to watch along and be eligible for our Steam card giveaway. We're giving away three during the stream, and entering takes one word in chat. We'll share the word on the night.

https://www.twitch.tv/game4access

If you've been to an NRx Gaming Night with Easterseals before, bring someone who hasn't. Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/2Tp6Ej4h5

10/20/2026

TAKE ME HOME is now playing at the Enzian Theater. Anna cares for her aging parents in a fragile balance of meeting one another’s needs. When a Florida heat wave shatters their routine, her future is uncertain until she creates a world where she can thrive. Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance, TAKE ME HOME also premiered at Berlinale and Tribeca.

Now through Wednesday, October 21st at Enzian Theater
Tickets: https://enzian.org/film/take-me-home

10/16/2026

Accessibility should be built into every experience from the start.

That commitment is reflected in our NextGen website platform, which has been recognized with the w3 Awards with Gold in the Associations category and Silver in the Non-Profit category.

The recognition celebrates thoughtful digital design and the work behind creating online experiences that are accessible, useful, and welcoming to the people and communities we serve.

Congratulations to our Easterseals team and strategic partner Capellic for bringing that vision to life.

Learn more about the w3 Awards:

Honoring the Best Digital Experiences, Content and Creativity Since 2005, the w3 Awards has celebrated excellence in digital content, design and experiences. From global brands and institutions to boutique agencies and independent creators, the platform honors the innovators who set trends, break bo...

10/15/2026

Congratulations to Easterseals Board Member Dr. Rory Cooper on receiving the King Salman International Award for Disability Research, a prestigious global honor recognizing his work in technological applications in disability!

Through decades of research and innovation, Dr. Cooper has helped advance wheelchair design, accessible transportation, robotics, and other technologies that support greater independence and participation for people with disabilities.

We’re proud to have his leadership and expertise on the Easterseals Board of Directors.

Cooper, director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, won in the category of technological applications in disability.

10/14/2026

This National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we’re celebrating what it looks like when opportunity, independence and thoughtful design come together.

Meet Connie and Maggie, members of the Easterseals Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) and part of our National Office team.

Connie found employment through SCSEP and now serves as a Program Support Specialist, helping ensure participant files meet auditing standards and bringing the perspective of participants directly to policymakers. Maggie is currently training through SCSEP, where she supports fellow participants through our Call Center and helps with payroll follow-up across our Chicago and Arizona programs.

They’re also helping us spotlight our partnership with Silverts Adaptive Clothing & Footwear and IZ, two brands working to make clothing more accessible, functional, and comfortable for people with disabilities! Throughout October, Silverts and IZ Adaptive are increasing their support for Easterseals, with 5% of sales proceeds benefiting our work.

Learn more and shop the partnership: https://www.silverts.com/pages/easterseals

10/13/2026

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, a time to recognize the talent, leadership, and contributions of workers with disabilities.

It is also a time to face the facts.

In 2025, only 22.8% of people with disabilities were employed, compared with 65.5% of people without disabilities.

That gap is not about ability. It is about access, opportunity, and the support people need to succeed.

Medicaid-funded disability services can help people with disabilities prepare for work, get to work, stay healthy enough to work, and build independent lives. For many people, support like job coaching, transportation, personal care, and community-based services are what make employment possible.

This NDEAM, let’s do more than celebrate workers with disabilities. Let’s protect the services that help more people enter, remain in, and thrive in the workforce.

Tell Congress to protect Medicaid disability services.

Take action: https://hq.easterseals.com/ProtectMedicaidDisabilityServices

10/12/2026

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month!

Meaningful employment opens doors to greater independence, financial stability, and participation in the community.

When people with disabilities have access to meaningful employment and the support needed to succeed, their talents and contributions strengthen all of us.

Easterseals connects people with disabilities to employment services, training, and resources designed to help them pursue their goals and build meaningful careers.

When everyone has the opportunity to contribute, communities are stronger.

Learn the facts and get our "opportunity is for everyone" design: https://hq.easterseals.com/4qVggT5