news
Hi! I’m Jenny McLelland and I’m the Director of Policy for Home and Community-Based Services for Little Lobbyists. My family lives in Clovis, a small city in the agricultural Central Valley of California. My husband is a physical education teacher, and I’m a retired police officer. We
medicaid
On August 26, 2024, the Care Can’t Wait bus tour kicked off its first event in Chicago, Illinois. "Care on Tour" would wend its way through nine cities in seven states. It was part of an ongoing national campaign by the Care Coalition that highlights the importance
family-advocacy
My son Adonise is a second-generation Haitian-American who has a teacher and a technology professional for parents. Adonise is curious, rambunctious, funny, and intelligent. He’s a budding drummer, and he loves the playground and to wave the Haitian flag every morning. We call him Donnie, but I call him
family-advocacy
In July, the Care Can’t Wait Coalition sponsored several events on community integration in Washington, DC, including a panel at the White House, a Congressional briefing, and a Summit at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. Community integration is at the heart of disability rights, and is supported
medicaid
Did you know that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not ensure civil rights for people with disabilities? The Act “outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.” The Civil Rights Act does not outlaw discrimination based on disability. So how then are people with disabilities
101-series
Today, June 22, 2024, marks the 25th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark case, Olmstead vs. L.C., which affirms the right of disabled people to use their state Medicaid benefits to live in their communities, rather than in institutions. The suit was brought by Lois Curtis
101-series
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead Decision, a landmark civil rights case for people with disabilities, marks its 25th anniversary this year! In 1999, the Court upheld the right to community integration in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Our disabled loved ones have the right to
family-advocacy
“The work you do matters. You are there for families when they need you most — providing comfort, strength, and compassion that inspire us all. Your devotion to the people and communities you serve represents the best of America’s character, and we will always stand with you, ensuring you are
family-stories
The current bipartisan deal sets spending caps on essential and already underfunded programs, including Medicaid and education for kids with disabilities, that impact millions of Americans – including our Little Lobbyists families. As the budget process moves forward, here’s what’s at stake for Grace Dow: I am a writer
better-care-better-jobs-act
Like most kids, our children love to dream about what they will do and where they will live when they grow up. But for our kids – who use wheelchairs and walkers to get around, tracheostomies to breathe, feeding tubes to eat, and assistive devices to communicate – being able to survive
hcbs
On June 22, 1999, when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark disability rights decision in the case of Olmstead vs. L.C. & E.W., my family was at the beginning of our own disability rights journey. My son Rob had just turned two, and we were struggling
101-series
Rob Stone is an active member of Little Lobbyists. Rob’s goals upon leaving high school were to become a health care and disability rights advocate, and an artist with his own art website. Rob has a rare disease, dystonia 16. Due its complications, Rob uses a wheelchair to get