Disability Advocacy

The National Health Law Program (NHeLP) Disability Advocacy team works to advance health policies that center the rights of people with disabilities to access high-quality, community integrated health care free from discrimination. We use our expertise in Medicaid and civil rights law and policy to improve access to and coordination of all services that people with disabilities need, including home and community-based services and supports, mental health services, and substance use disorder services.

Our disability team fights against discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, such as those that institutionalize and segregate people with disabilities, while advancing measures that support community living. We advocate to reduce discriminatory limitations on insurance coverage of services and supports that people with disabilities need in order to participate in community life. We also fight against mistreatment in health care on the basis of disability.

Our work is led by and in partnership with disabled advocates and activists, both within and outside of NHeLP. Our relationships with state and national partners ensure that our work is grounded in community needs and focused on making a concrete impact on the lives of disabled people across the United States, regardless of where they live.

Intersection of Federal Policy and Disability Advocacy

Our Disability Advocacy team promotes the rights of individuals with disabilities at the federal level by employing a multifaceted approach. This includes administrative advocacy to influence the implementation of health care policies; coalition work to unify, amplify, and coordinate with diverse advocacy groups; and educational efforts to inform policymakers, including members of Congress and agency officials, about policies that promote high-quality, community-integrated health care. By focusing on these strategies, NHeLP ensures that federal health insurance coverage policies, such as those supporting access to Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), as well as nondiscrimination protections under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), are effectively shaped, implemented, enforced, and defended to foster inclusive and equitable health care for all individuals with disabilities.

In addition to federal advocacy, NHeLP also works to further disability policy in California. For more information about our California policy work, please visit our California Disability Advocacy page.