Disability Rights California

Mission Statement: Disability Rights California defends, advances, and strengthens the rights and opportunities of people with disabilities.

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

UPDATE: The DRC intake line is available Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday from 9:00AM – 3:00PM. Our intake line is closed on Wednesdays.

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

Video Transcript: [SABRINA] Your stories and your perspectives are needed to make the budget reflect the real lives of Californians with disabilities. And our advocacy is working. The Senate and Assembly are already modifying their proposals, but to be different from the Governors to make them better reflect the needs of our community. And so now it's time to keep pushing, keep up the momentum and tell all three parties, the Senate and the Assembly and the Governor's office, that our needs as disabled people are important and that we want that reflected in our state's budget.

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

We are nearing the California budget deadline and now is the moment to take action to ensure people with disabilities and older adults do not lose access to health care and in-home supportive services (IHSS). California's Medi-Cal program is under attack – H.R. 1 contains the largest health care cuts in American history, with most of those cuts going to provide huge tax breaks for mega-rich corporations. Governor Newsom's May Budget Revision doesn't go far enough to protect Californian's health care access.

We need you to visit the link to urge the Assembly to protect essential health care programs for Californians: https://t.co/ve6xaULl0O

Millions of California workers rely on Medi-Cal for health coverage at a projected cost of $36 billion in state and federal dollars, while the same corporations who employ those workers are earning record-breaking profits. California elected leaders are choosing to balance the budget on the back's of people with disabilities and we can NOT let this happen.

#DisabilityRightsCA #IHSS #MediCal #CaliforniaBudget #ActionAlert #Letter
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Video Description: Vertical video of Sabrina speaking with captions and an ASL interpreter above. Sabrina is a white woman with short curly dark hair and wearing a headset, glasses, and a white sweater. She is on Zoom with a DRC logo background.

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

If you voted in yesterday’s election, remember that you can track your ballot by using California’s free BallotTrax service. You can sign up at https://t.co/ke7g6mG3eP to get notices by text message, email, and/or phone. You also can log in to view all available status updates. All you need to enter is your name, date of birth, and ZIP Code.

Even though Election Day for the statewide primary election has passed, this service still could be helpful by telling you when your ballot is or was received and counted by your elections official. It also may be used by your elections officials to tell you that you need to fix an issue with your signature on your vote-by-mail ballot return envelope (if you voted that way) before your ballot can be counted.

Visit https://t.co/ke7g6mG3eP to track your ballot!

If you are a voter with a disability and you have questions, including about a notice you have received from BallotTrax, DRC’s voting hotline is open year-round on weekdays during business hours (9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.). Call us at [phone].

#DisabilityRightsCA #BallotTrax #CaliforniaPrimary #Ballot #Vote

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

We need your help! Currently, the California Assembly is accepting the $2,000 asset limit ($3000 for a couple) in Gov. Newsom's May Revision Budget. This marks the return of an asset limit which was established in the 1980s and was removed in 2024 after relentless advocacy. This asset limit forces people with disabilities and seniors to live in extreme poverty to access Medi-Cal, a program that many rely on for access to the medications and health care services they need to manage their disabilities. It is unjust and inhumane to enact a low, strict asset limit, especially during this period where millions of Californians are struggling financially.

Call the Assembly and express your opposition to the asset limits! Take action TODAY and call the main contacts below.

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, Chair Assembly Budget Committee: 916-319-2046

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas: 916-319-2029

Some helpful talking points:
- I am opposed to the Assembly’s agreement to impose a $2,000 asset limit in Medi-Cal for older adults and people with disabilities.
- Delaying this proposal is unacceptable, and the Assembly should fully reject this unfair and harmful proposal.
- A $2,000 asset limit prevents people from having any savings, putting them one emergency away from financial ruin.

#DisabilityRightsCA #ActionAlert #MediCal #Assembly #Newsom @DREDF @TheCILOfficial @CFILC_1982 @JesseGabrielCA @RobertRivas_CA

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

Are you a renter with a disability in California and have questions about evictions?

Learn about your rights in this workshop, which will cover eviction notice requirements, what to do if you receive an eviction notice, and tips for resolving or even preventing these issues.

When: Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Time: 1 p.m. PT

Learn more and sign up at the link: https://t.co/hOKeyLKWEB

#DisabilityRightsCA #Housing #Eviction #Webinar #June #Rent #Resource #Disability
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Image Description: Graphic image with abstract background. Cut out photo of a Black male-presenting person seated with legs crossed and has a serious expression. He holds a paper in one hand and eye glasses in another hand. Header Text: Virtual Workshop. Title Text: Eviction Notices in California. Text: June 16, 2026 at 1:00pm. Blue/green DRC logo.

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

DRC's Policy Analyst Sabrina Epstein will be providing her expertise on IHSS and Medi-Cal at this Summit!

Learn more and register at the link: https://t.co/oNi4CQ94kn

[PASC @pasc_la]

Please join us for our IHSS Advocacy and Community Summit 2026!
Let us know you are coming by going to https://t.co/Oi1oCwau59.
Friday, June 5, 2026
California Endowment Center
1000 N. Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
FREE PARKING AVAILABLE!

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

A massive thank you to our sponsors whose contributions helped make the 2nd annual California Disability Leadership Alliance Day at the Capitol possible! With the help of our sponsors, we were able to host a resource fair, mobilize advocates, and provide food to all who came out to join us. Thank you for standing with us in our fight to advocate and protect the rights of people with disabilities.

#DisabilityRightsCA #CDLA #Capitol #California #CDLADay2026

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

Today (June 2) is Election Day for the statewide primary election! This is the last day to submit a ballot, whether you plan to vote at an in-person voting location or use your vote-by-mail ballot. Keep reading for a review of your voting options to ensure you don't miss any deadlines.

At this point, voting at an in-person voting location or taking your vote-by-mail ballot to a voting location or an official drop box by 8:00 p.m. may be the best way to ensure your vote is counted. (Note that some ballot drop-off locations may close earlier than 8:00 p.m.)

If you cannot do any of those things and returning your ballot by mail is your only option, we strongly recommend that you take your ballot to the post office and request that the envelope be hand-stamped with a postmark dated today (June 2). Ballots in envelopes that are not postmarked by today will not be counted, and, in many parts of California, items deposited in the mail today will not receive a postmark until tomorrow unless they are hand-stamped with today’s postmark.

To find your nearest voting location and/or ballot drop-off location and to check their hours of operation, visit https://t.co/Eaxrkkj7SY or look at the materials from your county elections office.

If you have questions or are having difficulty voting because of a disability, DRC’s voting hotline is open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. today (Election Day), which are the same hours voting locations are open. Call us at [phone].

#DisabilityRightsCA #VotingResource #ElectionDay #Ballot

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

Starting today!/¡A partir de hoy!

The Roadmap with ACE, a new webinar series, continues in June 2026!

In June, ACE is hosting webinars in both English and Spanish all about In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS). IHSS is a Medi-cal program that helps individuals who are aged, blind, or disabled stay safely in their own homes instead of moving to a care facility. Learn who qualifies, how to prepare for an initial IHSS assessment or reassessment, and how to file an appeal if your application is denied, your hours are reduced, or you disagree with the approved hours.

Visit the link in bio to learn more and register for one or both of the upcoming webinars. On the registration page, you may also select if you need another language interpretation or reasonable accommodations.

All About In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS)
When: Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at 10:00 A.M. - 11:30 A.M.
Link: https://t.co/PcgMkFJP8c

IHSS Assessments, Reassessments, and Appeals
When: Thursday, June 18, 2026 at 6:00 P.M. - 7:30 P.M
Link: https://t.co/mLGfwtJie8
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La Ruta con ACE, una nueva serie de seminarios web, continúa en junio de 2026!

En junio, ACE organizará seminarios web, tanto en inglés como en español, dedicados por completo a los Servicios de Apoyo en el Hogar (IHSS, por sus siglas en inglés). El IHSS es un programa de Medi-Cal que ayuda a las personas mayores, ciegas o con discapacidades a permanecer de manera segura en sus propios hogares, en lugar de tener que trasladarse a un centro de cuidados. Infórmese sobre quiénes cumplen los requisitos, cómo prepararse para la evaluación inicial del IHSS o para la reevaluación, y cómo presentar una apelación en caso de que su solicitud sea denegada, se reduzcan sus horas o si no está de acuerdo con las horas aprobadas.

Visite el enlace en nuestra página para obtener más información y registrarse en uno o ambos seminarios web próximos. En la página de registración, tambien puedes seleccionar si necesitas otro lenguaje de interpretación o acomodaciones razonables.

Todo sobre Los Servicios de Apoyo en el Hogar
Cuándo: jueves 4 de junio de 2026, de 6:00 P.M. a 7:30 P.M.
Enlace: https://t.co/kvK4MFURWU

Evaluaciónes, reevaluaciónes y apelaciónes de IHSS
Cuándo: martes 16 de junio de 2026, de 10:00 A.M. a 11:30 A.M.
Enlace: https://t.co/WkKtxzy46i

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

Virtual Workshop TOMORROW!

Learn more and register at the link: https://t.co/zpOA5tK62s

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

Are you a renter with a disability in California and have questions about evictions?

Learn about your rights in this workshop, which will cover eviction notice requirements, what to do if you receive an eviction notice, and tips for resolving or even preventing these issues.

When: Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Time: 1 p.m. PT

Learn more and sign up at the link: https://t.co/ogQj0iXiK0

#DisabilityRightsCA #Housing #Eviction #Webinar #June #Rent #Resource #Disability
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Image Description: Graphic image with abstract background. Cut out photo of a Black male-presenting person seated with legs crossed and has a serious expression. He holds a paper in one hand and eye glasses in another hand. Header Text: Virtual Workshop. Title Text: Eviction Notices in California. Text: June 2, 2026 at 1:00pm. Blue/green DRC logo.

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

Are you a person with disabilities that needs to make changes to your housing rules or to your home’s physical structures to make it more accessible? Please join us at this virtual workshop to learn about your rights to do so.

Join us to learn about your right to ask for a “reasonable accommodation” or “reasonable modification” – adjustments to rules, policies, services, and even the physical layout of your home to make it more accessible for you. We will review best practices, discuss potential costs, and go over what to expect once you have made your requests.

Interpretation will be provided if requested at least 1 week before the event date.

When: Tuesday, June 9th at 1pm PT

Learn more and register at the link: https://t.co/ewjkX4GDKw

#HousingResource #DisabilityRightsCalifornia #Webinar #VirtualWorkshop
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Image Description: Top image of a person smiling and seated in a wheelchair in a decorated living room. The person has long braids tied back and wears a pink striped sweater. Header Text: Virtual Workshop. Title Text: Reasonable Accommodations in Housing June 9, 2026 at 1:00pm. Blue/green DRC logo.

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

Join DRC's quarterly Board Meeting this June and learn about key organizational updates.

When: June 27, 2026 10:00am-12:00am via Zoom

Register at the link to attend and note if you would like to be considered for public comment: https://t.co/UiHsaezPYh

Registration deadline June 18, 2026 at 2:00pm.

We hope to see you there!

#DisabilityRightsCalifornia #BoardMeeting #JuneMeeting #Zoom #DRC #BoardOfDirectors
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Image Description: Blue/green DRC logo. Header Text: June Board Meeting. Icon illustration of a zoom meeting. Boxed Text: When: June 27th 10:00am-12pm via Zoom. Bottom Boxed Text: Register to attend and/or make public comment. Registration Deadline June 18th at 2:00pm. Background photo of a person calling into a Zoom meeting with multiple panels.

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

Join us TODAY at 5pm!

Governor Newsom’s May Revision of his proposed 2026–27 state budget was recently unveiled. The budget includes several concerning cuts to critical programs Californians with disabilities depend on. Join us for a virtual town hall with DRC’s public policy experts to learn about the latest updates to the state budget and how it may impact people with disabilities.

The town hall will explore topics such as regional center services, Medi-Cal, In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), housing, mental health, and education. There will also be a Q&A portion at the end of the town hall.

Register for this virtual town hall at the link: https://t.co/1XDweOlON7

#DisabilityRightsCA #CaliforniaBudget #Newsom #IHSS #MayRevision #TownHall
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Image Description: Header Text: Virtual Town Hall. Title Text: Learn About How the Governor's May Budget Revision Impacts People with Disabilities. Text: June 1, 2026 at 5:00PM. Blue/green DRC logo. Graphic image of the California Capitol building and a seal of California.

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month! This month and beyond, let's celebrate the AANHPI community for the incredible value they bring to all our lives!

We'd like to uplift a few key activists, community organizers, educators, and organizations in the AANHPI community! May this serve as an introduction into learning more about the great work so many activists with disabilities and organizations accomplish!

Beyond this month, let's continue to uplift and ensure all communities are included and applauded for their work and existence.

#DisabilityRightsCA #AANHPI #AANHPImonth #AliceWong #ChellaMan #SandyHo #HeritageMonth

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

DRC wants to hear from you! You as our community are essential to our mission and work for 2027. If you have the time, please take the survey and give us your feedback on our action plans and future goals! Our annual survey has launched and we’re collecting responses until June 7, 2026.

The survey also includes versions in Spanish and American Sign Language (ASL). If you need help with the survey, please call [phone] and say, “I need help with your survey.”

Visit the link to participate: https://t.co/Vl9Cvxj1Q0

This is great opportunity to identify areas of improvement, provide outreach recommendations, and provide feedback to DRC’s planned work for 2027. We greatly appreciate those who are able to take the survey and give important feedback that will help shape next year’s goals.

#DisabilityRightsCA #Survey #Recommendations #Feedback
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Image Description: Header Text: 2026 Survey. Blue/green DRC logo. Title Text: We’re Reaching Out! Text: Visit the link and give DRC your input as we review and revise the priorities of our work for 2027. Cut out group photo of smiling children in a big group hug. Scribble pattern behind.

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

Starting tomorrow (May 30), additional vote centers open for in-person voting and other voting services in counties running their elections under the California Voter's Choice Act (VCA). They will be open every day from May 30 through Election Day (June 2). Find the list of VCA counties at the link: https://t.co/vbpc4N0JGq

In addition, all non-VCA counties will have at least one location open for in-person voting and other voting services on Saturday, May 30.

To learn the hours of operation of these voting locations, check the materials your county elections office mailed to you, your county’s elections website, or https://t.co/z9FoytPKLg.

If you have questions or are having difficulty voting because of a disability, DRC’s voting hotline is open year-round on weekdays during business hours (9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.) (and 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day). Call us at [phone].

This is our last social media post sharing voting resources before Election Day. If you haven't voted yet, make sure you have a plan!

#DisabilityRightsCA #VoteCenter #ElectionDay #CaliforniaPrimary #VotingResource

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

Town Hall on MONDAY!

Learn more and register at the link: https://t.co/CW1gUjd70y

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

Governor Newsom’s May Revision of his proposed 2026–27 state budget was recently unveiled. The budget includes several concerning cuts to critical programs Californians with disabilities depend on. Join us for a virtual town hall with DRC’s public policy experts to learn about the latest updates to the state budget and how it may impact people with disabilities.

The town hall will explore topics such as regional center services, Medi-Cal, In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), housing, mental health, and education. There will also be a Q&A portion at the end of the town hall.

Register for this virtual town hall at the link: https://t.co/1XDweOmmCF

#DisabilityRightsCA #CaliforniaBudget #Newsom #IHSS #MayRevision #TownHall @SabrinaTessEp
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Image Description: Header Text: Virtual Town Hall. Title Text: Learn About How the Governor's May Budget Revision Impacts People with Disabilities. Text: June 1, 2026 at 5:00PM. Blue/green DRC logo. Graphic image of the California Capitol building and a seal of California.

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

Video Transcript: [VANESSA] Today I understand that I'm neurodivergent. Today I understand that, you know, mental health is a part of the disability you know, identity umbrella. I didn't know that back then, right? So growing up, I didn't know that that there was a reason why, you know, I behaved a little differently than the other kids. Like today I think it's one of my superpowers and I also know it's- there's certain medical care that I access on a weekly basis but now I'm more of a you know a better resourced person and Eric let me tell you that because of good policy I was able to access drug diversion, I was able to access drug treatment you know voluntary drug treatment. I was able to have my first experiences at working with the therapist at, you know, being uh a little better socialized at, you know, uh better engaging my family and although I relapsed several times. Dude, I needed all those um uh touches, those service touches. [KELECHI] I think one thing that I try to do is say like you know how you have health, Mental health is health. It's part of your well-being. I try to make it accessible um by just saying it is part of our wellness. Like it's not I move away from diagnostic criteria and framework because that has been a way to label and throw away people or control them. Um but I'm more of like wow if you if you look at it as a continuum like what do you do when you're like not sleeping well? what do you do... you know, how are you taking care of all the different parts of you? And then particularly for Black people, um, and we see more research on this, which doesn't come up in kind of mainstream spaces, racism impacts our mental health. Like, it's actually a contributing factor. So, a lot of people don't know that or talk about it. Um, but I think the way that our community has just held or dealt with things, it gets heavier and heavier. So, by the time many of us ask for help, it might be more at a crisis state because we've been holding on to something for a longer time. [ROQUE] I then started um working in the mental health sector because a friend of mine encouraged me to get connected to the LA County Department of Mental Health. they were starting a um disability advisory council which uh is now named Access For All. And that was a really good place for me to start expanding like let's say moving out of the silo of the visual impaired community, expanding outward into just disability and disability including mental health because I experienced those mental health challenges going through my disability journey and I and I knew that there were others that may be also struggling and I encountered them, you know, in this disability advisory committee and they were also talking about, you know, things like equity in services, like the discrepancies in the services that were available to people with uh disabilities, the the lack of cultural etiquette amongst therapeutic practitioners, etc. And I really was like, well, let's let's transform that. Let's let's really work out let's get them accountable. [YOLO] Before 2020 and we had this mental health boom, there were certain narratives that were really predominant in the mental health complex, right? And one of them was why are Black folks so scared of mental health, right? And you would see that everywhere. And it was a kind of collective and like mental health industrial complex gaslighting, right? It was like it was like everybody and Black people were doing it, therapist, well, everybody was doing it. And no one was saying, "Wait, we have generations of folks who have been traumatized by these institutions. We have communities that do not see the mental health system as separate from the prison industrial complex. And so we have to understand that point blank there is a legitimate reason why our communities are concerned about getting access or accessing psychiatry or therapy because they recognize those are state-based systems that do not always celebrate, honor or respect a black person when they give them a label like bipolar or schizophrenia that that becomes another avenue for the state to inflict more violence on you. And we have to be really honest about that. So people and people I see people let down when we say those things like okay I can be honest and I'm scared because I've seen things. [ERIC] What would you want to say if you had a one-on-one with the governor of California? If you had a one-on-one with the legislator in California who could make a real difference in this fight, what would you want to tell them about this work and about what they could do um when it comes to solitary confinement? [DOLORES] Well, I don't think absolute deprivation is the solution. You know, depriving people of human contact, depriving people of programming and rehabilitation, I think the better a person feels about themselves you know, being productive and making themselves feel their worth and their value. [ROQUE] I went into the eye doctor and was diagnosed and it was pretty like blunt like the doctor said, "Oh, you're going to go blind." I was like, "I think I was in my I think I was 20 years old." I was like, "What?" Uh and they were like, the doctor was like, "Yeah, you have this disorder, etc." And so that was pretty traumatic, let's say, as a young person to hear this news. And there wasn't much follow up, you know, there wasn't any kind of counseling or anything like that. I just kind of went home and talked to my mom about it and, you know, was just wondering what my future would be.

[Disability Rights California @DisabilityCA]

In recognition of May Mental Health Awareness Month, we put together a collection of moments from our past guests who shared their wisdom and personal experiences with Mental Health. We're proud to uplift Vanessa Ramos, Kelechi Ubozoh, Roque Bucton, Yolo Akili Robinson, and Dolores Canales.

Although this month will soon come to an end, we must continue to share our stories and lend each other support.

Watch the full episodes at the links below!
Vanessa Ramos, Episode 101, A World Where We Get to Be Right Together: https://t.co/i1C5kuf2nH
Roque, Episode 104, A Glittering Realm: https://t.co/0s0jm7aNXR
Kelechi and Yolo, Episode 107, Growing Into Gardens: https://t.co/8yuxM2rTJD
Dolores, Episode 106, Absolute Deprivation is Not the Solution: https://t.co/WYJbi3U0yw

Content warning: This video contains mention of suicide. If you are experiencing a suicidal crisis or emotional distress, you can call 988 anytime. Help is available, and you are not alone.

#DisabilityRightsCA #MentalHealth #May #Podcast #TheGamePlan @YoloAkili @NOMORESHU @emony21 @V_a_nessa_Ramos