ABLE NH

New Hampshire’s Developmental Services Quality Council recently released recommendations for making our developmental services system safer, more transparent, and more accountable.

ABLE NH created a plain-language explainer to break down what they found, what they recommend, and what needs to happen next.
https://canva.link/ujbp47nnvfiqv4j

👉Swipe through to learn more.

📖 You can also read the full recommendations in the New Hampshire Bulletin article:
https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2026/09/29/system-review-committee-calls-for-changes-to-nh-disability-system/

And recommendations are only useful if they lead to action.

📣 The new Developmental Services Oversight Commission still has not met. Use our FastDemocracy action link in the comments to tell Senate leaders it’s time for the Commission to get to work.
https://fastdemocracy.com/campaigns/zqKfp2hhq/Tell-Senate-Leaders--It-s-Time-for-the-Developmental-Services-Oversight-Commission-to-Meet

For decades, disabled people have fought for the right to live in their own homes and communities instead of being forced into institutions. In 1999, the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision made clear that unnecessarily separating disabled people from their communities is discrimination.

Now, some of those protections are being weakened.

The federal government has agreed to remove language from Section 504 rules that says disabled people should receive services in the “most integrated setting” possible. In plain language, that means people should get the support they need while remaining part of their communities whenever possible.

The federal government is also arguing that the ADA and Section 504 do not require states to provide services in the most integrated setting.

These things are connected, and they should concern us.

If states have less responsibility to provide community-based services, people who need significant support could have fewer choices about where and how they live. When those services are not available, institutions can become the only option.

We have been down this road before.

Olmstead has not disappeared. The ADA and Section 504 still exist. Disabled people still have civil rights. But having rights on paper is not enough. Those rights have to be protected, funded, and enforced.

Disabled people fought for generations to leave institutions and live ordinary lives in ordinary communities. We should be building stronger community supports, not weakening the protections that helped make community living possible.

We cannot go backward.

Every body and every mind belong. And we belong in our communities.

https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/09/28/trump-administration-gets-ok-to-scale-back-disability-protections/32194/

Trump Administration Gets OK To Scale Back Disability Protections The government will do away with rules requiring that people with disabilities be served in the community under a settlement with a handful of states that advocates say sidesteps decades of precedent.

Commentary: What civil rights enforcement cuts mean for students with disabilities • New Hampshire Bulletin For decades, the Office for Civil Rights, or OCR, served as a critical safety net when local schools failed to meet federal disability standards. Now, sweeping budget and workforce cuts have restructured the office, leading to the dismissal of thousands of complaints without investigation and raisin...

Save the Date: Members are invited to join ABLE NH for our Annual Meeting! This year, we're meeting on October 24 from 10 AM-12 PM at Kimball Jenkins. Attendees will brainstorm together to envision the future of ABLE. This is a casual but strategic meeting in collaboration with our colleagues from Blackbird Collective, and there will be an optional lunch following the discussion.

As the changes to Medicaid roll out, it will be important to know you redetermination date. This will be the date that NH DHHS will use to complete "lookbacks," or the "look-back period."

If you want to verify your individual date, visit the NH EASY portal. Once you login, view the At a Glance page (when you first login) there is a 'Redetermination Due' section right at the top.

https://nheasy.nh.gov/ #/

Mark your calendars: Twenty-One Senses is offering FREE WEBINARS on Understanding Behaviors Through a Sensory Lens on 10/6 and 11/3. Register by scanning the QR code or visiting www.twentyonesenses.org/webinars/, and visit their website to find educational offerings, calm rooms, and a HUGE sensory-friendly directory.

The TrEq Lunch & Learn, originally scheduled for today, has been POSTPONED due to illness. We'll share a new date for this educational session as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience!