Disability Rights California

06/12/2026

DRC Public Policy Advocate Tremmel Watson attended the 2026 Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) Convention in Louisville, Kentucky! As a deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) advocate, he values learning from the lived experiences of others in the DHH community. These connections deepen understanding, build community, and ground the advocacy that shapes policy.

Thank you Tremmel for representing DRC at HLAA and reflecting our commitment to building, learning, and engaging directly with the communities it serves.

06/12/2026

06/12/2026

At a previous Assembly hearing on In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), DRC Public Policy Advocate Evan Fern reminds us of the cruelty of the asset limits people with disabilities will be subject to in order to receive Medi-Cal and IHSS. The proposed asset limits of $2000 for an individual and $3000 for a couple puts people with disabilities into the impossible scenario of needing to support themselves while facing rising cost of living expenses and being forced to remain in poverty to access life sustaining services.

Evan shares in his testimony, "the limit isn't even close to enough to cover unplanned expenses like car repairs, home repairs, a hospitalization. It forces people to live in extreme poverty."

We are approaching the June 15th deadline, when California legislators will be finalizing their version of the state budget. Call the Assembly and express your opposition for cuts to Medi-Cal and IHSS! Take action TODAY and call the main contacts below.

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, Chair Assembly Budget Committee: 916-319-2046

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas: 916-319-2029

06/11/2026

We need your support! DRC, disability leaders, and advocates have been rallying at the California Capitol against the alarming proposed changes to Medi-Cal, In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), and asset limits. These cuts to services can be life threatening for older adults and people with disabilities. Lack of access to Medi-Cal and/or IHSS can mean missed medications, preventable injury, worsening illness, and possible death.

We are nearing the June 15th deadline, when California legislators will be finalizing their version of the state budget. Call the Assembly and express your opposition for cuts to Medi-Cal and IHSS! Take action TODAY and call the main contacts below.

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, Chair Assembly Budget Committee: 916-319-2046

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas: 916-319-2029

06/10/2026

Are you a person with disabilities that needs to make changes to your housing rules or to your home’s physical structures to make it more accessible? Please join us at this virtual workshop to learn about your rights to do so.

Join us to learn about your right to ask for a “reasonable accommodation” or “reasonable modification” – adjustments to rules, policies, services, and even the physical layout of your home to make it more accessible for you. We will review best practices, discuss potential costs, and go over what to expect once you have made your requests.

Interpretation will be provided if requested at least 1 week before the event date.

When: Tuesday, June 23rd at 1pm PT

Learn more and register at the link: https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/events/reasonable-accommodations-in-housing-workshop-june-23-2026


Image Description: Top image of a person smiling and seated in a wheelchair in a decorated living room. The person has long braids tied back and wears a pink striped sweater. Header Text: Virtual Workshop. Title Text: Reasonable Accommodations in Housing June 23, 2026 at 1:00pm. Blue/green DRC logo.

06/09/2026

On Monday, DRC joined our legislators, disability leaders, and advocates at the California Capitol to rally against the alarming proposed changes to Medi-Cal, In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), and asset limits. We are fast approaching the June 15th deadline, when California legislators will be finalizing their version of the state budget.

Call the Assembly and express your opposition for cuts to Medi-Cal and IHSS! Take action TODAY and call the main contacts below.

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, Chair Assembly Budget Committee: 916-319-2046

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas: 916-319-2029

Governor Newsom boasts these cuts to Medi-Cal and IHSS will save the state an estimated $278.3 million in the 2026-27 budget and $495.6 million ongoing. However these cuts endanger people with disabilities and seniors who risk losing access to essential health care, in-home support, and supplemental security income (SSI). Plus, these estimated "savings" do not account for the high costs of institutional and emergency health care people with disabilities will likely need to resort to because of lost health coverage, home care, and SSI. It is much more humane, cost-saving, and supportive of the disability community to protect these life-saving benefits!

Check out the full ABC10 article and video at the link: https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/people-are-absolutely-terrified-disability-rights-advocates-make-final-plea-to-governor-lawmakers-to-avoid-proposed-cuts-changes-to-care/103-53662881-3f5f-4459-8be7-56bede3a2106

06/09/2026

Check out the latest DRC Substack article which expands further on the harmful poverty traps afflicting people with disabilities. In part one, we talked about poverty traps built into disability benefits systems and how people are often given just enough support to survive, but never enough to stabilize or escape poverty. These poverty traps do not stop with cash assistance programs. This time we explore how poverty traps appear throughout civil commitment systems that many of us are increasingly being pushed toward as local mental health care, peer-based support, and early intervention services continue to erode.

Check out the full Substack article at the link: https://open.substack.com/pub/disabilityrightscalifornia/p/disability-poverty-traps-0e3?r=5wqpd0&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web


Image Description: Top, large gray filtered photo of a mouse trap board game with assembled traps along a winding board. Blue/green DRC logo. Text over image: DISABILITYRIGHTSCALIFORNIA.SUBSTACK.COM. Bottom, title text: Disability Poverty Traps. Part Two: The Real Cost of Civil Commitment. Text: June 9, 2026 Disability Rights California.

06/08/2026

Virtual Workshop TOMORROW!

Learn more and register at the link: https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/events/reasonable-accommodations-in-housing-workshop-june-9-2026

Are you a person with disabilities that needs to make changes to your housing rules or to your home’s physical structures to make it more accessible? Please join us at this virtual workshop to learn about your rights to do so.

Join us to learn about your right to ask for a “reasonable accommodation” or “reasonable modification” – adjustments to rules, policies, services, and even the physical layout of your home to make it more accessible for you. We will review best practices, discuss potential costs, and go over what to expect once you have made your requests.

Interpretation will be provided if requested at least 1 week before the event date.

When: Tuesday, June 9th at 1pm PT

Learn more and register at the link: https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/events/reasonable-accommodations-in-housing-workshop-june-9-2026


Image Description: Top image of a person smiling and seated in a wheelchair in a decorated living room. The person has long braids tied back and wears a pink striped sweater. Header Text: Virtual Workshop. Title Text: Reasonable Accommodations in Housing June 9, 2026 at 1:00pm. Blue/green DRC logo.

06/08/2026

“The Strike” has won the 47th News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary! DRC has long been a supporter of this film, which tells the story of the historic Pelican Bay hunger strikers who demanded an end to indefinite solitary confinement, and features our incredible friend Dolores Canales. Congratulations to Co-Directors JoeBill Muñoz and Lucas Guilkey, the crew, and the Pelican Bay strikers who worked on this film for 10 years!

Co-Director Lucas Guilkey said during his acceptance speech, "at a time right now when people are on hunger strike at immigration detention centers, from Adelanto in California to Delaney Hall in New Jersey, right now on the front lines of fighting fascism. We hope our film reminds us of the power of sacrifice, of fearlessness, and most importantly collective solidarity."

When people strike, we have to listen. No one should be subject to inhumane conditions such as solitary confinement, lack of hygiene, and dangerously inadequate access to meals and health care. We stand in solidarity with the strikers in Adelanto and Delaney Hall.

Unlock the Box Campaign: A National Campaign to End Solitary Confinement