Freedom from discrimination in the allocation of healthcare resources Our advocacy staff weighed in with the Governor's Office on the allocation of healthcare resources in case of overwhelmed hospital capacity. In particular, we strongly advocated against discrimination by disability to determine who has access to limited resources. Among the partners on this effort are the Texas Medical Association, Texas Hospital Association, and Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops. Read the Bishops' full statement and our letter of support. Access to care and consumer protections We successfully advocated to the Health & Human Services Commission (HHSC) for recreational and music therapy to be allowed to be provided via tele-services. This permits kids with disabilities to have continuity of these therapies and stabilizes the therapist workforce. We've also sent and signed on to a number of letters to strengthen or ensure consumer protections and access to care (linked where available): Attendant care Our Dennis Borel co-authored an editorial with UnitedHealthCare CEO Don Langer to raise awareness of critical support for community attendants in the pandemic. Read "Borel & Langer: A policy decision haunting Texas during coronavirus pandemic." Special education, schools, and children The shuttering of schools and early childhood programs in response to COVID-19 disrupted learning for all students, but hit children and youth with disabilities particularly hard. Many lost home-based Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) or special education services and will require compensatory education to address gaps in service provision. The COVID-19 pandemic has also deeply impacted the social-emotional and mental health of students and school staff. As ECI providers and school districts pivot to decide what the 2020-2021 school year will look like, it’s critical that programs prioritize kids with disabilities, as well as provide multi-tiered mental health supports to students during remote learning and upon reopening of schools. CTD has been advocating to ensure CARES Act funding is used to provide schools with the resources they need to do this. Our work includes: Voting Early voting ends this Friday, and Election Day for the 2020 Primary Runoffs is July 14! We've been hearing about a lot of confusion and difficulties both at the polls and with vote by mail, so know your rights and give yourself as much time as you can to cast your ballot. If you've already run into problems with voting, contact CTD, so we can start working to address those issues for the November election. Don't forget: if you vote by mail, make sure the signatures on your Ballot by Mail Application and carrier envelope match as closely as possible. Otherwise, your vote may be thrown out. | 
