Welcome to the April 2026 Edition of Legislative and Advocacy Round-up

LEGISLATIVE & ADVOCACY ROUND-UP

April 2026

NEXT MEETING OF THE NEW JERSEY LEGISLATIVE DISABILITY CAUCUS IS MAY 5, 2026

The next meeting of the New Jersey Legislative Disability Caucus will be on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. The focus of the meeting will be on continuity of care and service gaps within disability systems. Specifically, the discussion will examine capacity and service gaps within disability service systems, as well as the disruptions to care caused by workforce shortages. Click HERE to register for the webinar.

Since 2020, the New Jersey Legislative Disability Caucus has served as a bipartisan forum within the New Jersey Legislature for lawmakers and their staff to consider the impact on the disability community when shaping ALL public policies in the Garden State through increased awareness and a greater understanding of the complexities of the disabilities service system and issues affecting individuals with disabilities and their families. People with disabilities, their families, and organizations that serve, support and advocate for people with disabilities in New Jersey serve as a resource to the Caucus, providing education and programming as needed. Learn more about the New Jersey Legislative Disability Caucus by clicking HERE. Here, you may access recordings of past meetings, learn about upcoming meetings, and determine which organizations are represented in the Caucus.

Legislators who are members of the caucus serve as champions for individuals with disabilities in New Jersey by meeting with them in their district offices; participating in quarterly education forums; and above all, promoting policies to improve the lives of people with disabilities and considering the impact on the disability community in shaping all public policies in New Jersey.

With approximately 25 percent of adults in New Jersey identifying as having some type of disability, the Caucus ensures their voice is heard in the decision-making process. This is critically important as people with disabilities in New Jersey continue to seek opportunities to be included and represented in all aspects of life as an integral part of the fabric of our society, despite progress after the passage of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) 30 years ago. New Jersey is among just a handful of states that have formed a Disability Caucus within its state legislature.

NJCDD HYBRID PUBLIC MEETING

May 14, 2026 |

9:30 AM- 1:30 PM

The New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities (NJCDD) Hybrid Public Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 14, 2026 from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Hilton Garden Inn, located at 800 US Route 130 in Hamilton, NJ. To make a public comment, please send your written comments to jacinta.williams@njcdd.org by Wednesday, May 13, 2026. During the meeting, Amy Deaville, Training and Technical Assistance Administrator at the Information and Technical Assistance Center for Councils (ITACC), will present on the Federal DD Act and the role of Councils. Additionally, Brenda Considine, consultant, will present on the status of the community blueprint. Click HERE to register for the webinar.

YOUR THOUGHTS MATTER!

PLEASE TAKE OUR VOICES SURVEY

Voices Advancing the Brain Injury Community (Voices) is one of BIANJ's advocacy committees that aims to champion and publicize the advocacy, rights, and needs of people who have survived a brain injury. It envisions that each member of the committee is afforded the opportunity to express their own unique needs, take responsibility toward fulfilling the mission of Voices, and serve the broader brain injury community. Through involvement with Voices members can grow, gain a sense of self-worth, and develop a network of friendship.

Voices invites any person with an interest in brain injury to join. Voices also hopes to increase membership so as to make the collective brain injury voice more pronounced. To that end, we seek input from you, the person impacted by brain injury. Please take our survey HERE so that Voices may fulfill its mission and serve the broader brain injury community . Thank you!