Why is the Cult of trump mean to the Disabled Community because I'm seeing more people online that are Disrespectful to the Community like thinking We Don't deserve Social services to Help us live lifes.This is Scary times Please Stay safe. 😀😀

**What does self-direction mean when the state increasingly controls whom you can employ, how much you can pay them, and how many hours your family caregivers can work?**
This is the question Maryland’s Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) needs to answer.
Maryland is proposing significant changes to Medicaid-funded Self-Directed Services under Community Pathways Waiver Amendment #4.
These changes include restrictions affecting family caregivers, employee compensation, service rates, and individual-provider arrangements.
For people with disabilities who depend on individualized support, the consequences could be serious.
**Caregivers are not interchangeable.**
For someone with complex developmental disabilities, a trusted caregiver may be the person who understands their communication, recognizes early signs of distress, knows how to respond to behavioral challenges, and provides the consistency necessary for safety.
Replacing that person is not always straightforward.
Yet Maryland proposes restrictions that could require participants to redistribute established caregiving hours.
According to the Self-Directed Advocacy Network of Maryland (SDAN), DDA acknowledged to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that provider enrollment figures do not establish actual worker availability.
**If the state cannot demonstrate that qualified replacement caregivers are available, how can it assure participants that their services will continue uninterrupted?**
**Self-direction should mean meaningful control.**
In October 2026, the National MLTSS Health Plan Association and the Self-Direction Center published the *Self-Direction 2.0 Framework*.
The framework emphasizes that self-direction depends on participants having meaningful employer authority, budget authority, access to qualified workers, and adequate support to exercise their choices.
It also recognizes that restrictive workforce policies can undermine participants’ ability to select appropriate caregivers.
Maryland’s proposed changes raise fundamental concerns about these principles.
If a participant cannot retain a trusted worker because of inflexible compensation or scheduling restrictions, how meaningful is that participant’s employer authority?
If budget reductions make it impossible to recruit qualified employees, what practical value does budget authority retain?
**Self-direction should empower people with disabilities — not leave them responsible for arranging services while restricting the tools they need to make those arrangements work.**
**The cumulative impact matters.**
SDAN has raised concerns about the combined effects of wage restrictions, employee-benefit limitations, family caregiver hour caps, reduced service rates, and changes affecting individual providers.
The organization identifies approximately 1,504 participants whose staffing arrangements may be affected.
These restrictions should not be evaluated separately.
A participant who loses family caregiver hours may also face difficulty recruiting replacements because of reduced compensation or limited provider availability.
For someone with intensive support needs, that combination could create serious risks.
And what happens when the person cannot find anyone qualified to fill those hours?
Will the participant be left without essential support?
Will family members be expected to provide unpaid care?
Could some people face preventable crises or increased risk of institutionalization?
These questions deserve answers before implementation.
**Disability rights are not optional considerations.**
Federal Medicaid HCBS regulations emphasize person-centered planning, individualized needs, and participant preferences.
The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Supreme Court’s *Olmstead* decision also provide important protections against unjustified institutionalization.
These laws do not prohibit every cost-containment policy. But they require serious scrutiny when restrictions may interfere with necessary community-based supports.
**A state should not wait for people with disabilities to lose services before determining whether its policies adequately protect them.**
**What CMS should require from Maryland**
Before approving the disputed provisions, CMS should require DDA to demonstrate that:
Qualified replacement caregivers are actually available.
Revised rates are sufficient to support necessary services.
Participants will retain meaningful employer and budget authority.
Individualized exceptions can prevent service interruptions.
Transition procedures protect participants with complex support needs.
The combined restrictions will not undermine access to authorized services.
**People with disabilities deserve more than assurances that the state will monitor problems after implementation. They deserve meaningful protections before those problems occur.**
Maryland DDA must explain how these restrictions advance person-centered care rather than merely reducing program expenditures.
**To other disabled people, families, and caregivers: Have you experienced situations where Medicaid authorized services but restrictive staffing or payment policies made those services difficult or impossible to obtain?**
I’d especially appreciate hearing how other states address caregiver shortages while preserving self-direction.
Sources: Self-Directed Advocacy Network of Maryland’s October 2026 comments; National MLTSS Health Plan Association and Self-Direction Center, *Self-Direction 2.0 Framework* (October 2026); 42 CFR § 441.301(c).

Well, I had this thought recently and it pisses me off since then.

Well, I'm not talking about disabled children, but disabled parents, especially those who cannot move, who don't have certain limbs, who cannot tower over terrified kid. It could make some people believe that you cannot raise good kids like that.

I had this thought after i had discussion with one person about sex and BDSM dynamics in disabled peoples lives. People are stigmatized like that in exactly same way, just the root is different. But here the problem is even more brutal because I'm afraid that with rise of conservative mindset in young people we would come back to phisical violence [because it is that] towards children, and with it affected would be disabled adults and disabled children.

Remember, that you can still be valid as a parent and you can raise great people, without being scared that kids won't listen to you because you're weaker. It's all up to you :)

Today was the second time I’ve seen my neighbor guide the same girl into their house. By “guide” I mean, for some reason, this girl has a hard time walking.

She could be a disabled daughter.

But something feels wrong.

I’ve seen her twice since I’ve lived across the street from them. They are not friendly folks. Not mean, either, they just seem to mind their own. Not everyone needs to get to know their neighbors. I’ve lived here for almost six months. I’ve gotten to know most people on the street and a fair amount of their kids, since they love my dog. A few of my neighbors are disabled, I know they are there and I try to keep an eye out for them and their families.

I think it’s weird that I’m directly across the street and I’ve seen only the two adults that live there. It appears to be only them; it doesn’t seem like anyone else lives with them, especially a kid.

I’ve seen that young girl two times in six months, and both times, it got my attention because she needed help walking. Honestly, my first thought was that she was in pain or injured. She moved like someone beat the daylights out of her. There was no indication of any medical equipment, not even crutches. And, even she is disabled, wouldn’t she still go to school or have doctors appointments? It’s like she doesn’t exist unless the guy is shuffling her in. Something feels off.

Okay. Yes. I investigated with property records and google. All I could find is a criminal history with one of the residents (who also owns the place). Nothing relevant to children. I think I found their Facebook page, but nothing much was there, either. Except their cover photo had 4 kids (updated in 2020). The kids were young enough to be teens now, but maybe I’m digging too deep on this.

I’ve never seen this kind of interaction between an adult and a child. What if something nefarious is happening across the street, and I didn’t do anything?

Then again, I don’t know a lot about disabilities. And I know nothing about caring for kids with complex disorders. What if I am totally overreacting?

I’m 21F, and I have cerebral palsy. I’m a wheelchair user, and I have limited movement in my arms and hands, which makes typing and doing certain tasks physically difficult.
I’m currently in college studying Cybersecurity and Network Engineering Technology, taking four online classes, and honestly, I’m starting to regret everything.
The thing is, cybersecurity wasn’t even my dream career.
I was encouraged to study it because I was told it would be something easy for me to do with my disability. I was told I could work from home, make good money, and have a career that wouldn’t be too physically demanding.
Well, that turned out to be completely wrong, at least when it comes to the coursework.
Most of my classes involve labs, typing commands, following instructions, configuring things, and completing assignments that take hours.
Because of my cerebral palsy, I can’t type quickly. My hands have limited movement, and sometimes even entering a single command takes me longer than it should.
Imagine having to do that repeatedly for an entire lab.
And I have FOUR classes.
I’ll spend hours working on one assignment, and by the time I finish, I have several more waiting for me. I’ve tried making schedules, dedicating one day to each class, and even working ahead.
Nothing works because the assignments take me longer than the time I set aside for them.
I’m constantly behind.
I’m also several weeks into the semester, and I genuinely feel like I’ve barely learned anything. I’m so busy trying to submit assignments before the deadlines that I barely have time to understand the material.
I’m not learning anymore. I’m just trying to survive the week.
And here’s what makes everything even more frustrating.
I have disability accommodations through my college, but I feel like some professors aren’t really taking them seriously.
My professors received my accommodation letters. I remember having extra time, possibly double time, but I need to check whether that applies to exams, assignments, or both.
Despite that, I still feel like I’m expected to finish everything by the same deadlines as students who don’t have my physical limitations.
Recently, I missed some assignments in my English class because I was so overwhelmed with work from my other classes that I didn’t even realize I had missed them.
I emailed Professor Davis, apologized, and explained my situation.
She responded that she would make an exception for one assignment because it was Week 1. However, she also explained that her normal policy only allows work to be submitted one day late with a 50% penalty. After that, late work generally isn’t accepted.
I appreciate that she made an exception, but I also felt discouraged.
I understand that professors have rules. I’m not expecting them to give me grades for doing nothing.
But I wish they understood that my disability isn’t something I can fix by managing my time better.
I physically cannot type faster just because an assignment is due.
I also contacted my cybersecurity professor asking for additional time on labs because they take up so much of my week.
I use speech-to-text when I can, but that doesn’t solve everything, especially when I’m working with technical commands.
I don’t have an occupational therapist right now, either.
And honestly, the worst part isn’t even the grades anymore.
It’s my mental health.
I struggled with depression back in high school, and I’m starting to feel that same sadness and hopelessness coming back.
I’m exhausted. I’m frustrated. Sometimes I just want to cry because I feel like no matter how much effort I put into something, I’m always behind.
I barely have energy for anything else.
And it hurts because I was told this career would be a good fit for someone with my disability. Instead, I’m struggling just to get through the classes.
I know working in cybersecurity and studying cybersecurity aren’t necessarily the same thing, but right now, I don’t even know if this is something I want to continue pursuing.
I want to have a successful future. I want to be financially independent, and I want to prove that having a disability doesn’t mean I can’t accomplish things.
But I also want to be happy.
I don’t want to spend years studying something that is destroying my mental health just because someone told me it would be a good career for a disabled person.
I’m thinking about dropping classes, taking a break, or possibly changing my major entirely.
But I don’t know what to do.
Has anyone else with a physical disability been encouraged to pursue a career because people assumed it would be easy for them?
How did you figure out what you actually wanted to study?
And how did you deal with professors, accommodations, deadlines, and the mental exhaustion of college?
I’m genuinely looking for advice because I’m only 21, and I already feel completely burned out.

Hey all - I'm a young bloke in Brisbane with cerebral palsy, and I use a wheelchair full-time. I design and 3D-print/make my own accessories because so much of what's out there is either badly designed or wildly overpriced for what it is.

This one's my R-Net CJSM2 Sunshade (for Magic, Permobil and Quickie Chairs) ($35.00 AUD). Struggling to see your controls in the sun? I’ve been there too-so I designed a simple, lightweight sunshade just for Magic Mobility chairs. It slips on easily, stays put, and fits right in your bag when you’re done. No hassle, no tools, no stress. Whether you’re out for a cruise or waiting for a ri

Honest opinions welcome - good, bad, or "nobody needs this". And if there's something you wish someone made, tell me.

More pics/details here if useful: https://wheeliemods.com.au/products/magic-v6-sunshade

(Mods, please remove if this breaks the rules - I tried to check first.)

I just got approved to live in an RRP. I understand that it’s not the same as a group home, but I dont know what the differences are. There isn’t much information about either.

Im really scared. Does anyone have any experience with either?

Hey! For a school project I had to do something regarding tech, and I wanted to build something to help people that have upper mobility issues and use computers. This all started from a friend who has other problems using electronic devices, but now I want to expand it. I’m thinking of some sort of keyboard, maybe a mouse one can control with their feet ? What would you guys want to see ? Is this a good project to begin with… or do you guys need something else?
Thanks for reading :)

I wanted or post this here just in case anyone is willing to listen but I have been doing disability research for years.

Basically, I have this OC show where disabilities are creatures who live on a planet and they have to kill humans but remember not all disabilities kill humans so the levels of disability that can't kill humans are outcast on their own planet and hated by all.

I'm including in the core cast

Claire: Level 3 Cerebral Palsy

Anne: Level 1 Autism or what some might call Asperger's syndrome

Delia: still deciding level but Down Syndrome

Amaya: ADHD

The Duchess: musiclar dystrophy

The Master: Cancer

Scoli: scoliosis

It is not finished yet but is anyone is interested

Show name: Battle Scars

Used to bike to work every day before balance got difficult. Tried wider saddles and different pads but still have to cut rides short because of sore spots. Haven't tried anything custom yet. Mostly just reading about other people's setups now since gaming took over my free time. Wondering what actually worked for folks who ride regularly with similar issues, especially anything that won't make the bike too heavy to carry up a few stairs.

I'm not disabled. But since I was six, I have been very interested in how disability functions. I have autism which I self diagnosed as I cannot get real diagnosis and I have been doing research for years and this is my greatest special interest. Does anyone else who isn't physically disabled like doing disability research?

So i became disabled with unknown reasons at 14. From 14 to 16 I walked like a zombie and started with alot of pain and then from 16 to afew months ago (im 17) it had calmed and I was even having no symptom days and now its getting worse again. I need to work to fund for the things I need. I've applied for pip but that takes ages. I need these knee braces and im hoping to get a wheelchair that dosent hurt my shoulders to push. I need to get a job to pay for that but I cant get a job because 4 days of college (2 being half days) wears me out too much. Im missing WEEKS because then im too sick to come in (my attendance is in the 60's and its my first term) but im being told not to use aids. I hate using my wheelchair or my crutches and stuff. Im hoping to become a phlebotomist when I leave college but tbh I'll get any job I can get. I also have what people say is autism but I've not been diognosed or anything but im on the list for the assessment. I dont really think I have autism because my behavoural and mental issues (more like regressions) only got bad in my teens once o became disabled. I require support and will probly not be able to live alone (a mix of ohysical issues and mental issues) so I feel worried about how that will translate into work. I cant stand for long, some days I cant talk and selective mutism is coming back, I am unreliable qith when i can work due to flare ups, I sometimes cant respond to people because I don't know what they saying, I can fall and get verry dizzy and confused and I cant run really and some days I cant walk and I struggle with so much pain. I dont know what to do. The simple answer is just go on benefits but I dont wnat to. I want to avoid that. I want to have a life and monney to live that life and I dont think benefits pays much anyway and I want to have monney and get a mortgage with my mum so me and my mum can finally have a house and not rent. Has anyone got any tips for working? Do I lie and say im not disabled so I have a higher chance of getting hired?

Just what the title says really...

Despite all my years of best efforts dating, nobody has wanted me, and nobody seems to have found me the remotest bit attractive or desirable. Sure people love being friends with me, but anything romantic or sexual they run a mile from. I've just been continually treated like a leper.

It has been like this for over 10 years now. I guess when I was young, I had a sex drive and sexual and romantic urges and desires and needs, just the same as anybody else...and I had much hope of finding a partner too... I was such an optimist. But as years have gone on, with ZERO luck in finding anyone, despite my best efforts of putting myself out there. I have felt my sex drive and sexual needs just deminish year after year... I used to have sexual urges, but after years of not being desired and therefore not feeling desirable, my sex drive has just reduced to nothing. I don't even feel needs to have sex or self pleasure anymore, all my sex drive is just... well... gone, completely.

Has anybody else had this... where they used to have hope of being desirable, and used to have a sex drive... but their sex drive has just disappeared completely after years of having no interest shown in them and years of not being able to engage in anything sexual or flirting and therefore feeling completely undesirable? Its hard to have a sex drive when you know you are so undesired and unwanted..

((I will add, for all these years, and currently... I have been working, I am well educated and have a university degree, I enjoy spending time with friends, volunteering, playing sport, enjoy being around family and my darling little cousins and nephews, keeping up with self care, good personal hygiene, healthy bodyweight, a pride in my appearance and true sense of style.. i am simply rejected because of my feeding tube and inability to eat the same as others. It sucks. Yes, a feeding tube isn't sexy, and yes it sucks that I cannot share a takeout or meal out with someone or join them for family meals or try their moms famed lasagne recipe etc... but I am an otherwise sound option for both casual fun and a relationship... yet I get absolutely no interest at all.))

Hi everyone, I am a 3 year student in medical science at the « Université
Catholique de Lille » in France.
I am currently working on a project which goal is to help adults with a
disability. We choose to focus our project on daily hygiene in order to create
something (a site, a structure anything that could help disabled people on that
subject). We are looking to discuss with concerned people about this subject. That’s
why we create an anonymous form where if you feel like it you can share your
experience about daily hygiene as a care giver or a disabled adult.
Thank you very much for your time.
Here’s the link for the survey :
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdeLJsbn-nWWcA0KJM_J0xFAdJvaTdkgWPa5PWJkbnrKfWPOA/viewform?usp=publish-editor

So I have just come to the realization that my dad doesn't see me as disabled.

This is manly because my disabilities are not those that are shown physically. And this has led to my dad thinking of me as just a really smart kid. Which has led to an odd spot where I just need to vent and hopefully..........

Yeah I don't know what to say.... I literally just put this together and... Yeah it explains a lot...

Im not one myself, but why is there so much hatred for them from both the disabled community and the able-bodied community???
I saw someone yesterday quite literally make up a slur specifically for them and lumping them in with people who fake disabilities. Why?? What is the point of this? ???
It just doesn't make any sense to hate them specifically just because they can like,, stand up for a few seconds i guess??? It just seems kinda pointless to hate on them.

About a year and a half ago I somehow completely folded my leg in half from trying to walk while my left leg was asleep. I know it may sound kinda crazy but it's true. It was really bad, I completely destroyed my acl, meniscus, and I tore my popliteal artery. I haven't been able to walk or stand ever since this has happened. I can however get into my wheelchair but it's just too painful and uncomfortable to even want to think about getting in it. I spend most of my time in bed and I'm trying my best to keep myself together but I feel like I'm slowly losing it. For the first 3 months I felt fine but now I'm just sooooo tired and mentally exhausted. Some days I barely have the energy to watch tv. I don't know why I'm posting this, I'm bored af 24/7.

Venting Mostly. Possibly open to gentle advice but.... it always seems to be 'you haven't tried this one thing that is definitely it' and that one thing is never it so it just makes me feel unheard. So may be more venting.

Like at first I couldn't do it because I had that need to be productive. But I've kind of worked through that and I've realized resting is so BORING. Like... tv makes me feel icky after an episode or two. Kind of like when you eat too much McDonalds? I can't hold a book or flip pages anymore, and I can't focus on an ereader. With an audiobook I need something to do with my hands and then phone games or whatever are boring. I can't crochet and drawing and stuff is really painful.

I WANT to be out running around. I want to be climbing trees in my leg braces. It's not necessarily that I feel unproductive or like I'm not contributing to society. It's the resting is boring and I just want to run around and play all the time. And instead I have to lay in bed and "rest".

I do try to have fun days but the other days I just like.... idk I hate them. But I need them or I can't have fun days. But it's not relaxing to be in doors or whatever.

It's not necessarily social drive, I don't necessarily talk to people on these adventures, but like... I used to hike every single day. I was a distance runner. I had tried so many coffee shops and I liked purposely getting lost and I genuinely enjoyed being an adult because I grew up with a really really bad home life and was highly controlled and adulthood was FREEDOM.

But my disability means once again I'm stuck at home. And I have done a lot of work around home not feeling so much like a punishment or whatever. But it still feels boring. I just have a such high want of 'do' and though I know there are medications I take that could get that down (been there, done that) I lost the best parts of me.

Anyway I think I might feel up to walking to Dunkin and winter is coming so I need to do all I can before it's too cold for walks regularly. Here's to hoping I find things in winter that I enjoy that require not moving my body but also give the feeling of moving my body.

I work full time, 8hr shifts completely on my feet. Ive found shoes that help, but im wandering if there would be a better knee/ankle brace brand i could use? Im currently using idea village's copper fit and they dont provide enough support and have trouble keeping them from rolling down my legs

Back in 1989 I had a car accident. I suffered an impact fracture of L1, which paralyzed about 70% of the muscles below my waste. This was in Southern California. I was put in a wheelchair at first but slowly recovered enough muscle to be able to walk with the assistance of Bilateral articulating AFOs and a cane. That took me about a year after the initial injury. I moved to Minnesota in 1992 to attend University. I would fall on the ice but I got good at judging where was safe and how to walk in those conditions. In March of 2023 I had ACDF surgery. C4 was fused to T1 with bone grafts and titanium plates. I needed a revision surgery very soon after. (I have some interesting recordings of me moving my neck and hearing a creaking noise like an old door that desperately needed oil ... my kids loved that). Some of the screws had come loose and I needed a revision surgery within about 4 months of the initial one. The neurosurgeon told me not to walk around, let alone move around a bunch util I could get the 2nd surgery. The night before the 2nd revision I fell and suffered an impact fracture of T12. 4 months after that fall I fell again and suffered an impact fracture of T11. Over the past 5 years I'm slowly losing the ability to walk safely. Life is very different in Minnesota than SoCal and I have no idea how to maintain my independence while also still getting around safely. Walkers kind of suck here in the snow and ice. I really have no idea how other people live here in a wheelchair. I can't cut a path in the snow, my hands get slick and slimy from the SNERT on the rims.

How do you all live a semi-independent life in snow country? My wife and I both drive AWD SUVs and I bought one for my kids. We don't bother to snow blow the driveway anymore. I have worked so hard to stay on my feet but it won't be much longer. Any serious advice, tips and tricks would be appreciated. The PT and OT here isn't very helpful. I swear if they make me try to balance on a ball again, I'm gonna lose it.

ive been seeing this "trend" on tiktok of people telling parents of severely disabled people to "let go" of their children. saying this to parents who are present and take good care of their children is absolutely vile behavior. i have even seen people go a step up from there and saying they should be "put down like animals who are in pain". it makes me absolutely sick. i am level 1 autistic and didnt conversate until i was 4, i also work with autistic children including severely autistic children and those with other special needs due to medical conditions. it is literally eugenics idealogy to say we need to "prevent" all disabilities by aborting all disabled children or by being allowed to euthanize them. it makes me seethe.

I have found myself in the darkest place since my injury.

I just lost my job last week. I am behind on rent, medical bills, and anything else I owe money on. I am at risk of being evicted. I always ALWAYS find a way but this obstacle feels too tall. I really don’t know what to do.

I am a single 31 year old spinal cord injury that lives by himself in an accessible apartment in the middle of a city. I love where I’m at. This is my first accessible living arrangement. I have amazing friends that are so successful and happy. I truly love it for them and then I’m over here trying to crawl to the next day. I’m losing my spark and my love for life.

Im here searching for guidance and wisdom to bring me out of this endless hole that I see no bottom to.

I don’t have anybody to talk to or anybody to ask for help and I just needed to express my feelings.

I love you all and wish everybody a happy and healthy life. I promise to keep fighting.