Policy Notes, Summer 2026
Below are two issues in disability policy that IDRPP is watching: one involving segregation and one involving digital accessibility as it is defined in the ADA.
The Texas v. Kennedy Lawsuit
Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals with disabilities have the right to receives services in the most integrated setting and states should not implement systems that default to or prefer segregated settings. If States do not comply, they risk being in violation of these Acts and losing federal funding that supports disability services. As a result of these requirements, several states are suing the U.S. government, citing that these integration requirements are “unconstitutional”. Initially, 17 states signed onto the lawsuit, however, this number has slowly decreased to seven states including Texas, Alaska, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Montana. Despite the dwindling numbers, this lawsuit continues to push ahead. You can read more about the Texas v. Kennedy lawsuit on the Disability Scoop website.
Accessible Digital Materials and Title II of the ADA
Under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, digital content provided through the web must be accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. While the original 1990 Act did not outline clear requirements for web content, in April 2024 the U.S. government released a new rule, providing guidelines and information to ensure individuals with disabilities are able to access online content. With the release of this rule, states and local governments entities and agencies had two years to come into compliance with the rule with a hard deadline of April 2026. However, on April 20th, 2026, just days away from the deadline, the U.S. government granted a one to two-year extension for entities to come into compliance, citing states and larger entities have until April 2027 and smaller entities have until April 2028. This extension pushes online accessibility for users with disabilities even further out, a move condemned by disability advocates.
You can read more about digital accessibility and the extension on the NPR website.