Category: Policy

Down Syndrome Australia and disability sector partners have told a Senate inquiry that the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 still needs stronger safeguards before it becomes law.

• The DSA Consortium made a submission on 10 July welcoming a Senate committee finding that foundational supports must be in place before major changes take effect.
• A joint submission with Inclusion Australia, National Disability Services and Ability First Australia — representing about 60% of NDIS participants — calls for stronger protection for people needing 24-hour support or complex care.
• Public hearings run 30–31 July in Canberra and 6 August in Perth, with the Senate committee due to report on 14 August.

Why it matters: Nothing changes for current NDIS plans until the Bill passes, but the safeguards being negotiated now will shape how people with intellectual disability and complex needs are protected under the reformed scheme.

Source: Down Syndrome Australia →

The Federal Communications Commission has voted to simplify broadband consumer labels while closing its inquiry into further accessibility standards for the labels, such as ASL-accessible formats, braille and tactile indicators.

• The Commission voted 3-0 on July 22 to approve a Report and Order revising the broadband label rules.
• Providers can now describe label information by phone in a conversational style and use a hyperlink or icon instead of displaying the full label at the point of sale.
• The FCC closed its open inquiry on adding new accessibility formats to the labels, saying existing accessibility requirements already apply.

Why it matters: Broadband labels are meant to help consumers compare internet plans, and accessible formats matter for people who are blind, low vision, deaf or hard of hearing. Advocates may push back if the simplified rules make labels harder to access rather than easier.

Source: Federal Communications Commission →

The US House of Representatives has passed the Removing Barriers to Work for Disabled Americans Act (H.R. 8884), restoring the Social Security Administration’s authority to run pilot programs that help disability beneficiaries return to work.

• The bill reauthorizes SSA’s demonstration project authority for five years; it had expired in 2022.
• Fewer than 1% of SSDI beneficiaries leave the program each year due to work, even though 60% say they want to work.
• Participation in any new pilot rules would be voluntary and would not cut a beneficiary’s income.

Why it matters: Complex SSDI rules around overpayments and benefit cliffs discourage many disabled Americans from working even when they want to. This bill gives SSA room to test simpler rules that could remove that disincentive.

Source: Ways and Means Committee →

A new US Government Accountability Office report finds a 25% rise over the past decade in students with disabilities spending most of their school day in general education classrooms, though progress varies widely by state.

• Nationally, there were 1.1 million more students with disabilities in general education settings at least 40% of the day in 2023-24 than a decade earlier, driven mostly by growth in students spending 80% or more of their day included.
• Growth occurred across most disability categories, though students with specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, and other health impairments remain most likely to be placed in general education classes.
• GAO found wide variation by state and district: districts with higher poverty, no standalone special education schools, and less funding per student tended to include more students, with officials citing resources, parental input and school environment as key factors.

Why it matters: The report shows real progress toward the “least restrictive environment” standard required by federal law, but the wide state-by-state variation means where a child lives can still shape their access to inclusive education.

Source: US Government Accountability Office →

A new report from PAHO, ECLAC and RIADIS finds that despite legal progress, persons with disabilities across Latin America and the Caribbean still face major barriers to health care and emergency services.

• People with disabilities are up to 45% less likely to access cardiovascular and diabetes care, and 33% less likely to receive screening such as HPV testing; in some cases, including intellectual disability, life expectancy can be up to 20 years shorter.
• The report identifies four structural gaps: fragmented health information systems, services organised around provision rather than people’s needs, inconsistent training of health workers, and emergency plans that lack concrete accessibility measures.
• Inclusive services remain concentrated in cities, leaving rural and remote areas further behind; the report calls for disability to be built into health policy, data systems and disaster planning.

Why it matters: The findings show that laws on paper don’t guarantee accessible care in practice, particularly during emergencies — a gap relevant well beyond Latin America as more countries pass disability rights legislation without matching implementation funding.

Source: PAHO/WHO →

New leases taken out through the UK’s Motability Scheme from 1 July 2026 are now subject to 20% VAT on upfront payments and 12% Insurance Premium Tax on included insurance, a change expected to save the government around £1 billion.

• The changes apply only to new vehicle orders placed from 1 July 2026 onward; existing leases keep their current terms until renewal.
• VAT relief remains in place for weekly lease payments, vehicle resale, and for wheelchair-accessible vehicles, which stay zero-rated and exempt from Insurance Premium Tax.
• Motability estimates the changes will add about £400 to the average upfront cost of a new lease over a three-year contract, affecting some of the more than 700,000 disabled people who use the scheme.

Why it matters: The Motability Scheme is one of the UK’s largest disability transport supports, so even partial tax changes can materially affect what disabled people pay for essential vehicle access.

Source: Motability Scheme →

Japan’s legally mandated minimum employment rate for people with disabilities rose from 2.5% to 2.7% for private employers, and to 3.0% for national and local government bodies, starting this month.

• The employee-count threshold for which employers must comply also dropped, requiring firms with as few as 37.5 average employees to meet the quota, widening the number of businesses covered.
• The change continues a staged increase the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced in 2023, following a similar rise to 2.5% in 2024.
• Only around half of Japanese companies were meeting the previous, lower quota, and industry groups say finding enough qualified disabled workers is a major compliance challenge.

Why it matters: Quota systems like Japan’s are one of the main policy levers used worldwide to boost disability employment, but this update highlights the persistent gap between raising legal targets and employers actually meeting them.

Source: Staffing Industry Analysts →

Guyana’s Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) have completed a national assessment aimed at expanding access to essential assistive products such as wheelchairs, hearing aids and mobility aids.

• Guyana has finished its Assistive Technology Capacity Assessment and a National Priority Assistive Product List, giving the country a roadmap for expanding access.
• A stakeholder consultation on 20 July 2026 brought together Guyana’s Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labour and PAHO to discuss next steps and funding.
• Officials say the goal is a more equitable, sustainable system so people with disabilities, older adults and people with chronic conditions can access the devices they need for independent living.

Why it matters: Assistive technology capacity assessments like Guyana’s are a WHO-backed model other lower and middle income countries can follow to plan investment and donor support around actual local need, rather than ad hoc device donations.

Source: PAHO/WHO →

A Connecticut congresswoman has introduced a resolution reaffirming Congress’s support for the Americans with Disabilities Act and pushing for fully accessible federally funded infrastructure.

• Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) introduced the resolution on July 16, aligning US policy with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a treaty ratified by more than 85% of UN member states.
• It targets accessibility in publicly funded infrastructure, communications and design, and is co-sponsored by 12 other House members.
• The measure is endorsed by The Arc, AHEAD, Family Voices, the National Black Disability Coalition and the US International Council on Disabilities, and follows Hayes’s earlier push for the DOJ to finalize public right-of-way accessibility guidelines (PROWAG).

Why it matters: Congressional resolutions don’t carry the force of law, but they signal priorities and can build momentum for funding and DOJ action on physical accessibility, an issue that’s taken a back seat to recent digital-accessibility fights.

Source: Congresswoman Jahana Hayes →

Twenty-six current and former Meta employees have filed a federal lawsuit alleging the company used AI tools to identify and lay off workers with disabilities and those on protected medical leave.

• The suit, filed July 14, 2026 in U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, targets Meta’s roughly 8,000-person layoff round and cites AI tools including “Metamate” and a productivity-scoring system built from keystrokes, screen activity and browsing history.
• Plaintiffs say employees on protected medical, parental or family leave had less measurable activity, which the AI scoring system penalized — pushing them onto termination lists disproportionately.
• The complaint alleges violations of the ADA, the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act; Meta says the claims “lack merit” and that layoff decisions were made by people, not AI.

Why it matters: Reporting describes this as one of the first major U.S. lawsuits challenging AI-driven layoffs on disability discrimination grounds, and its outcome could shape how employers are allowed to use algorithmic tools in workforce decisions.

Source: Fox Business →