October 24, 2025

WE NEED YOUR VOICE! Our Budget Campaign Has Begun!

Thanks to your ardent advocacy, we have achieved a great deal over past several years, but we must continue the fight to ensure that the foundation of supports and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is preserved.

We're calling on you to help us leverage the full power of

The Arc New York for the fight!

As you are all well aware, more than a decade of inadequate funding caused severe staff shortages and left nonprofit provider agencies struggling to maintain facilities and provide quality care and support for New Yorkers with disabilities. This systemic underfunding eroded New York's system of supports for its citizens with IDD.

Recent investments by the state made progress toward addressing this crisis and stabilizing our system of care, but without sustained investment, that progress will be lost.

Our unified advocacy drives change.

We are pleased to officially launch our FY27 budget advocacy campaign! From now until the introduction of the Executive Budget in January, we will be directly advocating with Governor Hochul and asking her to support our system of supports and services by including the following investments in the New York State Executive Budget:

• A 2.7% Targeted Inflationary Increase (TII) to ensure funding accounts for the increased cost of living and providing services
• The Careforce Affordability Initiative to support affordable housing, childcare and healthcare for direct care staff
• Infrastructure Investments to ensure funding accounts for the increased cost of living and providing services to maintain facilities, meet state climate goals, and support innovative services

How will these investments help?

• The 2.7% Inflationary Increase will help ensure funding is available for the increased cost of living and providing services. The TII will simply adjust for inflation to cover the increased cost of food, benefits, transportation, utilities, medical supplies and more. Since 2020, basic costs have increased more than 25% due to inflation. Over that time, NYS increased provider rates by less than 16%. If Medicaid reimbursement does not cover rising costs, providers cannot sustain services, pay fair wages, or maintain the facilities where people with disabilities live, work, and receive essential care. 
• The Careforce Affordability Initiative will support Direct Care staff by providing affordable housing preference, employer-assisted housing grants, down payment assistance and interest rate reductions, site-based childcare centers, expanded child tax credits, and health care funding.
• The Capital Funding and Infrastructure plan will help providers maintain and modernize their programs and facilities to make them more efficient, which improves outcomes, saves money, and supports New York State’s climate change initiatives. Funding dedicated for building repairs and renovations has remained flat since 2016. For providers to maintain safe, quality homes for the people they serve, this funding must be adjusted for inflation. 

One-Click Campaign Launch

We've launched a one-click campaign to inform the governor of our budget requests. We urge you to add your voice here. By participating, you will quickly send a letter to Governor Hochul and tell her support for New Yorkers with I/DD must be a priority in this year's Executive Budget. This will be the first of many advocacy opportunities to come!

Capitol Rally November 19

We are pleased to announce that The Arc New York and our NYDA partners will be holding a rally at the NYS Capitol on Tuesday, November 18 at 11:00 AM to noon in the War Room on the 2nd floor of the NYS Capitol building. Our goal is to get 400-500 people there as a show of force and solidarity from across the state.

A save-the-date flyer with a link to register for the event can be found here. Please distribute this widely to your family, friends, and on social media.

Registration is very important, as we are gauging interest for coordinated group transportation. Information on logistics, messaging for signs, and parking will be released in a future update. Register Today!

If you have any questions, please email Philip Aydinian, The Arc New York Director of Governmental Affairs at philip.aydinian@thearcny.org.

FY26 Budget Advocacy Resources

The Arc New York has compiled toolkit resources and messaging to help support your advocacy, including an info-sheet to give legislators and another that offers information and talking points for advocates. These resources can be found below, and in our Budget Advocacy Toolkit. We'll share additional tools as our efforts continue!

• The Arc New York Budget Priorities
• The Arc New York One-Click QR Code Flyer
• Share Your Story QR Code Flyer
• NYDA FY27 Budget and Legislative Asks
• NYDA FY27 Detailed Budget Asks
• Take Action: Tell Governor Hochul to Support People with Disabilities in the NYS Budget

Federal Cuts Put Students' Rights at Risk

Students with disabilities recently lost nearly the entire federal team that protects their rights. The Arc US is urging federal leaders to restore Department of Education staff who guarantee equal access to education and opportunity. We are also working with national partners and chapters to advocate for the rights of students.

Just this week, The Arc New York and the majority of local Chapters joined over 800 national and state organizations condemning the unilateral gutting of US Department of Education staff, which supports students with disabilities. You can read the full press release here.

What can YOU do? The Arc’s grassroots community has already responded by sending more than 30,000 messages to Congress urging them to act. We ask you to TAKE ACTION NOW if you haven't already and if you have taken action, do it again and share on social media.

We are also sharing a Department of Education Explainer from the National Down Syndrome Congress that thoroughly reviews what the Office of Special Education is, why it is important, and what the Reduction in Force means. It also explains that IDEA is still the law, IEPs are still valid, and answers other frequently asked questions.



The media has turned to The Arc to explain what these cuts mean to kids with disabilities, with coverage on CNN, in The New York Times, the Associated Press, and more.

2025 Government Shutdown: What You Need to Know

The Arc of the United States has compiled the information on how a federal shutdown may affect essential programs, including SNAP, WIC, school meals, Medicaid/Medicare, ACA, IDEA/education funding, housing, and Social Security/SSI. Learn what's continuing, what could be delayed, and steps to take if services are disrupted here.

Upcoming Hearing: Access to Residential Placements

The NYS Assembly Standing Committee on People with Disabilities will hold a hearing on Monday, November 3 at 10:00 AM on access to residential placements for New Yorkers with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The purpose is to examine barriers to access and explore ways to ensure adequate residential supports are available to those with varying support needs. You can view the entire announcement here.