[NHLakesChapter] FW: Ensuring 504 protections remain strong in NH...time sensitive before Wednesday 2/25

Mon Feb 23 21:48:18 UTC 2026

Let your physical presence make a difference, or email and let your voice be heard! Please read below before Wednesday. Thanks!

All the best,

Dana Trahan

Legislative Director

National Federation of the Blind (NFB) of New Hampshire

 <https://nfbnh.org/> https://nfbnh.org/

603-580-5096 (Dana’s home/landline) 
603-365-5242 (Dana’s mobile) 
 <mailto:danatrahan at comcast.net> danatrahan at comcast.net

From: David Denotaris <dave at possibilitythinkers.net> 
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2026 10:36 AM
To: Dana Trahan <danatrahan at comcast.net>
Subject: FW: Ensuring 504 protections remain strong in NH

Dana,

Important, please share

DD

Subject: Ensuring 504 protections remain strong in NH 

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Disability Civil Rights Need Your Voice on February 25th

ABLE NH Community,

There is a public hearing on Wednesday, February 25 at 2:00 PM on a bill that could help protect disability rights in New Hampshire. We need your voice.

HB 1593 would put the protections of Section 504, the federal law that prohibits disability discrimination in schools, healthcare, housing, employment, and public services, into New Hampshire state law. That means if the federal government can't or won't enforce these rights, New Hampshire still can.

Read the bill:

Full text:  <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ablenh.us11.list-2Dmanage.com_track_click-3Fu-3D42abd4cefa2850a27d11526b8-26id-3D2aa28e93e4-26e-3D47543203ab&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=nQ0RZgNmjGAPfLezy63tLRFh6msjnFjH21LPXqx8tLc&m=a03ioAK1HwdXbOVqov-bjwtVBd_aTgkr6OF57qygCJSBdK4IzifPkkrslGpSwOwz&s=yN_Of49GJWt4ldVTWlAEFBl6yXv_c_WnV1i7O5JQ0Qw&e=> https://gc.nh.gov/bill_Status/pdf.aspx?id=23967&q=billVersion

Why this matters right now

Section 504 has protected disabled Americans for 53 years. Right now, those protections are facing serious threats:

*	Nine states have filed a lawsuit targeting the right of disabled people to receive services in their communities instead of institutions — a right the Supreme Court affirmed in Olmstead in 1999. ( <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ablenh.us11.list-2Dmanage.com_track_click-3Fu-3D42abd4cefa2850a27d11526b8-26id-3Df9887ed126-26e-3D47543203ab&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=nQ0RZgNmjGAPfLezy63tLRFh6msjnFjH21LPXqx8tLc&m=a03ioAK1HwdXbOVqov-bjwtVBd_aTgkr6OF57qygCJSBdK4IzifPkkrslGpSwOwz&s=VdW8lh2l-AQyG0WKjPltTNdYOJnqY7O846-A5QsAlGU&e=> STAT News, Jan. 2026)
*	The federal office that investigates disability discrimination has lost nearly half its staff. Families filing complaints are going unanswered. ( <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ablenh.us11.list-2Dmanage.com_track_click-3Fu-3D42abd4cefa2850a27d11526b8-26id-3Da4f9637ef3-26e-3D47543203ab&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=nQ0RZgNmjGAPfLezy63tLRFh6msjnFjH21LPXqx8tLc&m=a03ioAK1HwdXbOVqov-bjwtVBd_aTgkr6OF57qygCJSBdK4IzifPkkrslGpSwOwz&s=CY3bAJhXTVASh8i49fRLnegE7isIGWZAzJPNMQtas8g&e=> NPR, Oct. 2025)
*	The Administration for Community Living — the federal agency dedicated to keeping disabled and older Americans in their communities — has been dismantled, with half its staff fired in a single day. ( <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ablenh.us11.list-2Dmanage.com_track_click-3Fu-3D42abd4cefa2850a27d11526b8-26id-3D192bd89fe6-26e-3D47543203ab&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=nQ0RZgNmjGAPfLezy63tLRFh6msjnFjH21LPXqx8tLc&m=a03ioAK1HwdXbOVqov-bjwtVBd_aTgkr6OF57qygCJSBdK4IzifPkkrslGpSwOwz&s=xeqTVArvEdurIiin8k1rUOQnSrsCp-1x1qtrfjA347k&e=> NPR, April 2025)
*	78 fair housing anti-discrimination grants were terminated overnight, gutting the organizations that handle the majority of disability housing complaints nationwide. ( <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ablenh.us11.list-2Dmanage.com_track_click-3Fu-3D42abd4cefa2850a27d11526b8-26id-3Dd0697e705a-26e-3D47543203ab&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=nQ0RZgNmjGAPfLezy63tLRFh6msjnFjH21LPXqx8tLc&m=a03ioAK1HwdXbOVqov-bjwtVBd_aTgkr6OF57qygCJSBdK4IzifPkkrslGpSwOwz&s=bMN0XZWuZ5Nph0EyOiXUF6VooqSOAMhb6y6X_oL-wHE&e=> NPR, March 2025)
*	The Department of Energy called 40-year-old building accessibility standards "unnecessary and unduly burdensome" and tried to fast-track their removal. ( <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ablenh.us11.list-2Dmanage.com_track_click-3Fu-3D42abd4cefa2850a27d11526b8-26id-3D8fcf170417-26e-3D47543203ab&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=nQ0RZgNmjGAPfLezy63tLRFh6msjnFjH21LPXqx8tLc&m=a03ioAK1HwdXbOVqov-bjwtVBd_aTgkr6OF57qygCJSBdK4IzifPkkrslGpSwOwz&s=pxG2GYQl9dF84Q0Jsjo8O2jOc62oAkxxxXE81lgVr_Y&e=> Disability Scoop, June 2025)

This bill is not about politics. It is about making sure that our rights are protected no matter what happens at the federal level.

How you can help

1. Show up in person (most impactful)

📅 Wednesday, February 25

⏰ 2:00 PM

📍 1 Granite Place, Room 230

You do not have to testify. Simply being present and signing in as supporting HB 1593 sends a powerful message to the committee. If you can attend, your presence matters.

2. Submit testimony online

If you cannot attend in person, you can submit written testimony:

*	Go to:  <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ablenh.us11.list-2Dmanage.com_track_click-3Fu-3D42abd4cefa2850a27d11526b8-26id-3D6f5aaf4c18-26e-3D47543203ab&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=nQ0RZgNmjGAPfLezy63tLRFh6msjnFjH21LPXqx8tLc&m=a03ioAK1HwdXbOVqov-bjwtVBd_aTgkr6OF57qygCJSBdK4IzifPkkrslGpSwOwz&s=kYz5yLF2JsLSoqLYiNwJSVkfQr3VJtNrQ6jUds8Ua4o&e=> https://gc.nh.gov/house/committees/remotetestimony/default.aspx
*	Enter your name and town

Select Wednesday, February 25th

*	Choose House Judiciary
*	Select HB 1593
*	Select that you are a member of the public
*	Select that you are representing yourself
*	Choose Support
*	Type or upload your testimony

Even a few sentences about why disability civil rights matter to you personally makes a difference.

3. Email the committee

Use this link to send a message directly to House Judiciary Committee members through our campaign page:

🔗  <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__ablenh.us11.list-2Dmanage.com_track_click-3Fu-3D42abd4cefa2850a27d11526b8-26id-3Da00161b614-26e-3D47543203ab&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=nQ0RZgNmjGAPfLezy63tLRFh6msjnFjH21LPXqx8tLc&m=a03ioAK1HwdXbOVqov-bjwtVBd_aTgkr6OF57qygCJSBdK4IzifPkkrslGpSwOwz&s=zEvmWqu6NTZHtKF8cfLzX539SndAd94F02ZtCZsNMI4&e=> Email the Committee via FastDemocracy

4. Share this email

Forward this to anyone in your life who cares about disability rights, education, healthcare access, housing, aging, or veterans' services. This bill touches all of it.

What to say if you testify or write in

You don't need to be an expert. The most powerful testimony comes from lived experience. Some starting points:

*	How has a 504 plan, a reasonable accommodation, or an accessibility requirement affected your life or the life of someone you love?
*	What would it mean to know that those protections are secured in state law?
*	Why does it matter that New Hampshire has its own path to enforcement?

Disability civil rights should be clear, stable, and enforceable in New Hampshire, no matter what happens in Washington. Wednesday is our chance to say so.

Thank you for showing up,

Louis Esposito

Executive Director of ABLE NH

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