Caring Across Generations Applauds Historic Proposed Section 504 Rule Change to Prohibit Disability Discrimination in HHS Programs or Activities
WASHINGTON D.C. – In response to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issuing the proposed updates to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in HHS programs or activities, Nicole Jorwic, chief of advocacy and campaigns at Caring Across Generations, released the following statement:
“Our country, our lives, and how our communities function have changed in enormous ways in the last 50 years. Today’s proposed update to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is a critical strengthening of the basic standards that ensure human rights and advance equity for disabled people.
“Today’s proposed rule change is the most comprehensive update to Section 504 since the 1977 sit-ins that established basic human rights for disabled people. We applaud the Biden Administration’s work toward eliminating disability-based discrimination in our society.
“So many of our current systems are discriminatory to disabled people – from failure to include communication aids, to barriers in preventative care such as a lack of accessible exam tables, access to education supports and employment, to even egregious wrongs like sending disabled people to be weighed at grocery stores, grain elevators, and zoos. We have to do better as a nation – and this proposal will create much-needed change to ensure the rights of disabled people are protected and the value of disabled lives is clear.”
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Caring Across Generations is a national organization of family caregivers, care workers, disabled people, and aging adults working to transform the way we care in this country so that care is accessible, affordable and equitable — and our systems of care enable everyone to live and age with dignity.
To achieve our vision, we transform cultural norms and narratives about aging, disability and care; win federal and state-level policies; and build power amongst the people touched by care. For more information, visit caringacross.org.