We won’t sugarcoat it: This stinks.
The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is deeply disappointing. It disregards the voices and experiences of people with developmental disabilities, their families, and the disability community at large.
It’s okay to be angry, upset, or just plain tired. Take the time you need to feel whatever you’re feeling. Talk about it. Yell if you need to. There’s space for that here.
To everyone who showed up—who made calls, wrote letters, told their stories, and believed in something better— thank you. Your work mattered, and it still matters. Your heart, your commitment, your relentless advocacy: we are grateful for every bit of it.
This fight is not over. While the bill has passed, its implementation is far from immediate. Within the next week or two, NACDD will publish a document that explains the deadlines for implementation of the various elements that most concern people with IDD. For now, it is important to know that implementation takes time. And it will require input, oversight, and action. We will be there.
Disability does not have parties. We have champions. We need to and will continue to work with both sides of the aisle to ensure that the issues that matter to people with disabilities are always on top of the mind of our lawmakers – from our city councils to our mayors to our Governors to our federal representatives.
NACDD will be involved every step of the way, and so will DD Councils across the country. We promise that we will keep all of you informed, involved, and engaged.
We also know that change can still happen. Midterm elections are ahead. A shift in congressional power could overturn parts of this bill. Elections matter. Your voice matters.
We need to continue educating and building relationships — and continue telling the truth of our stories.
Advocacy needs to happen all the time. So, stay in it. Stay engaged. Stay curious. Ask questions. Get to know your local, state, and federal representatives. Visit them. Call them. Hold them accountable. NACDD and your state DD Councils will help you. Reach out.
And if you’re thinking about running for office…do it. Local, state, federal—whatever the level, you are electable. You are a leader. We believe that with everything we’ve got. In fact, we know it, because we have seen you all in action. So, consider running for office.
This moment is hard. But we’re not backing down. We are staying in, and we are rising up!
Come rise with us!
