07/15/2025 Meeting Notes

07/15/2025 ccdc meeting notes:

• Meeting start: 5:59
• Meghan’s background on DRM
  • Non-partisan, non-profit
  • Located in Baltimore but consistently serves every county in MD every year
  • Designated as Maryland’s designated protection and advocacy (P&A) agency for people with disabilities
    • Because these cases often aren’t profitable (but are the right thing to do), the non-profit is here to defend the legal rights of disabled people
    • They do not sue for money, they do sue for change
  • Over 50% of its funding is via the federal government
    • Seeks to keep disabled people properly integrated into Maryland communities, not institutionalized
      • Adding proper supports/accommodations makes the community more inclusive and supports the well-being of disabled people
        • Prevents segregated disabled people to hospitals, schools, nursing homes when avoidable
      • When institutionalized, seek to ensure they are being treated fairly
        • In that way, acts as a state watchdog against har, abuse, or neglect of disabled people
    • Helps connect people with services for mental health, cognitive health, and has a grant for other types of disabilities (mobility/blind/deaf/TBI)
      • anti-eviction/eviction-prevention//housing
      • Transportation
      • Educational accommodation
    • All of these services support the right of self-determination for disabled people
  • With private funding, they lobby for policies/legislation that advance the rights of disabled people in MD (systems work to ensure community integration)
    • These are more structural benefits rather than individualizing the problems disabled people face
  • Further, they help ensure voting is accessible, staff election-protection hotlines, and invite candidates to speak on their disability-related platforms/programs
  • Have a program for 14–18 year-olds and their parents to chart the life course of disabled people and where they can go!
  • To summarize, they provide individual legal assistance for disabled people, ensure institutions are treating disabled people fairly, and help promote/lobby for legislation that advances the rights of disabled people
• Meghan’s background on Maryland’s record
  • Maryland is the only state she knows of that has a cabinet-level Dept of Disabilities Secretary
  • Is well on its way to being on the better half 
• On reaching out to rural communities
  • Keep track of the counties they serve to ensure they are serving all of MD
  • Disabled people are less likely to live in rural communities because of the lack of services and accessible planning
  • Are trying to be more visible in rural Maryland
  • Will have office hours in Salisbury in the future
• Benedictine?
  • They have plenty of contact with Benedictine in Ridgely and have the authority to monitor/drop in/investigate
• On the Big Beautiful Budget Bill
  • Likely reducing services
  • Reduced eligibility and imposition of work requirements
    • Work requirements that kick off disabled people
  • Not entirely sure of the full impact yet
  • DRM is working with the federal delegation to advocate
  • DRM encourages you to advocate as well. Calls and emails do matter
    • Personal stories are important to share, not only with your officials, but with your communities
• How are spend-downs determined?
  • There are a lot of really complicated ways
  • Confusion is being exacerbated by staffing cuts and shortages
• Social security offices
  • Social security offices are not able to assist with complex problems right now (and every problem is complex) the way they should be, due to layoffs
  • It can be hard to get help since private attorneys don’t get paid for this stuff, hence why DRM exists
• Is DRM being directly impacted by federal funding cuts?
  • Not yet
  • They anticipate major funding cuts this October 1st (When the budget goes into effect)
  • They are being impacted because they are seeing a huge increase in caseloads related to the federal administration’s actions and staffing decisions
• Disabilities under the new administration’s guidance are going to require more frequent recertification
  • Concerning with the recent staff cuts
  • Has been demonstrated to cost the gov’t more money in the bureaucracy and labor––not to mention lost productivity/happiness in disabled people’s lives
    • It will not cut costs or government red tape
    • Will result in making disabled people’s lives more difficult and create a seemingly never-ending paperwork nightmare
    • Will result in disabled people losing access to services they need
      • Costs America more
• The systems in Caroline are less than great and often not inclusive
  • We talked about a number of ways we could see to help mitigate this

Meghan’s email is MeghanM@disabilityrightsmd.org 

Additionally, my inbox is open for further discussion about disability rights and advocacy. I successfully advocated for a number of institutional changes for my disabled peers at my university, my roommate had a service dog, my thesis was centered around disability narratives in children’s media, and work with disabled children daily as part of my job.