Alliance Note: The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced they have finalized a rule strengthening protections against disability discrimination on May 1st. The rule, titled “Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Health and Human Service Programs or Activities” improves equity and enhances protections for people with disabilities under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The rule is meant to offer more clarity on obligations in several important areas including ensuring treatment decisions are not based on biases or stereotypes, defining accessibility requirements for websites, and clarifying obligations to provide services in the most integrates setting, among others.
HHS also released a separate rule to clarify prohibited discrimination in health services and programs based on Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in late April. These two rules advance important protections against discrimination of people with disabilities which aim to advance health equity and strengthen disability rights.
The American Association of People with Disabilities will host a webinar tomorrow with HHS to explain what these rules mean for people with disabilities and offer an opportunity for the public to ask questions about the changes. The webinar, which will be held tomorrow, May 31st, at 11am EST, will feature AAPD President & CEO Maria Town and Director Melanie Fontes Rainer from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights. See below for more information, including a link to register.
| New Rules Are Expanding Disability Rights! Come Learn About It at Our Live Webinar Friday, May 31 at 11am ET Join AAPD this Friday, May 31 at 11AM for a fireside chat between AAPD President & CEO Maria Town and Director Melanie Fontes Rainer from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights for a discussion of recent regulations released by HHS and how they impact the disability community. On May 1, after decades of advocacy from the disability community, HHS released a final rule that updated Section 504. This rule clarifies and strengthens civil rights protections against the constant healthcare discrimination disabled people experience. Last month, on April 26, HHS issued another new finalized rule regarding Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in covered health programs and activities. Both of these final regulations create important protections for disabled people that will improve both the access to services and medical care disabled people receive. These new rules are incredibly powerful tools for combating disability discrimination. This is an amazing opportunity to ask questions directly to Director Fontes Rainer and learn how these regulations impact the disability community and our lives. Join us on May 31 at 11AM ET — you do not want to miss this! |
Register For the Webinar  What: Strengthening Disability Rights: HHS’s New 504 and 1557 RulesWho: AAPD President and CEO Maria Town and HHS Director for Office of Civil Rights Melanie Fontes Rainer When: Friday, May 31, 2024 at 11am ET Accommodations: ASL and CART will be provided. If you need any additional accommodations, please contact Rachita Singh at rsingh@aapd.com Registration Link: Webinar Registration – Zoom |