Access Press

06/17/2026

06/17/2026

For those who've been holding their breath and hoping this wouldn't happen, the moment has come, as the U.S. Department of Education announces plans to move oversight to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and to the Department of Justice

RFK Jr.’s speech on autism proves he is out of touch with the disability community and not fit to serve students with disabilities

06/17/2026

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) says, "This isn't reform, it's abandonment."
Contact your members of Congress and tell them to:
- Protect federal oversight of special education
- Preserve strong enforcement of disability civil rights
- Reject efforts to dismantle the Department of Education

06/17/2026

"A right on paper only works when people can get the support they need. Help keep the promise of Olmstead alive. Tell Congress to protect Medicaid HCBS and the right of people with disabilities to live in their communities. https://bit.ly/4fAVl54"

The Supreme Court has already decided that living in the community is a legal right.

More than 25 years ago, the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision affirmed that people with disabilities have the right to live in their communities and not be forced into institutions.

That ruling changed millions of lives. But a right on paper only works when people can get the support they need. That’s what Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) make possible.

Congress made the biggest cuts to Medicaid in history last year. Now, many states are considering options that could reduce access to HCBS.

Help keep the promise of Olmstead alive. Tell Congress to protect Medicaid HCBS and the right of people with disabilities to live in their communities. https://bit.ly/4fAVl54

06/16/2026

How do you captain a sailboat without being able to see the water? To anyone who hasn’t tried it, it sounds impossible. But a fast-growing community in Minnesota is proving that you don’t need sight to master the open water—you just need to tune into your other senses.

When Katie Boyd moved to Minnesota, she noticed a major gap in the local adaptive sports scene. Today, thanks to partnerships with Wayzata Sailing and the Minneapolis Sailing Center, Twin Cities Blind Sailing is thriving.

Instead of relying on vision, these athletes use the feel of the wind on their skin, the sound of the sails, and specialized tactile maps to navigate across our lakes.

The programs have expanded massively to offer something for every comfort level:

- Cruising Group (Lake Bde Maka Ska): A relaxed environment focused on learning the ropes.

- Racing Group (Lake Minnetonka): For those chasing the thrill of competitive fleet racing.

- Solo Sailing (Lake Harriet): The ultimate freedom, where sailors captain their own boat entirely solo while followed by a sighted guide in a nearby chase boat.

- Expansion: The group is also heading north to launch a new cruising program on Lake Superior through Duluth Blind Sailing.

Whether it's a casual cruise or solo-captaining a vessel, these athletes are showing everyone that an inability to see doesn't mean an inability to steer your own ship.

They are currently registering sailors for the season and looking for passionate volunteers to jump on board as sighted guides.

Read the full story and find out how to get involved here: https://accesspress.org/navigating-the-waters-the-rise-of-blind-sailing-in-minnesota/

Please share this post to help get the word out so more people in the visually impaired community know this opportunity is waiting for them this summer.

For individuals who are blind or visually impaired, the simple act of navigating daily life can come with numerous hurdles. […]

06/15/2026

06/15/2026

KFF Health News is reporting on the June 1 CMS work-requirement rule changes that will mean challenges for Minnesota Department of Human Services and many Medicaid recipients.

"To qualify, a person generally must fit into at least one of five categories: They must be blind or disabled; have a substance use disorder; have a disabling mental disorder; have a physical, intellectual, or developmental disability that significantly impairs their daily life; or have a serious medical condition. States are not allowed to add categories.

Under the new regulations, CMS said having a medical condition alone isn’t sufficient to exempt someone from the work requirements. States must assess “the severity of an individual’s condition” to determine whether they can stay on Medicaid without working — a standard that makes it more difficult for enrollees to meet the criteria."

The problem lies in data systems and codes for conditions. "There’s no “code that designates that someone is too sick to work — that’s a subjective assessment,” said Rachel Klein, deputy executive director of The Aids Institute, a nonpartisan advocacy group for people with HIV. “This is a recipe for disaster.”

https://kffhealthnews.org/medicaid/trump-law-medicaid-work-rules-states-overhaul-eligibility-systems/

https://kffhealthnews.org/podcast/what-the-health-449-medicaid-work-rules-exemptions-june-4-2026/

Adult Medicaid enrollees with serious health conditions may not be automatically exempt from new work rules, according to a new regulation from the Trump administration. Meanwhile, the administration is also proposing to give political appointees even more power over who gets health and science gran...

06/14/2026

Medicaid Work Requirement 2027: States must "assess the severity of an individual's condition" for them to remain on Medicaid without working.

48 Patient Organizations Warn of Massive Coverage Losses under Final Work Reporting Requirement

Washington, D.C. — (June 2, 2026) — Today 48 non-profit, non-partisan patient organizations issued a statement in response to the interim final rule implementing the new Medicaid work reporting requirement provisions in Public Law 119-21.

“Throughout the legislative process, lawmakers repeatedly promised that the patients we represent would not be harmed by the policies that terminate Medicaid coverage for millions of
people in Public Law 119-21. Our organizations are deeply concerned the interim final rule does not protect people with serious or complex health conditions and would instead dramatically and inappropriately increase the number of people who will lose their healthcare coverage.”

“Redefining the law’s medical frailty exemption to only apply to individuals who can prove they cannot work and drastically limiting the ability of states to accept self-attestation from patients about compliance and exemptions starting in 2028 clearly conflicts with the law. These policies will place massive paperwork burdens on patients and providers, upend months of planning by states and create chaos just months away from the January 2027 implementation deadline.”

“While it is impossible to fully shield patients from the impact of the devastating cuts coming to the Medicaid program, our groups are committed to working with federal and state policymakers throughout the implementation process to set policies that protect access to Medicaid. We urge CMS to adopt a definition of medical frailty and processes to document compliance that protect patients and are consistent with the law.”

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AiArthritis
Alpha-1 Foundation
ALS Association
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
American Heart Association
American Kidney Fund
American Liver Foundation
American Lung Association
Arthritis Foundation
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Autoimmune Association
Blood Cancer United
CancerCare
Cancer Nation
Cancer Support Community
Crohn's & Colitis Foundation
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition
Epilepsy Foundation of America
EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases
Family Voices National
Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR)
Hemophilia Federation of America
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association
Immune Deficiency Foundation
Legal Action Center
Lupus Foundation of America
Lutheran Services in America
March of Dimes
Muscular Dystrophy Association
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Bleeding Disorders Foundation
National Health Council
National Kidney Foundation
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Organization for Rare Disorders
National Patient Advocate Foundation
National Psoriasis Foundation
Parkinson’s Foundation
Pulmonary Hypertension Association
Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc.
Susan G. Komen
The AIDS Institute
The Coalition for Hemophilia B
UsAgainstAlzheimer's
Volunteers of America
WomenHeart
ZERO Prostate Cancer

06/14/2026

How will DHS assess, and how will you prove, your ability or inability to work?

On June 1, more details were issued by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) about HOW states will be required, on Jan 1, 2027, to determine which Medicaid recipients must meet the new work requirements.

We've known since July 2025 that the work requirements were coming, and that they would not apply to . But which disabilities? And how must that be documented to the federal government?

Minnesota and 42 other states are working on law and policy to figure that out. And guess what? The systems involved will no doubt require more work and expense at Minnesota Department of Human Services. And DHS, you may have heard, is already overwhelmed.

Yet another crisis on the doorsteps of Minnesota's .

Democrats and Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature say they need to either pass legislation or update existing rules soon to ensure that state programs comply with new requirements from the federal government.