Oregon Community Brokerages

10/27/2025

We lost a longtime friend of home and community based services in Oregon. Molly Holsapple was an active part of setting up Brokerage services in Oregon, and ensuring that the system was centered on and powered by people.

Oregon’s disability community lost a bright light this week with the passing of Molly Holsapple.

Molly was a driving force behind the creation of Oregon’s support service brokerage system and a steadfast champion for community employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her insight, persistence, and belief in person-centered support helped shape the best parts of the system.

For those of us privileged to work alongside her, Molly was more than a policy leader — she was a mentor, a collaborator, and a compass. Her influence continues to guide our work and our values.

Thank you, Molly. You made such a lasting difference. The path you cleared endures. ✨

10/22/2025

Important update on SNAP benefits and the federal government shutdown.

The federal government shutdown is affecting funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). If the shutdown continues into November, SNAP benefits for November will not be issued until federal funding starts again.

You can still use any SNAP benefits already on your EBT card. SNAP funds do not expire right away. Your current balance will stay available during this time.

When federal operations resume, ODHS will issue November benefits as quickly as possible. The timing will depend on national systems that process benefits for many states, which may cause some delays.

We know this is stressful for many people who rely on SNAP. We are watching the situation closely and will share updates as soon as we have them.

Get more details here: https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/news/Pages/snap-updates.aspx

10/17/2025

Good information from our friends at OSAC.

Important information about SNAP benefits!

OSAC wants to make sure that self advocates in the I/DD community across the state are staying up to date on changes to SNAP benefits. Please share this post to get the word out in our community!

Right now, October SNAP benefits have not been impacted. People received their October benefits as usual, and anyone newly approved during October will also get their full benefits. ODHS received a memo from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that November benefits will be disrupted if a federal shutdown continues.

Here is what you can do to make sure you have access to food if your benefits are affected and how to stay informed:

1. Talk to your supporters to make a plan for you to access food if your benefits are affected. You can call your case managers and talk to them and ask them about local resources in your community.

2. Find out where your nearest food bank is by using the website: https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/food/pages/default.aspx?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

3. Contact 211info by dialing 2-1-1, texting your ZIP code to 898-211, or visiting www.211info.org.

4. Older adults and people with disabilities: Connect with the Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon (ADRC) for help finding government and community resources. Call 1-855-673-2372 or visit www.adrcoforegon.org

5. Sign-up for an ONE Online account and download the Oregon ONE Mobile app at benefits.oregon.gov to get notices about your SNAP case. Here is a video to learn how to do that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j85LjipK4PY&t=5s

6. Stay up to date with federal changes by visiting this ODHS webpage: https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/news/pages/federal-updates.aspx

10/16/2025

Budget conversations are already starting for the February 2026 Oregon Legislative Session. Oregon's funding situation is complicated, and the decisions that will have to be made are heavy. Read our new blogpost below, where we break down what we've learned to date.

Oregon adjourned its 2025 full legislative session in late June with a freshly adopted two-year state budget. One week later, the federal legislature passed House Resolution 1 (HR 1), and Oregon’s budget was suddenly hundreds of millions of dollars in the red.

10/16/2025

Very excited about OSAC's new advocate meetings! Check them out using the QR code below.

Self advocates in the I/DD community all over Oregon are invited to OSAC's Monthly meetings to connect with other self advocates in the state and learn together. We are stronger together!

We have two different meetings for self advocates, you are welcome to come to one or both!
Please register using the QR code or the links in the text below:

Connection and Education Meetings
Once every two months
First meeting is on Friday November 7th from 2-4pm
Registration link: https://forms.gle/6Yqawwy6x2Z3ZMnP9

Policy and Legislative Meetings
Once every two months
First meeting is on Friday December 5th from 2-4pm
Registration link: https://forms.gle/3mHvXSgHJk1AgVLp9

Contact us if you need any help with registering or have any questions by emailing: gabrielle.guedon@askosac.org

09/02/2025

With the federal government's overhaul of our nation's spending, we all have questions about what that will mean for programs like Medicaid. Click below to read a summary of what we know right now, and some useful links to track what happens next.

A summary of the information available about changes to the federal Medicaid program and what that means for Oregonians.

08/28/2025

If you're finding barriers to healthcare and have basic medical care needs unmet, the Linkage Project may be able to help you. Connect with them and see what's possible!

NOW ENROLLING! The Oregon Office on Disability and Health (OODH) at OHSU is seeking participants for the Linkage Project. This is a FREE experience for adults with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (IDD) in Oregon. The OODH Linkage Project Team works with individuals to provide preventive health education as well as connections to preventive health care and programs. Please visit our Linkage Project Page on our website for more information. https://www.ohsu.edu/oregon-office-on-disability-and-health/linkage-project

08/27/2025

Help the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities plan for the future! Let them know what they can do to support you.

Email from And help us prioritize what is most important to you! View as Webpage   IDD Information & Opportunities     Join us at our next OCDD COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS SESSION Thursday, August 28 5:

08/04/2025

Help the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities focus its work! Take the survey and share our thoughts with them.

📣 It's time to develop our next 5-Year State Plan. Help us prioritize what matters to you! Every 5 years, OCDD is required to develop a new state plan to guide our work. We are asking all Oregonians with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), family members, caregivers and support persons, and IDD community partners to complete our public input survey. The survey is anonymous and should only take about 10 minutes to complete. Take the survey in:

👉 English: surveymonkey.com/r/NZ66NDV
👉 Española: surveymonkey.com/r/93NK8N3
👉 Русский: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QYWYFBW
👉 한국인: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q958B6L
👉 Tiếng Việt: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/J587YZ3
👉 简体中文: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WQ9B32C

Need another language or have a question? Email kate.thompson@ocdd.org or call 503-779-5389.

Learn more about OCDD: https://www.ocdd.org/

08/04/2025

I've heard a lot of questions and concern from our community about their personal data is shared with the federal government. Data like birth dates, home addresses, and citizenship status is given by individuals in order to receive IDD services. The state has just put out information on this topic to help people understand what is shared and why. Please follow the links below and in the comments to read more. (Note: Oregon Department of Human Services is working to get this information out in 15 additional languages in the coming weeks.)

General Information in English:
https://sharedsystems.dhsoha.state.or.us/DHSForms/Served/le-1086100b.pdf

General Information in Spanish:
https://sharedsystems.dhsoha.state.or.us/DHSForms/Served/ls-1086100b.pdf

07/14/2025

This is a great resource, not something that comes around every day! Check out this webinar from our friends at Community Vision and the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities.

Assistive Technology Free Webinar!

Technology Solutions Training for Self-Advocates & Families: Learn about Assistive Technology, Adaptive Devices, and everyday items for independence. Find out about the funding process and more. Bring your questions!

WHO

Self-Avocates and People with Developmental Disabilities
Families, Friends, and Caregivers

WHEN

Tuesday, July 29, 2025 5:30-7:00-pm (English only session) https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/UUhxqLJ5TgK1FFbaD1Xazw #/registration

Wednesday August 20, 2025 5:30-7:00pm (with Spanish interpretation (con interpretación en español)) https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/oxCiYa4pTDCZ7ab71qDzuw #/registration

Click to register! A Zoom link will be emailed to you.

Community Vision Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities

07/02/2025

⚠️ URGENT!! The Senate just passed the "One Big Brutal Bill!" ⚠️

Please take two minutes protect:

- 129,616 Oregonians with disabilities on Medicaid’s Oregon Health Plan.
- Numerous services supporting people with developmental disabilities.
- Thousands of struggling families from going hungry.

👉🏻 Email your representatives NOW at tinyurl.com/yc442jdz >
👉🏽 Call them at (202) 224-3121

Our community's lives depend on it!