Oklahoma Democratic Disability Federation

09/29/2026

We are fans of Oklahoma Memo and supporters of our Democratic nominee N’Kiyla “Jasmine” Thomas for U.S. Senate OK. Thank you Kyle for continuing to do great interviews with out candidates.

09/28/2026

The time to engaged is now.

Action Alert Update: On September 23, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas entered final judgment in Texas v. Kennedy, vacating key community integration provisions in the Department of Health and Human Services’ 2024 regulations implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

The court’s order does not repeal Section 504, overturn the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or overturn the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision. These protections remain in place. The judgment does, however, remove regulatory provisions that require covered programs to provide services in the most integrated setting appropriate, placing disabled people at serious risk of institutionalization.

Disabled people should not be forced into institutions simply because the services and supports necessary to live in our homes and communities are unavailable, inaccessible, or administered in ways that unnecessarily segregate us.

Following the closure of Texas v. Kennedy, Congress can now consider whether additional statutory language is needed to make clear what community living protections Section 504 is intended to provide.

Contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and ask them to support congressional action protecting the right of disabled people to live and receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate. Find templates and contact information: https://www.disabilitybelongs.org/2026/09/protect-community-living/

09/28/2026

09/28/2026

We have a strong contender in N’Kiyla “Jasmine” Thomas for U.S. Senate OK! Please support her by following her socials, liking, commenting and sharing her content to boost her presence online.

Please also donate to this winnable race. Every little bit helps a grassroots campaign.

09/27/2026

The Problem Was Never the Person.

For generations, children with disabilities were placed on posters and presented to the public as people to pity, cure, or “fix.”

And when a cure wasn’t possible, another message often took its place: Try harder. Push harder. Overcome it. Don’t let your disability stop you.

Those who exceeded expectations became inspirational stories—the “supercrip” who proved that determination could supposedly overcome disability. But there was a problem with that story: it still measured success by how closely a disabled person could resemble a nondisabled person.

And for some people, particularly polio survivors described in disability-rights history, years of pushing already-weakened bodies came with consequences.

What had once been praised as determination could contribute to pain, fatigue and declining function later in life. The long-term effects were not adequately understood when many were being encouraged to push harder.

That history should make us ask a different question. Who gets to decide what a successful life with a disability looks like?

Not a poster. Not a charity campaign. Not society. And not even professionals acting without the person’s voice.

A successful life does not have to mean walking instead of using a wheelchair. It does not have to mean appearing less disabled.

And a person should not have to perform extraordinary accomplishments to earn our respect.

Our responsibility is to create communities where people have access, opportunity, informed choices, appropriate support, dignity, belonging and self-determination.

Sometimes the barrier isn’t the person’s body.

Sometimes the barrier is the staircase.
The policy. The inaccessible classroom.
The transportation system. The expectation. Or the belief that someone’s life needs to look like ours to be valuable.

The disability-rights movement challenged us to move beyond pity and charity toward access, rights and self-determination.

Different abilities. Equal value.

And perhaps one of the most important things professionals can learn is this: Before deciding what someone needs to overcome, ask them what kind of life they want to live.

— Oklahoma Child Wellbeing
OKChildWellbeing.org

09/27/2026

Time to fight is now.

09/25/2026

You Are Invited To Tune In.

Next week we will be looking at the important role of caregivers in the lives of people living with serious mental illness.

Tune in at senate.gov or watch in person in room 535 at the State Capitol.