Project Description:
______FY 2026 ______
TPIA (formerly the Disability Vaccination Accessibility Network, or DVAN) was established when TCDD, Disability Rights Texas, the Center on Disability and Development, the Texas Center for Disability Studies, and other partners in the disability community came together for the purpose of helping Texans with disabilities receive the COVID-19 vaccination. TPIA partners worked to facilitate problem solving, improve availability of resources, and foster coordination among State agencies, nongovernmental partners, and disability stakeholders to afford opportunities to receive vaccines, COVID-19 testing and information in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the Public Health Emergency specific to COVID-19 ended, TPIA's focus on affording meaningful engagement in society for people with disabilities remained. The group continues to meet monthly to discuss emerging issues and share information on their work to address healthcare. TPIA's platform allows topics and initiatives to be brought forward, provide a supporting mechanism to develop, coordinate and deliver information, provide technical assistance, and identify avenues for advocacy and direct services to the disability community.
TPIA's 16 collaborating agencies include Disability Rights Texas, Every Child Texas, Texas Department of Health and Human Services, Easter Seals Houston, UT Health Science Center's Texas Medical Center Houston, Texas Parent to Parent, FEMA, Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, the Texas Center for Disability Studies at University of Texas, the Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities, Texas State Independent Living Council, Texas Autism Society, the City of Corpus Christi, and the Center on Disability and Development.
TPIA continues to focus on four pillars of advocacy:
Broadband/digital divide
Public Health Workforce
Disaster Preparedness/Response
Justice
TPIA meets monthly, with more frequent meetings in response to local, regional, or statewide needs. This year, the partners met weekly in response to flooding in the Hill Country. These meetings also addressed disability-related bills during the Texas Legislature's special sessions.
Meetings included:
July 20, 2026: In addition to partner updates, updates from the Texas Broadband Development Office, and updates on access to justice, the meeting focused on disaster preparedness, including updates on TX events (FIFA, Screwworm, Severe Weather, Public Health Advisories), flooding in the TX Hill Country 2026, the House Committee on The July 2025 Flooding Events' investigative report, policy recommendation for statutorily created Disability/Disaster council at GCPD meeting (July 21, 2026), updates on Long Term Recovery CDBG-DR 2024, OMB 2026-0034-0001-Potential Disaster Program impacts, and the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee report : HOW THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY DIVERTED FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY RESOURCES TO SUPPORT IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AND THE CONSEQUENCES FOR AMERICA'S DISASTER READINESS.
August 17, 2026: Agenda included disaster preparedness/response, updates on TX events (NWS, Severe Weather, Public Health Advisories); access to justice and updates from community justice workers; access to broadband and the digital divide, including updates on the Texas Broadband Development Office; and partner updates on the state of the public health workforce.
September : No meeting
October 19, 20206
November
March
April
May
June
Cooperating Agencies and Organizations Include:
Disability Rights Texas (DRTx)
Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities (TCDD)
Texas Governors Committee on People with Disabilities (GCPD)
House the Homeless, Inc.
CBCIL
Aging and Disability Resource Center of the Capital Area
LRGVDC Rio-Net ADRC
Project Amistad - Rio Grande ADRC
Dallas ADRC
FEMA
Texas State Independent Living Council
National Federation of the Blind of Texas
Texas Technology Access Program (State AT program)
Providers Alliance for Community Services of Texas (PACSTX)
Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living
The Arc of Texas
Texas Center for Disability Studies
Center on Disability and Development at Texas A&M University
