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AUCD 2022 Policy Priorities
AUCD supports and promotes a national network of university-based interdisciplinary programs. AUCD's mission is to advance policies and practices that improve the health, education, and social and economic well-being of all people with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and their communities by supporting our members in research, education, health, and service activities that achieve our vision.
With this vision, AUCD’s 2022 Policy Priorities focus on:
- Protecting Civil Rights and Promoting Social Justice
- Ensuring a Quality Life in the Community
- Guaranteeing Opportunities in Employment
- Ensuring Equity in Healthcare
- Ensuring a Quality Inclusive Education
- Ensuring Sufficient Funding for AUCD Centers
Plain Language:
In 2022, AUCD is working to improve federal policies that impact people with disabilities focused on civil rights, education, employment, housing, healthcare, and funding for programs.
What Does This Mean For You:
AUCD’s 2022 Policy Priorities summarize what AUCD is focused on this year.
Action Steps:
Appropriations
On February 18, 2022, President Biden signed Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act (H.R. 6617). H.R. 6617 is another short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) that continues Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 funding through March 11, 2022. CR’s continue annual program funding at the same levels as the prior FY and are separate from the emergency funding.
Funding for AUCD programs and most programs that impact people with disabilities are included in the Labor, Health, Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill. The House passed the LHHS bill on July 29, 2021 (H.R. 4502). The Senate LHHS bill (S. 3062) is still in draft form. On February 9, 2022, Leadership in the House of Representatives and Senate announced they had reached a bi-partisan bi-cameral deal on how to finish the process for FY 2022. AUCD led and signed-onto the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Fiscal Policy Taskforce letter that calls for the FY 2022 appropriations funding to be finalized without delays.
Plain Language:
Congress is working to fund programs that impact persons with disabilities for the rest of this year.
What It Means For You:
Appropriations is the act of setting aside money for a specific program. These programs are critical to ensuring people with disabilities receive a quality education, can be employed, and receive services and supports in the community. It is important that programs that support persons with disabilities receive increased funding, including AUCD’s programs.
Action Steps:
Call and educate your Members of Congress about the importance of increased funding in FY 22 for programs for persons with disabilities. You can reach your Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
White House and Federal Agencies Takes New Actions To Keep Persons with Disabilities Safe During COVID
On February 24, 2022, the White House announced new actions to address the needs of persons with disabilities and older adults to assist in responding to and recovering from the pandemic. In this new Factsheet, the White House announced the following actions:
- Providing schools with guidance and support to keep students with disabilities safe and learning in-person.
- Expanding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Community Living’s Disability Information and Access Line to support persons with disabilities who face difficulty using or cannot use a self-test.
- Launching new COVID-19 testing guidance in American Sign Language and reviewing all existing COVID-19 guidance to confirm accessibility for persons with disabilities.
- Launching a new effort to develop at-home COVID-19 tests that are accessible to everyone with a disability through the National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s RADx program.
- Incentivizing all at-home test manufacturers to prioritize accessibility of at-home tests.
- Requesting accessible instructions from manufacturers who have received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
- Distributing N95 masks to persons with disabilities who cannot leave their homes through health centers and aging and disability networks.
- Calling on all states to directly distribute high-quality masks through community-based organizations serving persons with disabilities.
Plain Language:
The federal government is taking new actions to make sure persons with disabilities are safe during the pandemic.
What It Means For You:
There will be new opportunities to access masks and accessible tests. The federal government is also working to be sure that students with disabilities can remain safe in school.
Action Steps:
- Read the new Factsheet about the actions the White House and federal agencies are taking to keep people with disabilities safe and students in school.
Submit Comments on the National Institutes of Health’s Request for Information (RFI) on a Framework for the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
On February 1, 2022, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a Request for Information (RFI) on a Framework for the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA). NIH is soliciting public comments on the DEIA Framework until Sunday April 3, 2022.
The NIH is a top funder of biomedical and public health research in the United States. The people that conduct and participate in this research help shape the future of science and medicine. Diversity in NIH-funded research is critical for ensuring research outcomes benefit everyone. The purpose of the Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) is to articulate NIH’s vision for embracing, integrating, and strengthening diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility across all NIH activities to achieve the mission of NIH.
The objectives of the plan are to:
- Objective 1: Implement Organizational Practices to Center and Prioritize DEIA in the Workforce
- Objective 2: Grow and Sustain DEIA through Structural and Cultural Change
- Objective 3: Advance DEIA Through Research
Plain Language:
The federal government is creating a plan for including people with disabilities and other diverse groups in research.
What Does This Mean For You:
Public comments provide an opportunity for you to make sure that the needs of people with disabilities are accounted for in NIH research.
Action Steps:
Submit Comments on the National Health Security Strategy to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is soliciting public comments on the National Health Security Strategy until Friday, March 11, 2022.
Public comments are encouraged to provide information on the threats and challenges to national health security, and practices to address these challenges. The public comments will be used to inform the development of the 2023-2026 National Health Security Strategy (NHSS). The NHSS is a four-year strategy that establishes a strategic approach to strengthening the country’s ability to prevent, detect, assess, prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from disasters and emergencies.
ASPR is seeking answers to the following questions:
- What are the most critical national health security threats and public health and medical preparedness, response, and recovery challenges that warrant increased attention over the next five years?
- What medium-term and long-term (i.e., over next five years) actions should be taken to mitigate these challenges at the federal government and/or state, local, tribal, and territorial level?
- What public health and medical preparedness, response, and recovery opportunities or promising practices should be capitalized on over the next five years?
Plain Language:
The federal government creates a plan every few years to keep people safe during emergencies. It is creating a new plan right now.
What Does This Mean For You:
Public comments provide an opportunity for you to make sure that the needs of people with disabilities are accounted for in the NHSS.
Action Steps:
- Read the Federal Register announcement on the ASPR’s Request for Information on the 2023-2026 NHSS.
- Submit your public comments to [email protected] by Friday, March 11, 2022. The subject line of the email should be: “2023-2026 NHSS comments”. Responses to the Request for Information on the 2023-2026 NHSS may be placed in the body of the email or in an attachment to the email, using a standard document format.
National Council on Disability Releases a “Health Equity Framework for People with Disabilities”
On Monday February 14, 2022, the National Council on Disability (NCD) released a “Health Equity Framework for People with Disabilities.” The comprehensive framework recommends an all-of-government approach to addressing medical discrimination and health disparities for people with people with disabilities.
In the Framework, NCD provides a roadmap for addressing long-standing systemic barriers in healthcare, offers examples of health disparities and provides recommendations on how to address these health inequities including:
- Designate people with disabilities as a Special Medically Underserved Population
- Require comprehensive disability clinical-care curricula for medical providers
- Ensure accessible medical diagnostic equipment
- Improve data collection and reporting on people with disabilities as a demographic
Plain Language:
There is a new plan with suggestions of how to change policies to be sure people with disabilities can get quality healthcare.
What Does This Mean For You:
There are new recommendations for an all-government approach to addressing systemic barriers for people with disabilities to access adequate healthcare services and have improved health outcomes.
Action Steps:
U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Published New Factsheet About the Pandemic and Compensatory Services for Students with Disabilities
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) published a new factsheet titled “Providing Students with Disabilities Free Appropriate Public Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Addressing the Need for Compensatory Services Under Section 504.” The factsheet highlights schools’ obligations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to ensure students with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) during the pandemic.
The factsheet states that if a student with a disability did not receive appropriate evaluations or services, then schools must determine whether, and to what extent, compensatory services are required. The factsheet includes factors to consider when determining the appropriate type and amount of compensatory services.
Plain Language:
Students with disabilities have the right to receive the education services they need during the pandemic.
What Does This Mean For You:
OCR provided a factsheet explaining how schools can ensure that students receive FAPE. OCR confirmed that students with disabilities have the right to receive FAPE during the pandemic and schools must determine if they deserve compensatory education.
Action Steps:
House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee Hearing on “Serving All Students: Promoting a Healthier, More Supportive School Environment”
On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, the House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee, Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee held a hearing on “Serving All Students: Promoting a Healthier, More Supportive School Environment”. The hearing examined how to ensure all students are safe in school, including from the use of restraint and seclusion. AUCD signed onto the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights letter supporting a package of bills to address school safety and climate, that includes the Keeping All Students Safe Act (S. 1858 / H.R. 3474).
The Keeping All Students Safe Act prohibits the use of federal funds to seclude a child and from using mechanical restraint, chemical restraint, or prone, supine, or physical restraint that restricts breathing, stops blood flow to the brain, or is life threatening. The bill also provides grants to invest in professional development, training, and certification for evidence-based school climate policies and procedures for school professionals.
Plain Language:
All students have the right to be safe in school.
What Does This Mean For You:
Congress is examining how to keep schools safe for all students.
Action Steps:
- Watch the House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee’s hearing.
- Call and educate your Members of Congress about the impact these school safety and climate bills will have on ensuring safe schools for students with disabilities. You can reach your Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Disability Policy Seminar 2022
We’re getting excited for this year’s Disability Policy Seminar (DPS)! The DPS is a three-day event, where advocates, persons with disabilities, and professionals come together and learn about key federal issues that affect them. The DPS will take place from March 28-30, 2022. This year, there are options to participate either virtually or in-person in Washington, D.C. Registration costs will be the same for both options. Registration is open.
Plain Language:
DPS is a three-day event that takes place every year. People who attend DPS can learn about the issues that impact them.
What Does This Mean For You:
DPS is an opportunity to learn. This year will have virtual and in-person options, so people can choose how best to participate.
Action Steps:
- Save the date! DPS will be from March 28-30, 2022.
 Tuesdays with Liz: Disability Policy for All
Did you know that Liz has a YouTube Channel?
'Tuesdays with Liz' is a weekly video series highlighting current issues in disability policy. It is hosted by Liz Weintraub, a long-time disability advocate, and produced by AUCD.
You can help spread her message by:
- Subscribing to the Tuesdays with Liz YouTube Channel!
- Liking videos on the channel
- Making comments on the channel
 
For more from AUCD, follow @AUCDNews and like AUCD on Facebook
For definitions of terms, please see AUCD's List of Policy Definitions,
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