01/30/2026
“On January 23, 2026, Texas and eight other states – Alaska, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, and South Dakota – renewed their attack on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the integration mandate. The integration mandate is a requirement under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It allows people with disabilities to receive services in the community rather than in institutions. In 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld this mandate in its landmark Olmstead v. L.C. decision. We cannot let these states take away that right.
The nine states say that a rule about the integration mandate published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is unlawful and unconstitutional and should be blocked. The HHS rule says that state and local governments and any entity that gets HHS dollars must serve people with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate. The rule also says that entities may violate Section 504 when they place disabled people at serious risk of unnecessary institutionalization.”
“If states are successful in their challenge, it may be harder for disabled people to enforce their right to live and participate in the community. As a result, more people with disabilities may be forced into institutions when they can and want to live in the community instead. The disability community has fought long and hard for strong disability rights laws, and we cannot allow them to be weakened.”
https://healthlaw.org/news/texas-and-eight-other-states-renew-attack-on-section-504-and-the-right-of-disabled-people-to-live-in-their-communities/
(The link wouldn’t attach properly to my post, due to either an issue with FB or the site not allowing a preview to be created, so I edited the post to include a screenshot of the preview and the link above…)
