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ULS July Newsletter
This July, ULS is celebrating Disability Pride Month. Disability pride is an important part of inclusive acceptance. Join us in celebrating disability pride today and every day!
National Disability Groups Condemn EO Taking Away Civil Liberties
University Legal Services joins national disability rights groups including the National Disability Rights Network, The Bazelon Center for Civil Rights Law, and the Arc of the United States in condemning the issuance of an Executive Order on “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.”
The Order directs the Attorney General to seek “the reversal of Federal or State judicial precedents and the termination of consent decrees that impede the United States’ policy of encouraging civil commitment of individuals with mental illness who pose risks to themselves or the public or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves in appropriate facilities for appropriate periods of time.”
“What unhoused people with disabilities need is not more policing or confinement, but permanent affordable housing, access to mental health services, and the support to live with dignity in their communities,” said NDRN Executive Director Marlene Sallo. “This executive order diverts resources away from the real solutions we know work and instead embraces coercion over care.”
This is a broader disability rights issue – up to 40% of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), such as Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, and more, also have co-occurring mental health conditions. The solution is sufficient funding for community-based services and appropriate housing, not this Executive Order. Further, at a time when the federal government is making historic cuts to Medicaid, warehousing people in costly institutions is an absurd solution.
ULS’s Jail & Prison Advocacy Project (JPAP) works directly with DC residents who have been incarcerated while living with psychiatric disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries. Many of these individuals face houselessness on their return from incarceration, in addition to the fact that they face disproportionate policing, incarceration, and barriers to accessing community-based care. This executive order will directly harm our most vulnerable clients and make it harder for us to connect them with the services, supports, and dignity they deserve.
We call on the Administration to uphold the law and support the humane care and treatment of people with mental health disabilities.
DC Assistive Technology Program
Save the Date: Cane and Walker Clinic
On July 28, 2025, the DC Assistive Technology Program will hold our next Cane and Walker Clinic at the Columbia Heights Apartments.
The DC Assistive Technology Program (DCATP) wants to ensure that DC seniors and individuals with disabilities have the equipment needed to reduce their risk of falls as they venture out. Our Cane and Walker Clinics are an opportunity to connect with community members and ensure that mobility aid users are up-to-date on the resources available to them!
4th Annual Smart Home Exhibit
DCATP held the 4th Annual Smart Home Exhibit in collaboration with the DC Public Library. It was held at the MLK, Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday, July 19, 2025. Forty-two visitors attended and iHoma Healthcare was a vendor showcasing their new virtual reality product.
Visitors learned how digital voice assistants, such as Alexa, can help individuals organize and plan their day or use the device for recreation (games, movies, and music). They also learned about products that were added to the exhibit this year:
- Fire TV Cube that allows users to control a television by voice (without a remote). Users can speak commands to Alexa to turn the TV on and off, control the volume and settings, find movies by title, actor, director, or genre, and more.
- The newly updated Safewave Band for individuals who are deaf and hearing impaired. It allows users to set custom vibrations (1 to 5 vibrations) for selected app notifications, such as smart doorbells, alarms, telephone calls, reminder apps, baby monitors, and more.
Disability Rights DC
Funding Cuts Predicted for PAIMI
The Protection and Advocacy network (P&A) was created after the public learned about horrific conditions in state institutions. People were beaten, malnourished, restrained, ignored, denied medications, and kept in inhumane conditions. P&As were the nations promise of "Never Again."
Now, Congress is drafting its FY 2026 budget, which will set funding levels for programs that impact the lives of millions of Americans with disabilities, including the P&A system,
Disturbingly, the proposed budget slashes the funds provided to Disability Rights DC to advocate and protect DC residents with mental health disabilities (PAIMI grant) by 65%. Such a drastic cut will have a tremendous impact on Disability Rights DC’s ability to provide needed advocacy and ability to investigate allegations of abuse and neglect in D.C. psychiatric institutions.
DC residents with mental health disabilities are among the most vulnerable in the city. Disability Rights DC works tirelessly to advocate for protections so that individuals with mental health disabilities are not subjected to abuse and neglect, have access to adequate housing and services, and receive adequate care and treatment. The proposed cuts will drastically reduce DRDC’s ability to continue our essential work.
Without P&As like Disability Rights DC investigating, monitoring, and advocating, people will fall through the cracks. People will be abused, and people will die.
This is not a hypothetical. P&As were created so that abuse and neglect could be prevented. Don't let history repeat itself.
Please call Congress now to oppose these draconian cuts and spread the word to family and friends!
📞 Call your Senators NOW and tell them to vote NO:
➡️ 866-426-2631
➡️ 202-224-3121 (Capitol switchboard)
Housing Counseling Program
HCP at the Housing Resource Center
The Housing Resource Center (HRC) is the District's central hub for housing, connecting residents and other customers with essential programs and services. Through the HRC, the Department of Housing and Community Development offers guidance on rental assistance, homebuyer support, foreclosure prevention, housing counseling, and emergency and transitional housing.
The Housing Counseling Program (HCP) was a featured Community-Based Organization (CBO) at the HRC this month. On Tuesday, July 22, our housing counselors met with DC residents to connect them with resources to guide their homeownership journey and achieve financial stability.
Follow the Department of Housing and Community Development on Instagram to keep up with their events. Stop by the Housing Resource Center to learn more about ULS and other CBOs that can help you!
Check Out Our Housing Webinars!
Every month, the Housing Counseling Program (HCP) holds webinars to help residents navigate DC’s housing programs. Our webinars cover the Home Purchase Assistance Program (HPAP), the Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) Program, and the Single Family Residential Rehabilitation Program (SFRRP). We also offer select webinars in Spanish. Learn more and register below!
Jail and Prison Advocacy Program
Access to Justice Grant Funding Win!
The Access to Justice Initiative is the District’s largest public investment in civil legal services for low- and moderate-income residents. Since 2007, the Commission has annually led a community effort to secure and grow these funds, that are administered by the D.C. Bar Foundation and granted out to over 30 nonprofit organizations in D.C., including JPAP. ATJ is one of our largest funders, and their generosity is a cornerstone of the reentry work we do.
ATJ grants provide funding for legal services to address reentry obstacles. The mayor's proposed budget, released last month, planned to cut ATJ funding by 67%. This would have been disastrous for JPAP and other organizations throughout the District that provide legal services for low-income residents.
Thankfully, the DC City Council pushed back against the proposed budget and restored funding to the Access to Justice Initiative. We here at ULS want to extend our deep gratitude to each D.C. Councilmember for their support.
Learn more about the changes to the FY 26 budget here.
Learn more about ATJ funding here.
Tenant Purchase Assistance Program
Our Tenant Purchase Assistance Program supports members of tenant associations, cooperatives, and condominiums who are interested in preserving and expanding affordable housing options in DC. Our primary focus is to provide asset management assistance to residents of cooperatives who previously purchased their buildings, but we occasionally offer tenant purchase technical assistance to new tenant groups. Visit our site to learn more!
Disability Pride Month 2025
Did you know that the disability pride flag was updated in 2021?
The original flag from 2019 had featured bright colors in a zig-zag design. This caused issues for people with visually-triggered disabilities. The disability community worked together to create a new flag with straightened stripes and muted colors.
Green is for sensory disabilities.
Blue represents emotional and psychiatric disabilities.
White stands for non-visible and undiagnosed disabilities.
Gold is for neurodiversity.
Red represents physical disabilities.
The current version still reflects the same colors, now just muted with straightened lines. Additionally, the stripes were reordered to accommodate those with red-green blindness. The meaning behind the flag is still the same, just with improved inclusivity.
