NCCDD's Highlights & Hot Topics - April 2026

The April 2026 issue of Highlights and Hot Topics includes a letter from NCCDD’s executive director, an update on NCCDD's public policy education efforts, a public policy update, an inclusive fitness mini-grant highlight, and upcoming NCCDD webinars. 

Highlights & Hot Topics is the monthly newsletter for the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities. All newsletters are available on the NCCDD website.

This project was supported, in part by grant number 2001NCSCDD-02, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.

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April 2026 Highlights and Hot Topics Letter from the Executive Director Spring has sprung. There is new life all around us with flowers budding, birds chirping, and the air warming. I've taken time each weekend recently to work in the yard and enjoy being outside. Spring reminds me that there is new life and new opportunities with each coming year and each new season. This last year has been challenging for the intellectual and of the developmental disability community. We have faced relentless challenges to Medicaid and other critical funding. Individuals with IDD and families are exhausted. Yet spring reminds me of the resilience of her community. It reminds me that friends with IDD and their families are constantly finding new and innovative ways to overcome obstacles. This spring, many of us have been down to the General Assembly to prepare for the IDD Legislative Caucus and to attend hearings on critical issues. While each issue is difficult, we have made friends on both sides of the aisle. We are building energy and support for the IDD community. It is not clear to me yet when all of our hard work will create new funding and possibilities for the IDD community, but I know it will. I know our hard work will make a difference because our community shows up and perseveres and innovates and makes friends. I find hope in the spring. I also find hope in the hundreds of people with IDD who travel each year to our General Assembly to build support and relationships. I am grateful for each of you. Tally Wells, NCCDD Executive Director. Staying informed NCCDD's Public Policy Education Efforts. The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities works to educate and inform North Carolina's intellectual and developmental disabilities community along with key decision makers. By sharing timely, accessible information, NCCDD helps support policies that promote full inclusion of people with IDD in all aspects of community life. As part of this role, NCCDD provides public policy education. It does not lobby on specific legislation. Identifying priorities. NCCDD's policy education efforts are guided by its public policy priorities. For 2026, the Council has identified several key focus areas. Protect Medicaid and ITD services during ongoing federal and state budget challenges. End the waiting list by developing and funding a plan to serve the more than 20,000 individuals currently waiting for services. Increase direct support professional wages to strengthen the workforce. Additional priorities include expanding housing and transportation options, increasing competitive integrated employment, ensuring the success and effectiveness of IDD services. You can download the full 2026 Public Policy Priorities Information Sheet to learn more. Attend monthly policy education meetings. NCCDD hosts a monthly policy education meeting on the second Thursday of each month from 10 30 AM to 12 PM via Zoom. These meetings provide updates on state and federal policy, budget developments, and other issues impacting people with IDD. Participants also have the opportunity to ask questions and engage in open discussion. The meetings are free and open to all, offering an easy way to stay informed and connected. Register at zoomgov.com. Get monthly updates. Read summaries that cover key development in state and federal policy and public policy in NCCDD's public policy blog and highlights and hot topics newsletter. Public policy update as of april twentieth, twenty twenty six. Federal President's Budget. As part of the federal budget process, the President released a proposed budget for fiscal year 2027 in early April. It proposes increasing defense spending by over forty percent and decreasing non defense programs by$73 billion. As with last year's proposed budget from the President, there are proposed cuts to disability programs. University centers for excellence and developmental disabilities would be eliminated. The Leadership Education and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Programs, LEND, would be decreased by almost 20 million. State DD councils and protection and advocacy agencies are proposed to receive only a small decrease. Like last year, there is also a proposed restructuring plan for health and human services, HHS, which would eliminate the administration for community living. The President's budget is not legislation, but it is required to be submitted each year. It provides insight into the administration's priorities. Last year, Congress rejected these cuts and also rejected the restructuring plan for HHS. Appropriations. Congress has now begun the process of considering appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2027. The House and Senate are expected to start drafting and marking up appropriations legislation in the coming weeks. The House has held hearings for agency leadership to talk about the President's budget. On april sixteenth, twenty twenty six, HHS Secretary Kennedy met with the House Appropriations Committee. The topics of discussion included vaccines and Medicaid and Medicare fraud. The Secretary defended the cuts to HHS that were in the President's budget. He emphasized the idea that there is extensive fraud in Medicaid and Medicare. Most Republicans on the committee were supportive of the focus of stopping fraud, with specific attention to home and community based services. Leading Democrats on the committee said that Congress will not cut the funding that the President wants to cut. Over the next few weeks, there will be more information coming from Congress regarding the budget as the House and Senate follow their budget processes. There seems to be less consensus this year about the budget and coming to an agreement will take months. It is expected that there will be a continuing resolution in September before the start of fiscal year 2027 in October. Reconciliation 2.0 As of april twentieth, 2026, the Senate is taking initial steps towards a Reconciliation 2.0 bill to resolve a partial government shutdown and secure long-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Reconciliation is the process used last year to pass HR 1, which included large Medicaid cuts. Reconciliation can be used for mandatory spending and only requires a simple majority, 51 votes, instead of 60 votes. The primary goal of this bill is to end the DHS shutdown and provide multi-year funding for immigrations and customs enforcement, ICE, and Border Patrol. Senate leadership has advocated for keeping the bill focused on DHS funding. However, some Senate members are pushing to include other items, including changes to Medicaid, Medicare, or SNAP. President Trump has set a deadline of june first, twenty twenty six for the passage of this bill. The first steps in this process are for the Senate and House to pass budget resolutions, which will outline the process for reconciliation. The goal is to have this complete by the end of April. State. The North Carolina General Assembly convened on April twenty first, twenty twenty six for a short legislative session. The short session is typically focused on making minor budget adjustments and passing a small number of bills. However, during last year's long session, North Carolina lawmakers were unable to agree on a budget. The federal cuts to Medicaid and other state programs are creating pressure to approve a budget. Key issues related to the budget include whether to allow planned tax cuts to proceed, state employees' salary increases, and the Medicaid funding shortfall for this fiscal year. There is concern that delays in the budget process could reduce access to services funded through Medicaid. Key House leadership has stated that they expect the legislature to approve funding to address the shortfall. The concerns about Medicaid fraud at the federal level are also being expressed at the state level, so there may be additional requirements for addressing fraud and the rising Medicaid costs that come with the funding. Building health, confidence, and connection through inclusive fitness. In 2024, the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities funded a mini grant to Bloom Fitness Corporation to increase access to personal health and wellness opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The project focused on developing a highly accessible and easy-to-use fitness app designed for and by people with IDD. The Bloom Fitness app is available on both iOS and Android devices, offering athletes with IDD and their caregivers a way to participate in fitness classes anytime, anywhere. To ensure the app is easy to navigate and inclusive of diverse needs, Bloom Fitness developed a step-by-step video tutorial supported by a board-certified behavioral analysis so that Bloom Fitness staff could address as many behavioral and communication needs as possible. The app allows athletes to track their attendance, set goals, and celebrate their progress, reinforcing consistency and personal achievement. Bloom Fitness reports that 96% of their athletes report feeling healthier, and 70% say they feel less lonely as a result of their participation. And participants say the program is making a meaningful difference in their lives. Bloom keeps me in shape mentally and physically. My favorite thing is actually everything. The app is easy to use. Weldon. Bloom gives me a lot of energy and I get to dance with friends. Erin. I love Bloom. It's making me lose weight, it makes me feel good, and I like the live classes on the app and we can see the instructor, Anna. Bloom is exciting to do and it's fun for me. I like the Bloom live classes because the instructor brings the house down, David. The program highlights how accessible technology, combined with community-centered programming, can improve both physical health and social connection for people with IDD. Learn more about Bloom Fitness at BloomFitness.org or download their flyer. Upcoming webinars in May. Policy Education Meeting, Thursday, may 14, 2026, from 10 30 AM to noon. Learn about important updates about state and federal policies, budget developments, and other issues that affect people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. There will also be time for questions and open discussion. Please note that NCCDD only provides public policy education. The council does not lobby on specific legislation. Register at zoomgov.com. Self Advocate Discussion Series Topic Adulting with IDD Wednesday, may 20th, 2026 from 1 to 2 p.m. Mainstream sources say that adulting means to behave in an adult manner, engage in activities associated with adulthood, and attend to the ordinary tasks required of a responsible adult. In this session, guests Barton and Megan Cutter, along with attendees with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, will share some of their adulting stories related to relationships, working, playing, and just plain living. Have you used a bailout plan on a date? Has a stranger ever asked you personal questions that started with Because you have a disability? Do you have a story about your first or best kiss? Join us and share your stories about adulting as a person with IDD. Note, please register at least one week before the session. Register at zoomgov.com. Learn more about this webinar series at nccd.org. The Council presents. Topic Registered Apprenticeship Thursday, May 28, 2026 from 1 to 2 p.m. Registered Apprenticeship is an employer-driven training strategy that strives to meet the needs of the employer while providing an on-the-job learning experience coupled with related classroom education and reward for skills gained. The result is a nationally recognized credentials and continued career opportunities. In this session of our series, join us as we hear from Dale Yarbrough, Deputy Director of the Apprenticeship NC, who will lead us through an overview of apprenticeship training programs and respond to your questions on this valuable pathway to employment opportunities. Register at Zoomgov.com. Learn more about this webinar series at ncccd.org.