American Association of People with Disabilities

08/13/2025

Stacey's quarter unveiling begins in 40 minutes, at 6 PM ET! You can tune in and watch live on YouTube at this link: https://www.youtube.com/live/MSOMBPIma0A

Stacey Park Milbern was a fierce advocate, writer, and visionary leader in the disability justice movement. As a q***r, Korean American woman living with muscular dystrophy, she brought an intersectional lens to disability rights and centered voices that are all too often left out of the narrative.

She co-founded the Disability Justice Movement (in fact, she helped coin the term!), reminding the world that accessibility must be intersectional. Her work was rooted in care, community, and collective liberation — not charity. Stacey is also a 2007 alumna of the AAPD Internship Program.

From organizing grassroots mutual aid during crises to challenging ableism in healthcare and policy, Stacey's legacy is eternal.

The US Mint will be putting Stacey on a quarter as part of the American Women Quarters program to honor the life she lived. 💜 Please join us at an event honoring her at the National Smithsonian Museum of American History: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/historic-change-celebrate-the-life-and-legacy-of-stacey-park-milbern-tickets-1478583074779.

ID: A stylized graphic of Stacey Park Milbern featuring a photo of her in black-and-white on the left side inside and the quarter featuring her likeness on the right.

08/12/2025

Expanding, protecting voting rights, and making voting more accessible for disabled voters are all fundamental to democracy, and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is doing just that. That's why AAPD supports and has endorsed this critical legislation.

In the words of AAPD President and CEO Maria Town: “From the 1965 Voting Rights Act to the Help America Vote Act of 2000, federal protections have been absolutely essential in ensuring that people with disabilities can access the ballot. Since the devastating 2013 Shelby County v. Holder decision, we’ve seen an avalanche of anti-voter legislation passed at the state level. Many of these bills have disproportionately harmed disabled voters, and in particular Black and Brown disabled voters. Passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is critical for building an accessible democracy where everyone can access the ballot and where every vote counts.”

ID 1: White text on a dark blue background with light blue highlights. This theme continues for each image. 3 key components of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, with a light blue highlighted arrow to indicate swiping.
ID 2: 1. Same day voter registration, with a large number 1 and a light blue arrow in highlights.
ID 3: 2. Automatic voter registration, with a large number 2 and a light blue arrow in highlights.
ID 4: 3. Expansion of preclearance, with a large number 3 in highlights.

08/11/2025

This week, we will gather at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to mark the unveiling of a new quarter featuring Disability Justice advocate Stacey Park Milbern.
Stacey Park Milbern was a q***r disabled Korean-American activist, writer, speaker, and movement organizer whose work and leadership helped make the modern Disability Justice movement what it is today. Among many things, Stacey was a Disability Justice movement leader, a boba enthusiast, an AAPD Summer Internship Program alumnus, and is now a disabled ancestor.

how to fight for one another, take care of one another, and to center the leadership and experiences of disabled people of color, women, q***r, and trans folks. Stacey championed the belief that every one of us is inherently worthy and deserving of care, dignity, love, and community. She embodied the idea that when systems fail us, disabled people can show up for one another in community. Until she died, Stacey was organizing from her hospital bed, facilitating mutual aid, networks of care, and coordinating supplies to protect medically vulnerable disabled people during the first few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2022, on the second anniversary of her death and what would have been Stacey’s 35th birthday, AAPD collaborated with Google to honor Stacey through an exhibit called “In Her Own Words: Remembering and Honoring Stacey Park Milbern.” As we prepare to honor Stacey next week, we invite you to learn more about her and the values that drove her work.

Read AAPD’s 2022 tribute to Stacey and get the link to register for tickets to or livestream the Smithsonian event on August 13 at 6 PM ET here: https://www.aapd.com/in-her-own-words-remembering-and-honoring-stacey-park-milbern/

AAPD is proud to co-sponsor this event with the United States Mint, the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum, National Museum of American History, Access Smithsonian, Asian Pacific American Center, and the Disability Cultural Center at Georgetown University — we hope you will join us! Register for the event on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/historic-change-celebrate-the-life-and-legacy-of-stacey-park-milbern-tickets-1478583074779

08/07/2025

Stacey Park Milbern was a fierce advocate, writer, and visionary leader in the disability justice movement. As a q***r, Korean American woman living with muscular dystrophy, she brought an intersectional lens to disability rights and centered voices that are all too often left out of the narrative.

She co-founded the Disability Justice Movement (in fact, she helped coin the term!), reminding the world that accessibility must be intersectional. Her work was rooted in care, community, and collective liberation — not charity. Stacey is also a 2007 alumna of the AAPD Internship Program.

From organizing grassroots mutual aid during crises to challenging ableism in healthcare and policy, Stacey's legacy is eternal.

The US Mint will be putting Stacey on a quarter as part of the American Women Quarters program to honor the life she lived. 💜 Please join us at an event honoring her at the National Smithsonian Museum of American History: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/historic-change-celebrate-the-life-and-legacy-of-stacey-park-milbern-tickets-1478583074779.

ID: A stylized graphic of Stacey Park Milbern featuring a photo of her in black-and-white on the left side inside and the quarter featuring her likeness on the right.

08/06/2025

AAPD Interns 🤝 Incredible opportunities

Last week, some of our Summer 2025 AAPD Interns had the chance to meet with Representative Lateefah Simon. Representative Simon is the first congenitally blind Member of Congress, representing California's 12th district. Thank you Congresswoman Lateefah Simon for spending time with us and talking about how you've navigated life and lawmaking as a disabled woman 💙

This photo exemplifies what is so cool about our Internship Programs. AAPD finds placements for our amazing interns, including in Congressional Offices. This summer, AAPD placed Esme, a visually impaired intern, in Representative Lateefah Simon's office. Whether it's being paired with a mentor, of opportunities like this one, every AAPD intern gets many opportunities to see what life can look like as a powerful, proud disabled professional.

ID: A group of AAPD interns and staff, who are people of various gender identities, races, and disabilities, standing in Representative Simon's office, who is standing happily in the center of the photo smiling wide.

08/05/2025

Do you believe in the power of disability mentorship? Be a Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) Coordinator! Your workplace, university, or community organization can host a DMD event to give young people and students with disabilities in your area the support of a mentor. We do DMD because we know just how much community matters: young disabled people who have a mentor in the disability community often have better work and school outcomes.

To be a DMD Coordinator, you must attend the orientation meeting on August 19, unless you've already attended the previous one on June 26! It's at August 19 from 4-5 PM ET. You can register for the meeting at the link in our bio.

If you're interested in hosting a DMD event, or if you have any questions about being a DMD Coordinator, please email dmd@aapd.com.

ID: White text on a purple to blue gradient over a light checkerboard pattern that says: Be a coordinator for disability mentoring day, join an orientation meeting on August 19 from 4 - 5 PM ET".

07/30/2025

We had the pleasure of interviewing 2002 Paul G. Hearne Awardee Sarah Triano, who used the award funds to create the first Disability Pride Parade in the United States. These parades now take place in many major cities across the US every July. We can't think of a more fitting way to close out Disability Pride Month than learning about Sarah's work and story. Read the full blog: https://www.aapd.com/how-the-paul-g-hearne-emerging-leader-award-helped-sarah-triano-make-disability-history/

ID 1: A quote from Sarah Triano on a purple background that says: "Necessary things happen when you get angry, but there also needs to be space for love."
ID 2: A group of six people at a protest holding up a sign that says “proyecto visión”, wearing matching red shirts that say “discapacido y con orguillo”, Spanish for “disabled and proud”
ID 3: A young woman smiling at the camera with her hands behind her head. She has “proud” written across her forehead.

07/30/2025

AAPD is hiring a full-time Tech Policy Associate. Details below:

✅Format: Hybrid* (i.e., some in-person work required)
✅ Location: Washington, DC (with occasional travel)
✅Expected Start Date: immediately
✅Salary: $60,000 - $75,000

The Technology Policy team at the American Association of People with Disabilities addresses critical issues at the intersection of technology policy and disability rights. Our work spans a wide range of areas, including digital accessibility, assistive technology, telecommunications and broadband access, data privacy, artificial intelligence (AI), and emerging technologies. We advocate for a safer and more inclusive internet for people with disabilities, engage in shaping regulations around emerging technologies, and build coalitions with individuals and organizations to promote equitable tech policy.

See full details and apply by the August 5 priority deadline at: https://ats.rippling.com/aapd-jobs/jobs/329e56b7-d03a-4a11-a4fa-9b28666e6d86

ID: Black text on a light blue background that says AAPD is hiring a tech policy associate, hybrid rolling bases with an August 5 priority deadline.

07/26/2025

35 years ago today, on July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. AAPD co-founder and disability rights activist Justin Dart was by his side on the White House lawn as President Bush declared, "Let the shameful wall of exclusion come tumbling down."

35 years later, the shameful wall of exclusion still exists, and is being built higher by policies and executive orders that force disabled people into institutions, take away our healthcare, and protect employers who discriminate against us.

The current attack on disability rights makes celebrating the ADA today...complicated. But celebrating the ADA's passage reminds us that the dedication and persistence of disabled Americans have changed this country time and again. Disability advocacy is powerful. Our community is powerful. And in this moment, our power is needed more than ever.

We are so grateful for the ADA and the advocates who fought for it. We will honor and continue their legacy by ensuring the ADA is the floor, not the ceiling, of disability inclusion and civil rights.

In the words of legendary disabled advocate Anita Cameron, "Civil rights aren't given. You have to fight to get them, and then fight to keep them."

We'll be fighting alongside you for the next 35 years and beyond, ❤️ Happy !

Image description in alt-text and comments.

07/24/2025

Forced institutionalization is violent and harmful.

The Trump administration is trying to take us back to the time of Ugly Laws, aka policies that force people out of public life and into institutionalization because they are disabled, or in the case of this executive order, unhoused.

Trump executive order would increase hospitalization of homeless individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. The order said shifting homeless people into long-term institutional settings will restore public order.

07/24/2025

A huge thank you to Wells Fargo for being the Presenting Partner for our ADA35 Celebration Event this week, which AAPD co-hosted with the National Council on Independent Living! Your sponsorship and commitment to inclusion made an evening of much-needed celebration and Disability Joy possible.

Image description: A teal and purple gradient background has an image of the Wells Fargo logo and says in white text, "Thank you to our ADA35 Celebration Presenting Partner Wells Fargo." The AAPD logo is in the bottom right corner.