The Arc of Texas

05/14/2026

Take their quick survey to see if you're a match for the study!

If you are a parent, sibling, or person with a disability sign up to take our survey today! To learn more about our research study go to: raisingtexasvoices.org

05/08/2026

This week, with your help, we testified before the House Human Services Committee on the challenges Texans with face when trying to access supports to thrive in their communities. Your voices made a difference! See what committee members had to say.

There are real opportunities to strengthen Texas’ IDD system. Collaborative advocacy makes this possible! Thanks to the nearly 60 people who acted on our call to action by commenting in the House Public Comment Portal with our sample language. Legislators heard your comments, emails and calls! And huge thanks to The Arc of DFW Area for engaging with committee members before the hearing, and for helping the DFW IDD community feel equipped to use their voice!

We’ll continue to bring your experiences and perspectives to the Capitol, both in the interim and as we prepare for the next legislative session, beginning Jan. 2027.



Thank you:
Christian Manuel

Candy Noble
Aicha Davis for Texas

05/06/2026

As Education & Outreach Manager, Ashley Melero supports The Arc of Texas Master Pooled Trust, providing case management and presentations on Future Planning 101. Guess who is always at her side? Her guide dog, Delight! Just like today, where she is listening intently at the National PLAN Alliance Conference in Kansas City, Delight travels with Ashley to support her in life and work, and advocates for the equal access of service animals like herself. Way to go, Delight!

In her free time, Delight enjoys being outside and cheering on Ashley in Beep Baseball, an adaptive version of baseball designed for visually impaired athletes, featuring a sound-emitting ball and buzzing bases to allow players to compete by ear. How cool is that?!

National Plan Alliance

05/04/2026

⏰Bet you can do this in under 10 mins! By tomorrow, May 5, tell the Texas House Committee on Human Services to prioritize investments in services for Texans with IDD. Learn what's goin on, find your legislator's contact info, and use our sample language, all at https://tinyurl.com/ActByMay5

Please share:
Texas Advocates
Disability Rights Texas
Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities

🚨Act Now: By May 5, Tell Texas House Committee on Human Services to prioritize investments in services for Texans with IDD. Learn what's going on, and how to make your voice heard (sample language and contact info provided) at https://tinyurl.com/ActByMay5

🔸What's Happening
On Tuesday, May 5, the Texas House Committee on Human Services will hold a public hearing to study the services available to Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This hearing represents a critical opportunity for Texans with IDD and their families to share their experiences and ensure Texans with IDD can access services that are timely, reliable, and responsive to their needs. Although the committee will only hear invited testimony, the public is invited to submit written comments using the House Public Comment Portal. The committee will consider this interim charge: Provision of Services for Texans with IDD: Evaluate the availability of services for Texans with IDD, including service coordination, Home and Community-Based Services, and the functionality of the waiver interest list. Ensure vulnerable Texans are protected by the current regulatory landscape and make recommendations for improvements.

🔸Why It Matters
Texans with IDD rely on a variety of supports to live full and self-determined lives, including Medicaid, HCBS waiver programs, services provided by local IDD authorities, and natural supports from families, among others. These services help meet everyday needs such as personal care, medication management, transportation, employment supports, and more. However, Texas struggles to ensure these supports are available when needed:
--More than 198,000 Texans with disabilities continue to wait on interest lists for Medicaid waiver services, with some waiting up to 17 years.
--Ongoing challenges in recruiting and retaining a stable, high-quality direct care workforce make it difficult for people to receive services consistently, even after they are authorized.
--These challenges highlight the urgent need for a system that ensures timely access to services that are available, reliable, and responsive to each person’s needs.

Thank you!

04/30/2026

Let's hear it for Renee Lopez, who serves on the boards of The Arc of Texas and Texas Advocates We recently sat down with her to hear what she loves about living in her community, and why she never wants to live in an institution again. Thanks for your advocacy, Renee!

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WHAT'S HAPPENING?
A couple months ago, we sent a letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton requesting his office withdraw from the Texas v. Kennedy lawsuit, which seeks to invalidate long-standing, critical protections under federal law for people with disabilities. This lawsuit threatens to upend decades of progress made toward community living, independence, inclusion, and self-determination for people with disabilities in Texas and throughout the U.S. It's part of a broader effort to weaken in and across the nation.

Disability rights advocates, including The Arc of Texas, warn that if this case succeeds, it will make it harder for people with disabilities to exercise their right to live in the most integrated setting and access already limited home and community-based services. The likely result would be increased, unnecessary institutionalization for people with disabilities and fewer opportunities to live independently and fully integrated into their communities.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Contact Paxton to say: “My name is [NAME] and I live in [CITY, Texas]. Withdraw Texas from Texas v. Kennedy. People with disabilities should be able to live in the community with the supports that make life possible, and our state should not be part of a lawsuit that puts that at risk. Thank you.”

--Email Ken.Paxton@oag.texas.gov and Ryan.Kercher@oag.texas.gov
--Call 512-936-0567
--Or submit a comment: https://ow.ly/640t50Ym49H

Learn more: https://ow.ly/1QaL50Ym49G

The Arc of the United States

04/28/2026

🚨Act Now: By May 5, Tell Texas House Committee on Human Services to prioritize investments in services for Texans with IDD. Learn what's going on, and how to make your voice heard (sample language and contact info provided) at https://tinyurl.com/ActByMay5

🔸What's Happening
On Tuesday, May 5, the Texas House Committee on Human Services will hold a public hearing to study the services available to Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This hearing represents a critical opportunity for Texans with IDD and their families to share their experiences and ensure Texans with IDD can access services that are timely, reliable, and responsive to their needs. Although the committee will only hear invited testimony, the public is invited to submit written comments using the House Public Comment Portal. The committee will consider this interim charge: Provision of Services for Texans with IDD: Evaluate the availability of services for Texans with IDD, including service coordination, Home and Community-Based Services, and the functionality of the waiver interest list. Ensure vulnerable Texans are protected by the current regulatory landscape and make recommendations for improvements.

🔸Why It Matters
Texans with IDD rely on a variety of supports to live full and self-determined lives, including Medicaid, HCBS waiver programs, services provided by local IDD authorities, and natural supports from families, among others. These services help meet everyday needs such as personal care, medication management, transportation, employment supports, and more. However, Texas struggles to ensure these supports are available when needed:
--More than 198,000 Texans with disabilities continue to wait on interest lists for Medicaid waiver services, with some waiting up to 17 years.
--Ongoing challenges in recruiting and retaining a stable, high-quality direct care workforce make it difficult for people to receive services consistently, even after they are authorized.
--These challenges highlight the urgent need for a system that ensures timely access to services that are available, reliable, and responsive to each person’s needs.

Thank you!

04/07/2026

April is / ! Take a few minutes to learn a few things about Autism, below!

04/01/2026

Register to join this virtual training on April 11!

There is strength in numbers! Join the 70+ self-advocates, family members, professionals, and other community members who have already participated in our ACE advocacy training! Our first all-virtual workshop will be on Saturday, April 11. Register at bit.ly/ace-virtual-workshop or use the QR code below!

03/31/2026

RSVP at the link to join the conversation with Ricky tomorrow!

Join us for Real Talk With Ricky-Session 2 on April 1, 12:30pm. Use the Zoom registration link to RSVP: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/b1Pgf7xeQJqc6nzH8K5tog

03/30/2026

Great coverage from KERA on proposed Texas Medicaid rule for children with complex medical needs. Here's an excerpt: Michael Clarke, deputy director of public policy and advocacy at The Arc of Texas, said requiring children to meet “at least two very high acuity medical conditions” may leave families in crisis and risk of institutionalization.

“Medically fragile children often have complex overlapping needs that do not fit neatly into rigid categories,” he said. “As written, the eligibility criteria is narrow and risks excluding children who are clearly at risk of nursing facility admission, but do not meet multiple highly specific conditions.”

HHSC says the slots are for “crisis diversion,” which Clarke said should include more factors than just a narrow list of medical conditions.

“Families may experience crisis due to a range of factors, including limited caregiver capacity, loss of private duty nursing, and inability to safely sustain care at home or other criteria,” he said. “Many families would not qualify until their situation has deteriorated to an extreme and potentially dangerous point rather than receiving services early enough to prevent institutionalization.”

A proposed rule would allow some children to qualify for the Medically Dependent Children Program — a Medicaid program that offers home- and community-based services to children with complex medical needs — without needing a nursing facility stay. But, advocates said the language is too “narro...