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Member Spotlight: 19
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LTC Redesign: 25
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Eighteen state governors sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Todd W. Blanche calling on the Department of Justice to abandon efforts that could weaken access to community-based services for people with disabilities. Organized by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, the bipartisan coalition expressed opposition to a Justice Department memo questioning established interpretations of the landmark 1999 Olmstead v. L.C. Supreme Court decision, which protects individuals with disabilities from unnecessary institutional segregation. Prompted by disability rights advocates, the governors urged the federal government to preserve community integration, emphasizing that access to housing, employment, and civic participation in integrated settings remains essential for people with disabilities.



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This interview explores the journey of living with progressive blindness and transitioning into a dedicated disability rights advocate. The discussion highlights the pervasive accessibility barriers present in everyday environments, from poorly designed public websites to physical obstacles like vehicles blocking crosswalks. To make advocacy more engaging and accessible for adults, the advocate created an educational cartoon series featuring a guide dog to address serious accessibility violations and societal misconceptions through humor. Ultimately, the conversation underscores the importance of building empathy, recognizing disability as an ordinary part of the human condition, and relieving individuals with disabilities from the burden of having to constantly fight for basic accessibility rights.



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The upcoming film Being Heumann marks a major milestone for authentic disability representation on screen by casting British actress Ruth Madeley, who has spina bifida, to play disability rights activist Judith Heumann, alongside screenplay co-writer Rebekah Taussig, who is also a disabled activist. As highlighted in the article, Hollywood narratives have historically relied on non-disabled actors "cripping up" or framed disabled lives as tragic or purely inspirational, which can perpetuate harmful stereotypes and oversimplify the disabled experience. By involving creators with lived experience in front of and behind the camera, the film promises a genuine, nuanced depiction of Heumann and the historic 1970s American disability rights movement.



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Home- and community-based services (HCBS) help older adults and people with disabilities live in their own homes and communities, yet the term lacks a shared definition. The SCAN Foundation and the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) reviewed 229 definitions to build a payer-neutral consensus definition—one intentionally grounded in choice, autonomy, and self-direction. The authors argue common language can help measure what works and hold programs accountable, though it alone won't fix workforce shortages or funding gaps.

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NCHS Seeks Input on 2028 National Health Interview Survey Redesign

Comments due Tuesday, October 20, 2026
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is seeking public input on a planned redesign of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), expected to be implemented in 2028. 
NCHS has released proposed adult and child questionnaires and information about planned changes to the survey’s design and content. According to NCHS, these decisions will affect the NHIS data available for the next decade.
The NHIS is one of the nation’s primary sources of information on the health of the U.S. population, providing critical data on chronic conditions, healthcare access and utilization, functioning and disability, health insurance, preventive services, and other important health topics.
The aging and disability networks are encouraged to review the proposed redesign and share their perspectives. Input from organizations that represent and serve older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers, and their communities can help ensure the NHIS continues to provide relevant, accurate, and useful information for the populations we serve.

How to Participate

Comments may address the proposed survey content, structure, or other aspects of the redesign. Multiple comments addressing separate topics are welcome, and comments may be submitted anonymously. Commenters may enter feedback directly through the online platform or upload files containing their comments.
Visit the 2028 NHIS Questionnaire Redesign webpage to review information about the redesign, proposed adult and child questionnaires, the invitation for feedback, and next steps.
National aging and disability network partners are encouraged to share this opportunity with their members, partners, staff, researchers, data users, and other stakeholders who may have perspectives on the information NHIS should collect in the years ahead. 
Submit a public comment


2025 NHIS Data Now Available

NCHS has also released the 2025 NHIS public-use data files. The 2025 NHIS datasets, documentation, current survey content, methods, and analytic guidance are available through the NCHS website.
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According to analysis cited in the article, immigrant labor plays a critical role in addressing the severe U.S. homecare staffing shortage, with foreign-born workers making up about 30% of direct care workers (nearly 700,000 individuals) and 33% of homecare direct workers specifically. The majority of these workers originate from 13 countries—led by Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Jamaica, China, and Haiti—though their representation varies significantly by state, reaching up to 71% of home health aides in New York. Recent policy changes ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians pose a major disruption to continuity of care, as roughly 21,000 Haitian TPS holders serve as nursing assistants or caregivers, prompting homecare providers and advocacy groups to launch national campaigns urging workforce protections.



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This report examines transportation as a persistent barrier to community living for disabled people and older adults, despite its central role in fulfilling the integration mandate of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision. Drawing on a policy workgroup of transportation and community living experts, the report proposes a "Transportation Follows the Person" framework — a "no wrong door" model combining consistent eligibility, coordinated funding, and person-centered planning to ensure accessible transportation regardless of where someone lives, including those transitioning out of nursing homes and other institutions. Topics covered include legal policy frameworks, Medicaid-funded transportation examples, mobility management, and standardized data collection.

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The 42nd annual Circles of Life Conference will be held at the Wilderness Resort in the Wisconsin Dells on May 6 and 7, 2027. This unique event brings together Wisconsin families who have children with disabilities and the professionals who work with them to learn, grow and connect.

We are looking for a wide variety of presentations to meet the interests of our attendees. If you have a good experience with parents and professionals collaborating, information about successful IEPs, ideas for building community, or plans for selfcare, now is the time to submit a proposal to lead a session at our 2027 conference.

Never presented before? Don’t worry. Ask about having a mentor to coach you.



Presentation Application
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