Jubilee Association of Maryland

03/14/2026

Take action today: Contact your elected officials in Annapolis and urge them to protect dedicated hours and state only funding for Marylanders with developmental disabilities.
Delegate Gabriel Acevero, Lesley Lopez for Maryland, Greg Wims for Delegate - District 39

03/12/2026

Jubilee self-advocates braved the rain, sleet, and snow to make their voices heard in Annapolis. Their request is simple: Save the services they rely on each and every day. Cuts to DDA's budget put people with higher needs at risk and makes it harder to pay staff a fair wage. Join them: Take 10 minutes to ask your representatives to reject these harmful cuts. Find and email your representatives by using the "lookup" tab on this website: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/members/district

03/11/2026

Protect dedicated hours and state-only funding.
Julie Palakovich Carr, Delegate Ryan Spiegel, Joe Vogel

03/09/2026

💐Congratulations to Jubilee’s March Shining Star Rashidat Sanni-Ewunmi! Rashidat has a reputation for hard work, compassion, and dedication. She fosters an environment of collaboration where coworkers know they can ask for help and share ideas.

👉Rashidat has grown in her career helping people with developmental disabilities. She began her Jubilee career in 2021 as a direct support professional, and is now a Service Team Lead.

🙋‍♀️Seeking a rewarding career where you can make a difference like Rashidat? Check out Jubilee jobs at https://jubileemd.org/work-at-jubilee/

📷Rashidat, Beth and Amy (left to right) have fun at an event.

National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals - NADSP

03/09/2026

What's the best way to brighten a dreary weekend? Have your friends from Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland stop by to put a new roof on your house! We are so grateful for this generous gift!

03/06/2026

Calling all advocates! Join the Rally to Save DD Services on Thursday, March 12, from 12-1 p.m. on Lawyer’s Mall in Annapolis.

We Can’t Go Back. We Won’t Go Back.

People with disabilities cannot go back to institutions. And people with the highest support needs cannot have service reductions and possible service elimination pushed on them, in order to balance the State budget.

Join the Rally to Save DD Services
Thursday, March 12
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Lawyer’s Mall, Annapolis

The proposed Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) budget cuts would slash $155 million in state funding and more than $310 million when federal matching dollars are included. These cuts threaten the services that allow thousands of Marylanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live in their homes and communities.

Institutions or discharge from services cannot be the outcome for people who need these supports the most.

WE ARE FACING A CRISIS, and lawmakers need to hear from our community. When people with disabilities, families, providers, and advocates show up together, it sends a powerful message that these services matter.

Wear red and join the rally in Annapolis. A strong turnout will make clear that Maryland cannot balance the budget on the backs of people with disabilities.

03/05/2026

Jubilee is currently accepting applications for the Director of Finance position. We encourage qualified applicants.

Find out more about the role and apply here: https://jubileemd.org/work-at-jubilee/

03/02/2026

"Sometimes it feels that people with developmental disabilities are looked at like we’re a bother. Or worse, that we don’t exist. Well, we do exist. We want the same good life as everyone else. It’s important to speak out.

I tell our legislators don’t forget people with disabilities. Funding disability services helps people like me have our own place to live and do things we like. My weekly art and fitness classes are a big part of my life. It’s important we have nice places to live and people helping us who are kind. I have that with Jubilee." - Joan (MD legislative district 19 resident)

👉Joan's powerful story - and how she became her own advocate - available now in Jubilee newsletters (check your email and mailbox!) and on our website.

https://jubileemd.org/joan-speaks-out-for-whats-right/

Delegate Vaughn Stewart Delegate Bonnie Cullison
Maryland Department of Health - Developmental Disabilities Administration Maryland Association of Community Services (MACS) Disability Rights Maryland

03/01/2026

Celebrating Women's History Month! From Judy Heumann to Lois Curtis and unsung hero moms and caregivers, women's contributions to the disability rights movement cannot be overstated.

This Women's History Month we are celebrating the women of Jubilee! With grateful hearts we recognize the love, support and determination you bring to helping people with disabilities live full lives in our community. 💐

👉 Jubilee Program Manager Janeice Green and her family members have been making a difference at Jubilee for decades. Enjoy their story are we celebrate Women's History Month. https://jubileemd.org/its-a-family-affair-at-jubilee/

02/28/2026

Past and present come together this as Maryland legislators put forward The Olmstead Assurances Law of Maryland. This law is designed to protect people with disabilities from being disenrolled from the Medicaid waiver and losing services that allow them to live in their communities.

This legislation builds on the 1999 landmark Supreme Court case Olmstead v. L.C., which ruled that unnecessary institutionalization is discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

At the heart of the case was Lois Curtis, a Black woman whose determination reshaped disability rights for generations to come. After winning her case, Lois moved from an institution into the community, where she flourished as an artist and advocate. Lois was even invited to the White House, where she gave President Barack Obama one of her paintings.

Tell your representatives in Annapolis to support this bill! Email your state senator and delegates by clicking this link and using the "lookup" tab: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/members/district

02/27/2026

Jubilee Executive Director Steve Keener testified in Annapolis at budget hearings on the importance of fairly funding community providers through Maryland Department of Health - Developmental Disabilities Administration. Jubilee mom Carol Fried shared why this work is so important for Maryland families.

Thank you: Delegate Luke Clippinger, Delegate Emily Shetty, Delegate Dana Jones, Joseline Peña-Melnyk, and Delegate Ben Barnes.

More info here: https://marylandmatters.org/2026/02/26/emotions-bubble-over-at-budget-hearing-on-developmental-disabilities-service-cuts/?fbclid=IwY2xjawQOmNJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFHT0NBZnh4azhjWlBUdFhSc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHhjNOEX1vu83jcbdwasp0vY7XMl48GGr2co-nVmfXr7os9FDdUoIOXTDFgYz_aem_rt1akim63JX6zi4yy6scQA

The hearing on $150 million in proposed cuts to the Developmental Disabilities Administration was mostly dry, until recipients and family members began telling their personal stories, and two years of fears and frustration bubbled over.

02/26/2026

Join Jubilee's mission-driven team! Become an Academy Instructor and prepare future Direct Support Professionals to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Find out more about the Academy Instructor role and apply online: https://jubileemd.org/work-at-jubilee/