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ULS Newsletter
All ULS offices will be closed on Friday, July 4.
Disability Rights DC NEEDS YOUR HELP!
Congress is currently crafting its fiscal year 2026 budget, which will set funding levels for programs that impact the lives of millions of Americans with disabilities, including the Protection and Advocacy (P&A) system.
The congressionally-created P&A system is a network of nonprofit organizations that act to protect the rights of people with disabilities. Each state has a P&A - funded by the federal government with special access rights to information and facilities where individuals with disabilities are served. Disability Rights DC is the P&A program for the District.
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.
In the last year, DRDC’s advocacy, litigation, and investigations impacted the lives of over 30,000 DC residents with mental health disabilities. In addition to our advocacy on behalf of individual clients, our comments on proposed DC agency changes have impacted thousands, our regular monitoring of institutions have educated hundreds of consumers about their rights, and our public reports have resulted in improved conditions for thousands of individuals at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington and youth detained by the Department of Youth and Rehabilitation Services.
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)
DC Assistive Technology Program
Save the Date: Annual Smart Home Exhibit
The DC Assistive Technology Program (DCATP) will be hosting our annual Smart Home Exhibit at the MLK, Jr. Library on Saturday, July 19. Save the date to explored innovative solutions for inclusive living. Interact and learn more about smart products like voice activated microwaves, doorbells for the deaf and hard of hearing, smart lightbulbs, and more!
Cane and Walker Clinic
As summer approaches, seniors enjoy venturing out of their home to shop, participate in community activities, and attend family gatherings. 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.
On June 16, 2025, DCATP collaborated with the staff at Paul Lawrence Dunbar Apartments to hold a "Cane and Walker Clinic" for their residents. During this community outreach event, DCATP staff and volunteers took measurements, completed program forms, and provided 22 seniors with canes, front wheel walkers, and replaced worn cane tips.
This event gave attendees the opportunity to learn about DCATP's services, and many participants are interested in visiting the Assistive Technology Resource Center to learn more about devices to help people with visual and hearing impairment.
We plan to host more Cane and Walker Clinics this summer- keep your eye on our social media for more!
DC Shares welcomes your gently used durable medical equipment (DME) donations to support our program and community outreach efforts. Please call DC Shares at (202) 332-2595 or email DCShares@uls-dc.org to donate or request durable medical equipment.
Disability Rights DC
Recent Testimony
Disability Rights DC (DRDC) attorneys testified at three DC City Council Committee meetings this month to advocate for funding towards community-based long-term care, housing advocacy for people with psychiatric and developmental disabilities, and Direct Support Professions.
June 11: FY 26 Budget Oversight Hearing. Testimony of Jaclyn Verner, Supervising Attorney and Lyndsay Niles, Managing Attorney.
“Reductions in Medicaid community-based long-term care and durable medical equipment as a cost-savings measure will not save the District money in the long term—and potentially not even in the short term.” Read the full testimony here.
June 12: Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety Budget Hearing. Testimony of Sandy Bernstein, Legal Director.
"Without this critical funding, DC residents would not know about their rights and the services available and residents would remain unhoused, in unsafe/inaccessible housing or trapped in institutions, such as jails and nursing facilities, and not linked to already-existing services." Read the full testimony here.
D.C. residents, businesses, and organizations must urge each Councilmember to restore full funding of $31.668M to the Initiative. There is no more important time to speak out about how the Initiative is a valuable public investment and how it offers life-changing legal help.
Use this email template to contact your councilmemeber now!
June 16: Commitee on Facilites, DC Department on Disability Services Budget Hearing. Testimony of Sandy Bernstein, Legal Director.
"Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) perform a vital service and deserve to be fairly compensated. Without adequate wages, the vacancy rate for DSPs will likely increase which will directly harm the people DDA supports. " Read the full testimony here.
Housing Counseling Program
Celebrating Homeownership Month
This June, our Housing Counseling Program (HCP) celebrated Homeownership Month by meeting residents where they are—right in their communities.
On June 2, we joined the St. Francis Xavier Community Day to share resources on TOPA rights, our housing counseling resources, and financial counseling. A week later, on June 8, ULS counselors tabled at Southern Baptist Church’s Community Day to connect with longtime DC residents exploring paths to homeownership. We closed out the month at DHCD’s Homeownership Month outreach event on June 22, held at the Minnesota-Benning Government Center.
At each event, we had meaningful conversations with residents about how homeownership can offer stability, build generational wealth, and help keep DC families rooted in their communities.
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
What Medicaid Cuts Could Mean for JPAP
Medicaid is a lifeline for JPAP’s clients—returning citizens with psychiatric disabilities, brain injuries, and substance use disorders. Over 90% are chronically unhoused and people of color, relying on Medicaid for mental health care, housing support, and community-based services.
Proposed cuts would make it harder to access therapy, medication, and stable housing, increasing the risk of homelessness, incarceration, and worsening health. JPAP would face even more barriers in securing essential services, deepening cycles of poverty and recidivism.
Medicaid must be fully funded to protect disability rights and public safety. Stay informed, speak out, and support our work.
❗Tell Congress- No Cuts to Medicaid!!
This write-up was published in the ULS April newsletter, and is being shared again to spread awareness about the devestating impact of cutting Medicaid funding.
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!
