As we move along in the current year, the landscape of disability legislation and advocacy is changing. Changes like shifts in public policy, increasing awareness, new lawmakers, and advancing technology are important to stay up to date on, but keeping up can be challenging — especially when they move quickly.
To help you make informed decisions with the right knowledge, take a look at what you need to know about disability rights and policies in 2025.
Legislative Changes For Americans With Disabilities
In 2025, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) continues to be the cornerstone of disability-related legislation in the US.
The most recent update to the Act was put into place in August of 2024, and stipulates that all public health centers, such as hospitals, clinics, and university medical care systems, must ensure that their medical diagnostic equipment meets accessibility standards set by the ADA.
This was and continues to be a win for individuals with disabilities to get proper diagnostic care and the correct treatments for their needs. On the state-specific level, advocacy groups are continuing to fight for improved legislation and more enforcement of accessibility regulations.
Disability Rights In Our Own Backyard
Our own advocacy coordinator, Lisa Ezeamii, has launched a campaign to raise the Medicaid income eligibility limit for individuals with disabilities to match the Expansion Medicaid available to people without disabilities.
This campaign has been a huge success — Lisa convinced the Missouri Centers for Independent Living Advocacy Committee to add this cause to their legislative priorities, then joined the Missouri Silver Haired Legislature in successfully lobbying for her proposal at the Jefferson City annual convention.
This in turn resulted in the Missouri Area Agencies on Aging adding Lisa’s cause to their legislative priorities as well. Working with our executive director Jim Ruedin, she was able to reach Representative Travis Wilson, who was moved by the campaign and is now preparing to sponsor this legislation in next year’s session.
Advocacy groups can move mountains! You and those around you have the ability to shape public policies around your needs through these channels.
Technological Advancements
As we all know, the recent decade has brought with it more and more technological advancements in nearly every aspect of life. This is good news for individuals with disabilities, as the more technology progresses, the more able it is to create and refine accessibility.
Advancements have been made in a variety of accessibility technologies, including mobility aids, accessible transportation, real-time speech-to-sign translators for individuals with auditory issues, voice controlled smart assistants, and much more.
Recent legislation has stated that technological advancements in digital accessibility must be implemented into their websites, and this has spread to educational and workplace realms as well.
Revolutionary tech like speech recognition, screen reading, and customized digital interfaces are now available to use in much of the digital world.
However, advocacy groups throughout the state and the country are pushing for these technologies to be nationally adopted and the standards enforced to ensure equal opportunities for all.
Inclusion and Equity in Education and Employment
Each year, education and employment are becoming more and more accessible, and 2025 is no exception.
Since the enactment of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act in 2014, ensuring individuals with disabilities have access to equal employment and educational opportunities, job training, and accommodations has become a priority in many fields.
In Missouri and the US in general, vocational rehabilitation (VR) services designed to help those with disabilities prepare for, get, and maintain employment have been adapting and expanding to better serve the needs of the disabled communities. Just this past month, Missouri VR hosted public hearings online to gather feedback from the community to use in improving their services and tailoring them to the needs of their users in the very near future.
On a national level, the Rehabilitation Services Administration has begun establishing a national technical center for VR, which will give training and assistance to VR agencies around the country to help ensure they are able to provide the best possible services to their clients. This will ideally improve the employment opportunities for disabled adults all over the nation.
Having a solid understanding of your rights, the advances in policies, and the environment in which they function is vital to being an effective self-advocate and getting access to the resources you need.
At Delta Center, not only are we able to offer you top-notch resources and equipment, we are also proud to provide you with advocacy services to help you find the best possible support and options. Take Betty, for example.
Betty is in her late 60s dealing with both schizophrenia and some physical issues. After signing up for our Living Well in the Community peer support program, she used it to change her life. Through this program and with the help of our coaches, she learned how to become a self-advocate and use this skill with her medical providers.
To try it out, she first spoke with her doctor about reducing the doses of her medication, which she was not happy with at the time. Her doctor heard her needs, cut her dosage on two medications, and took her off another completely.
Using her newfound confidence and advocacy skills, she then got her dental team to complete the world she needed for an entire mouth of dental implants, greatly improving her quality of life.
Betty is just one of the countless individuals who have found their voice through our advocacy services—it’s your turn, now!