Trump’s actions signal a move toward institutionalizing people with disabilities, advocates warn (NPR, July 1st, 2026) Since the 1960s, there have been major moves and legislation made to protect disabled people from being institutionalized and to allow them to gain proper access to jobs and public education. This includes focusing more on accommodation and support rather than isolation or finding some kind of cure. However, many disability advocates warn that the administrat

Florida veteran pleads guilty to faking blindness, defrauding Veterans Administration (The Baltimore Sun, May 11th 2026) On May 11th 2026, Floridian Veteran Jerry Smith pleaded guilty in court after being caught faking his blindness to gain financial aid from the Veterans Administration. According to the US Attorney’s Office, Smith received a total of $244,953.70 in benefits. This is considered a serious case of fraud, and according to the Military Officers Association of Ame

Meet the Disabled Leaders Redefining Their Industries This Disability Pride Month (Forbes, July 1st 2026) Starting around the 2010’s, July has been coined by activists as Disability Pride Month, in honor of the Americans with Disabilities Act being signed into law 36 years ago. The legislation was historic as it expanded accessibility for buildings, jobs, and education after decades of hard work, including when wheelchair-using protestors crawled up the Capitol stairs in 1990

2026 Resolutions (National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey, July 9th 2026) The National Federation for the Blind of New Jersey (or NFB of NJ for short) is a non-profit organization in New Jersey dedicated to spread awareness, advocate rights, and give resources for those who are visually impaired. Once every year, the organization hosts a State Convention that gives out support and education for visually impaired people and numerous resources to those curious about help

FDA May Finally Make It Illegal to Shock Autistic Kids as Punishment, (Mother Jones, April 27, 2026) For decades, electric shock devices have been used against those with mental disabilities -such as schizophrenia or autism- to discipline over aggressive behavior or incorrect responses. The claimed justification was that it helped calm symptoms of intellectual and developmental issues with pattern recognition, but according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), this clai

Trump further guts Education Dept. by shifting oversight of special ed, civil rights, (NPR, June 16th, 2026) On Tuesday June 16th, The Trump Administration announced that it will rearrange two of the Department of Education’s responsibilities into two different federal agencies. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) will move to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the responsibilities of The Education Department’s Office fo

📍 Fully Remote | Unpaid / For Academic Credit | Visionary Solutions · 501(c)(3) · Virginia & D.C. About the Role Help Visionary Solutions secure the funding we need to expand services for people with vision loss. You will research grant opportunities, draft compelling proposals, and support our fundraising strategy — gaining hands-on experience in one of the most valuable skills in the nonprofit sector. What You'll Do Research federal, state, and private foundation grant

📍 Fully Remote | Unpaid / For Academic Credit | Visionary Solutions · 501(c)(3) · Virginia & D.C. About the Role We are producing a multimedia-enhanced audiobook designed to be fully accessible and engaging for people with vision loss. This is a meaningful, creative project with real community impact — and we need a talented intern to help bring it to life. What You'll Do Integrate ambient sound, music, and audio effects into audiobook chapters Create or source accessibl

📍 Fully Remote | Unpaid / For Academic Credit | Visionary Solutions · 501(c)(3) · Virginia & D.C. About the Role Help build and maintain the Visionary Solutions website — a critical tool for connecting people with vision loss to our services. You will ensure our site is visually polished, fully accessible, and optimized to reach the people who need us most. What You'll Do Design and update pages on our Wix website Ensure all content meets WCAG web accessibility standards

📍 Fully Remote | Unpaid / For Academic Credit | Visionary Solutions · 501(c)(3) · Virginia & D.C. About the Role Help build a movement around disability rights and vision loss advocacy at the community level. You will mobilize supporters, grow our membership base, and amplify the voices of people with vision loss in Virginia and Washington D.C. What You'll Do Recruit and engage community members, volunteers, and advocates Support membership drives and disability awarenes

📍 Fully Remote | Unpaid / For Academic Credit | Visionary Solutions · 501(c)(3) · Virginia & D.C. About the Role Help Visionary Solutions grow its reach across Virginia and D.C. by connecting people with vision loss to counseling, advocacy, and resource navigation services. You will build relationships with healthcare providers, disability organizations, and community groups who can refer clients to us. What You'll Do Conduct outreach to ophthalmologists, optometrists, a

📍 Fully Remote | Unpaid / For Academic Credit | Visionary Solutions · 501(c)(3) · Virginia & D.C. About the Role Help build an accessibility-first mobile app — a platform where people with disabilities can discover, review, and share information about how accessible businesses and services are in their community. Meaningful work with direct community impact in Virginia and D.C. What You'll Do Build and test mobile UI components using Flutter or React Native Implement acc

Developing effective intervention plans for children experiencing autism can be challenging because of communication difficulties and problematic behavior. For some children, a psychiatric service dog can contribute to social and emotional development and mitigate some symptoms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2025), 3.2 percent of children can be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and given current population data, this equates to 2.3 to 2.