Over the past year we have witnessed federal enforcement harms impact our disability community in deeply detrimental ways. During heightened enforcement, harms are not evenly experienced. People with disabilities may face increased risk when access needs, medications, assistive devices, communication accommodations, housing, and continuity of care are disrupted.

We have seen reports of civil rights violations, including rights guaranteed to people with disabilities, during encounters, processing, or detention by federal immigration enforcement. Yet too often, disability and immigration advocacy operate in separate lanes, leaving disabled immigrants, disabled family members, and those who care for them to navigate these harms without coordinated support.

Please join Access Living, Disability Rights California, and The Arc Minnesota for a community webinar:
Being an Immigrant and Disabled in the U.S.: Defending Civil Rights Under Escalating Federal Enforcement
Wednesday, March 11 | 11:00–12:30 (PT) | 1:00–2:30 (CT) | 2:00–3:30 (ET)
A 60-minute moderated panel discussion followed by a 30-minute audience Q&A.
Accessibility: CART, ASL, and Spanish interpretation will be provided.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hG2kuGtqSDu7gdOqy5qgPA

Panelists include:

Mia Ives-Rublee, MSW — Senior Director, Disability Justice Initiative, Center for American Progress
Michelle Garcia — Manager of Organizing and Community Development, Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago/ Co-founder, Disability Immigration Taskforce of IL
Richard Diaz — Senior Attorney, Investigation Unit, Disability Rights California
Mai Thor — Chief Program Officer, The Arc Minnesota
Paula Sandoval — Supervising Investigator, Disability Rights California

Moderated by: Claudia Castillo Ayala, PhD student in Disability Studies, University of Illinois Chicago

This conversation will bring together disability and immigration justice leaders to examine:

• How immigration enforcement affects disabled immigrants and mixed-status families in real-world settings

• What disability-related accommodations and protections should be expected and demanded

• How advocates and service providers can challenge policies that overlook disabled people

• Practical, community-centered steps to support safety and dignity before, during, and after enforcement encounters

We will also explore what Centers for Independent Living, disability-serving entities, and immigration advocacy organizations can do to strengthen support for immigrant communities with disabilities. Attendees will be invited to share additional questions, topic needs, and recommendations for future panelists, so we can continue building disability-inclusive immigrant justice spaces. We hope you will join us.