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Protect the Civil Rights of People with Disabilities: Oppose Florida’s Inclusion in Texas v. Kennedy

girl playing wheelchair basketball.
"Girl playing wheelchair basketball, 1979" (1)

Texas v. Kennedy threatens the rights of people with disabilities, and the State of Florida is joining that harm—unless we stop it.


Section 504 is the part of the Rehabilitation Act that ensures that disabled people cannot be discriminated against by organizations receiving federal funding. In the seventies, when disabled activists noticed that this law was not being enforced enough to ensure their rights were respected, they staged the longest nonviolent occupation of a federal building in this nation’s history. And they were victorious: when those tasked with upholding the law were not crafting regulations to enforce Section 504 effectively, disabled people and their allies took action and demanded equal rights.


In 2024, with input from the disability community, President Biden updated the rules stating how Section 504 should be implemented. Among these updates are protections against medical discrimination, ableism in the child welfare system, and technological barriers to access. And one major aspect of this new rule is the integration mandate.

button, Sign 504, Handicapped Human Rights, ACCD" (2)
button, Sign 504, Handicapped Human Rights, ACCD" (2)

The integration mandate specifies that people with disabilities must be allowed to live, work, and receive services in the community whenever possible. In other words, the most integrated setting possible, with

disabled and nondisabled people together, must be available. People with disabilities cannot be forcibly institutionalized unless there truly is no viable alternative.




But this lawsuit, Texas v. Kennedy, seeks to abolish the new rule, including the integration mandate. This insults disabled people across the nation, especially the disabled activists who provided their recommendations. People with disabilities and their families cannot afford to lose any civil rights protections. Disabled people are already vulnerable to discrimination, and according to the Centers for Disease Control, 28.7% of adults in America have a disability.


That’s over a quarter of us! And that’s not even counting all the children who have disabilities! Threatening these vulnerable populations with forcible institutionalization—a threat that could become reality if Texas v. Kennedy abolishes the inclusion mandate—flies in the face of our consciences and the values of justice, liberty, and equal rights.


But we can join this fight for disabled people’s rights and autonomy. We can speak out and demand that Florida withdraw from this lawsuit. Contact Governor DeSantis and Attorney General Uthmeier, and tell them the rights of disabled people are too important to be put at risk.


CALL TO ACTION!


CALL OR EMAIL OUR GOVERNOR AND ATTORNEY GENERAL. CHOOSE YOUR SCRIPT.


Hello,


My name is [NAME], and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP CODE]. I’m contacting you about Florida’s inclusion in the Texas v. Kennedy case and asking you to withdraw Florida from this lawsuit. (Choose an option below)


1.        As a person with a disability, I understand my rights and know the value they bring to my life and the lives of countless others. The integration mandate is crucial for ensuring that we can live, work, and receive services in the community and cannot be forced into institutions or segregated from our nondisabled peers. The disability community cannot afford to lose the integration mandate or any of the other protections of Section 504. I urge you to withdraw the State of Florida from this lawsuit. Thank you for your time and consideration.


2.        As someone with disabled loved ones, I know how important the integration mandate is for their quality of life. This rule helps them and many others live, work, and receive services in the community and prevents them from experiencing the segregation, isolation, and even forced institutionalization that disabled people in previous years have endured. The disability community cannot afford to lose the integration mandate or any of the other protections of Section 504. I urge you to withdraw the State of Florida from this lawsuit. Thank you for your time and consideration.


3.        The integration mandate in Section 504 is incredibly valuable for safeguarding the rights and freedoms of people with disabilities and protecting them from harm. It ensures that they can live, work, and receive services within the community rather than being forced into institutions or separated from their nondisabled peers. The disability community cannot afford to lose the integration mandate or any of the other protections of Section 504. I urge you to withdraw the State of Florida from this lawsuit. Thank you for your time and consideration.

 

Contact information:

 

Sources:


Image Sources

  1. Image 1: "Girl playing wheelchair basketball, 1979" by Seattle Municipal Archives is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse.

  2. Image 2: "button, Sign 504, Handicapped Human Rights, ACCD" by N. G. Slater Corp. is marked with CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/?ref=openverse.



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