New website offers 24/7 search-by-zip code option to find local services and resources ACL’s Disability Information and Access Line has launched a new tool to help people with disabilities to find local services and resources to support community living. Through DIAL’s new website and its searchable database, users can now find the information they need, at any time of day, every day of the year.

ACL has awarded three grants that further its mission to support people with disabilities to live in their communities. The grants continue and enhance the collection and analysis of national longitudinal trends pertaining to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) around the issues of state spending for I/DD services, residential services, and employment services.

ACL is hosting a dynamic two-part webinar series, "The Rehab Act at 50 Years." This commemorative series marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Rehab Act, which was the first civil rights legislation protecting disabled people against discrimination and established both the Independent Living Services and Centers for Independent Living programs and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

Through these four-year awards, grantees will develop, test, and disseminate new approaches for supporting family caregivers, using the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers as a roadmap.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking input on draft guidance on the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. The draft guidance would give people with Medicare prescription drug coverage (Medicare Part D) the option to pay their out-of-pocket costs in monthly payments spread out over the year, starting in 2025.

AT is critical to allowing individuals with disabilities and those who are aging to maintain and improve their independence. It enables people to live healthy, productive, independent, and dignified lives, and to participate in civic life, education, and employment. When AT is combined with transportation, it becomes a key element of fuller community participation.

The ability to participate in our democracy by voting in elections is a foundational right of citizenship that we cherish as Americans. No adult should be denied this right because of their age or ability. This principle is clearly reflected in the Biden-Harris Administration’s Executive Order on Promoting Access to Voting.

This webinar will introduce two innovative and replicable housing models — Our Stomping Ground and The Kelsey — both of which support full inclusion and integration of people with I/DD into their community. The webinar will also feature the Nisonger Center in Ohio and their Smart Home Discovery Place. Stakeholders will discuss key collaborations and how they brought these models to their communities, and a self-advocate will share personal experiences.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) inviting feedback on a proposed update to its mission statement. NIH is seeking input from groups throughout the scientific research, advocacy, and clinical practice communities; those employed by NIH or at institutions receiving NIH support; and the public on a proposed revised mission statement.

This month, ACL will host a webinar series about the past, present, and future of independent living, as we commemorate 50 years since the signing of the Rehab Act, which created both the Independent Living Services and Centers for Independent Living (CIL) programs and the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).