AHRC NYC advocates had a busy 2025 as critical legislation passed in the summer threatens disability services. Self-advocates, families, and staff members worked together to meet with state and federal representatives to inform them about our present and future issues and develop strategies to continue advocating in the months to come.
Impact of Federal Legislation
The legislation known as H.R 1 , was signed into law on July 4, 2025, poses a grave threat to disability services nationwide. Among its most harmful provisions, according to our national partners at The Arc:
- Nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, slashing almost 20% of the federal program and jeopardizing coverage for nearly 17 million people
- Nearly $200 billion in cuts to SNAP food assistance
- A new private school voucher program that diverts public education funds without guaranteeing protections for students with disabilities
New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, warned that up to 1.5 million New Yorkers could lose health insurance coverage. Additionally, New York State will be required to fund 15 percent of all SNAP benefits starting as early as October 1, 2027, at an estimated cost to the State of $1.2 billion per year, potentially resulting in more than 300,000 households losing access to food assistance.
There are no specific provisions in the law protecting disability services, despite comments by federal officials claiming otherwise. Our organization-wide advocacy efforts moving forward will be focused on mitigating the impact of these cuts to disability services.
Parents and Self-Advocates Taking Initiative
In February, parents met at our Employment and Business Services location in the Bronx to inform one another about the services their children receive and organize for future advocacy efforts. Later in the year, AHRC NYC’s Board of Directors’ Advocacy Committee formed borough-based advocacy teams to meet with local and state legislators representing their communities. These diverse teams consisting of parents, siblings, self advocates, board members, and staff met with legislators and their senior staff throughout the summer and fall, with additional meetings scheduled in 2026.
AHRC NYC self-advocates held monthly meetings organized by Matthew Estep, Self-Advocacy Advisor, and Tommy Heller, Assistant Director of Performance Improvement & Innovation. These gatherings served as a chance to inform dozens of self-advocates about state and federal issues affecting their lives and services and provided a chance for advocates from across the city to meet one another in a supportive, engaging environment. Many self-advocates participated in statewide rallies and legislative meetings as a result of their involvement with these meetings.
Meeting with Supportive Legislators
We were grateful for visits from and with several legislators and their staff members throughout the year. These include:
- Senator Chuck Schumer
- Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
- Representative Dan Goldman at his office in Washington DC
- Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz
- Assemblymember Grace Lee
- Assemblymember Michael Benedetto
- Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal
- Assemblymember Edward Gibbs
- Councilmember Amanda Farias
- Assemblymember Michael Riley
- Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton
- Assemblymember Sam Pirozollo
- Senator Andrew Lanza
- Senator Leroy Comrie
- Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman
- Senator John Liu
- Assembly Member Edward Braunstein
- Assembly Member David Weprin
- Senator Gustavo Rivera
- Assembly Member Amanda Septimo
- Assembly Member George Alvarez
- Senator Simcha Felder
- Senator Andrew Gounardes
- Assembly Member Lester Chang
- Senator Brian Kavanaugh
- Senator Kristen Gonzalez
- Assembly Member Deborah Glick
- Senator Toby Ann Stavisky
- Assembly Member Catalina Cruz
- Assembly Member Edward Braunstein
- U.S. Representative Nicole Malliotakis
- Council Member Fran Morano
AHRC NYC is geared for up for an important year of advocacy in 2026, looking forward to working with these legislators and more of their colleagues across the state.
