Statement Regarding Make America Healthy Again, the Dismantling of the Administration on Community Living, and the Future of Protections for Disabled People at the Department of Health and Human Services
The Sibling Leadership Network stands with self-advocacy groups and mental health advocacy groups in disappointment regarding assertions and assumptions in the executive order “Establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Commission”. We are particularly concerned about inaccurate statements around mental health care, questioning scientific research, and appointing individuals to vaccine safety roles who promote the long-disproven notion linking Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to vaccines. We join disability and aging groups in being disheartened by the actions taken by the new Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to dismantle the Administration on Community Living (ACL), remove or reassign large parts of HHS, and dismiss 10,000 workers. Recent attempts to eliminate the Department of Education and move important protections for students with disabilities under the authority of HHS, paired with cutting the workforce and directing resources away from the disability community, means that more people will struggle to receive the services they need. This magnitude of change to the federal system supporting people with disabilities is a danger to the health and wellbeing of all people.
The Department of Health and Human Services, particularly the ACL, has played a crucial role in developing programs and protections for people with disabilities to live quality lives in their communities with structured links between disability and aging resources. The ACL administered critical programs like Meals on Wheels and supported legal organizations that represent and protect people with disabilities from abuse and neglect. Without these programs, the SLN is deeply concerned for the future of community living for both our siblings with disabilities and elderly family members. Many of the proposed changes to HHS and the Department of Education require action by Congress and it is important for those who will be impacted by these changes to contact their representatives and share their concerns.
At the SLN, we are committed to sharing resources and research that have been vetted by the scientific community in formats that are accessible for all people to understand and engage with. We will combat harmful narratives, no matter where they come from, with facts and compassion for the people who are impacted. As always, we will continue to uplift the voices of our disabled siblings as they advocate for the supports and services that enable them to live healthy, safe, and fulfilled lives in their communities.