LTP News Sharing:
This holiday season, I am closing out the year with hope—not the passive kind, but real hope.
I was recently reminded by former Oklahoma DHS Secretary Justin Brown that real hope is powerful. Real hope is the belief that tomorrow can be better than today—and that we have the power to make it so. That belief has defined Able Americans’ work this year.
Rachel Barkley
This year marked a bold transformation for our project—one that strengthened our capacity to serve people with disabilities and elevated our voice in the national policy conversation. We launched a refreshed brand, a new website, and the Faces of the Disability Crisis campaign to reach new communities and amplify voices too often left unheard. We told my story, David and his son Jonathan’s story, and Whit’s and Jesi’s stories, and these stories have reached more than 100,000 viewers.
As we close 2025, Able Americans (AbAm) looks back on an extraordinary year working alongside courageous self-advocates, bold policy leaders, and committed communicators who refuse to accept the status quo. AbAm emerged as a leading national advocate for people with disabilities in discussions about Medicaid reform. Through widely read op-eds, direct engagement with policymakers on Capitol Hill and at the White House, and extensive briefings with congressional staff and thought leaders, Able Americans helped reframe the conversation around fixing a broken disability system that too often traps people in dependency rather than supporting independence and work.
Two major reforms championed by Able Americans and Senator Eric Schmitt—the Helping Communities with Better Support (HCBS) Act and the ENABLE Act—were included in and enacted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Together, these provisions are poised to improve care access, expand financial security, and change lives nationwide. We also launched the bipartisan Campaign to Fix the Disability System, uniting advocates, experts, and industry leaders to develop innovative, market-oriented solutions that promote independence and economic mobility through disability benefit reforms.
In the fall, Able Americans released a landmark policy report on expanding ABLE Accounts, outlining a free-market roadmap to help millions of Americans with disabilities build assets and achieve greater financial empowerment. We also published a leading paper on fixing the broken mental health system—an issue affecting families in every community across the country.
Looking ahead to 2026, Able Americans is entering a pivotal new chapter—one in which reform moves from ideas to action. We believe the time is now to help the 700,000 people with disabilities stuck on waitlists for care, the 59 million Americans with mental illnesses, and the 25% of Americans with disabilities trapped in poverty.
Thank you for joining in this important work, and we look forward to inspiring real hope for people with disabilities in the year ahead.
Rachel Barkley
Director of Able Americans
Author: The National Center
