[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] 17 states sued the United States government

Thu Feb 13 16:48:20 UTC 2025

Here is the action inside the email as well.

ST

17 states sued the United States government. They asked the court to get rid
of Section 504. The states disagree with a few things in the updated Section
504 rules. But the lawsuit asks the court to get rid of all the updated
rules - and to get rid of Section 504 itself, not just the rules they
disagree with. The lawsuit says that Section 504 goes against the United
States Constitution. The lawsuit says that no one should have to follow any
part of Section 504. If the 17 states win, this would be a disaster for
people with disabilities.

What Will Happen Next?

The judge set a schedule for the case. The 17 states and the United States
government will give the court papers on February 25, 2025, about what
should happen with the case. Other states that support Section 504 may want
to file their own papers with the court.

Disability groups may want to file amicus briefs. Amicus briefs are papers
that people or groups can send to a court during a court case. The people or
groups who send amicus briefs are not part of the court case. They are not
the people suing or being sued. People and groups use amicus briefs to
explain what decision they want the court to make, and why.

After the court has all the papers, it will make a decision about the case.

What Can I Do to Help?

Tell Your State Attorney General to Stop Attacking Section 504

You can do more if you live in one of the states that is bringing the case.
You can ask your state Attorney General to drop out of the case. You can ask
them to drop out of the case in a meeting, in writing, or on the phone. You
can ask by yourself or in a group. A group of people can be powerful. You
may find a group in your community. You can ask disability groups like your
local  <https://ncil.org/about/find-your-cil/> Center for Independent Living
or a  <https://thearc.org/find-a-chapter/> chapter of the Arc.

How to Contact Your State Attorney General 

If you live in one of the states that is part of the lawsuit, you can
contact your state Attorney General and tell them to drop out of the case.
If you live in a state that is not part of the lawsuit, you can still
contact your Attorney General and tell them to protect Section 504. The red
states in the image are the states bringing the case:

The contact information for each state Attorney General involved in the case
is available on this page. Or use this list with the contact information for
all 50 state Attorney Generals
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRDybwpX8OLsOhc6ldIje6atdlmmS8V
wdYh4uEEE-ibyGPG1N7HDT9v71RBi-IZeU0mEurDLgPhO2v_/pub> .

If you choose to write a letter to your state Attorney General, you can
follow this format:

*	Say who you are. Say your name or the name of your group. Say where
you live. If you want, you can say what your disability is.
*	Say why you support Section 504 and its rules. Talk about why
Section 504 is important to you. Section 504 and its rules make sure people
with disabilities can be included in schools. Section 504 and its rules make
sure people with disabilities can see their doctor. 
*	Include personal details. You can tell a personal story about why
Section 504 matters to you. Some stories that might be helpful to include
are:

*	How a 504 Plan helped you be included in school as a child or young
adult. How a 504 Plan allows your child to participate in school. 
*	How a reasonable accommodation helped you gain or maintain
employment.
*	How your needs are met in a community integrated setting.
*	How you got an interpreter at a doctor's appointment and were able
to talk to your doctor. 

*	Say why Texas v. Becerra is bad. If the court agrees with the states
bringing the lawsuit, people with disabilities will lose civil rights. These
rights have protected people with disabilities for over 50 years. 
*	Tell your state Attorney General to drop out of the case [or that
you support Section 504]. If you live in a state that is part of the
lawsuit, tell your Attorney General to stop attacking Section 504 and pull
out of the lawsuit. If you live in a state that is not part of the lawsuit,
tell your Attorney General that you support Section 504 and its regulations.
*	If you want, ask for a meeting. Say that you and your group would
like to set up a meeting to talk about why Texas v. Becerra hurts people
with disabilities. 

Alaska

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Alabama

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Arkansas

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Florida

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Georgia

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Indiana

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Iowa

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Kansas

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Louisiana

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Missouri

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Montana

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Nebraska

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South Carolina

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South Dakota

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Texas

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Utah

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West Virginia

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Example Letter / Email

Here is an example of an email to a state Attorney General asking them to
drop out of the case:

To: attorney.general at alaska.gov <mailto:attorney.general at alaska.gov> 
Subject: Stop Attacking Section 504! Drop Out of Texas v. Becerra!

Dear Attorney General [Treg Taylor],

[Say who you are] I live in Juneau, Alaska, and I have a disability. I am
hard of hearing and use a wheelchair. I volunteer for the Southeast Alaska
Independent Living Center. I go to college part time. 

[Say why you support Section 504 and its rules] I care about Section 504. I
can go more places in my wheelchair because of Section 504. I can go to the
doctor and use a scale for people who use wheelchairs. I can get captions
for my college classes. I support the updated Section 504 rules. The updated
rules are stronger and give more examples of what disability discrimination
is. 

[Say why Texas v. Becerra is bad] I am very upset and angry that you have
joined a case in Texas called Texas v. Becerra that goes against Section 504
and the updated rules. You are asking the court to get rid of the Section
504 rules and the entire law. If the court does what you ask, I will not be
able to go to the doctor or my college classes and get equal treatment. I
will not have equal rights. This will be true for all the other disabled
people in Alaska. 

[Say you want them to drop out of the case] I want you to drop out of Texas
v. Becerra. You should support Section 504 and its rules. You should not be
attacking our rights. 

[Ask for a meeting] I want you to meet with me and other people with
disabilities. We want to talk to you about the case and why we are so
concerned about it. 

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Additional Resources

Resources About Section 504 

*
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRDybwpX8OLsOhc6ldIje6atdlmmS8V
wdYh4uEEE-ibyGPG1N7HDT9v71RBi-IZeU0mEurDLgPhO2v_/pub> Contact list of 50
state attorneys generals
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<https://dredf.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Plain-Language-Explainer_Texas
-v-Becerra.pdf> Plain Language Explainer: Texas v. Becerra Section 504 Under
Attack
*	 <https://youtu.be/SyWcCuVta7M?si=T4-au8RVwGbSjgGO> Video: The Power
of 504

Resources About the New Section 504 Rules 

*
<https://acl.gov/news-and-events/acl-blog/making-disability-rights-history-h
hs-announces-powerful-anti> New Section 504 rules | Administration on
Community Living
*	 <https://www.aapd.com/2024-election-series-hhs-regulations/> New
Section 504 and 1557 Regulations | American Association for People with
Disabilities

Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund

*	3075 Adeline Street, Suite 210
Berkeley, CA 94703
*	510.644.2555 <tel:+15106442555> 
*	 <mailto:info at dredf.org> info at dredf.org

DREDF C 1997 - 2025

*	 <https://dredf.org/accessibility-statement/> Accessibility
Statement
*	 <https://dredf.org/privacy-policy/> Privacy Policy
*	 <https://dredf.org/protect-504/#top> Return to top

 <https://dredf.org/donate/> Support DREDF

Your support makes it possible for us to continue to protect and advance the
civil and human rights of people with disabilities possible.

Suzanne M. Hartfield Turner

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, Vice President

Ohio Legislative Director

Cleveland Chapter, President

The National Federation of the Blind advances the lives of its members and
all blind people in the United States. We know that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. Our collective power, determination,
and diversity achieve the aspirations of all blind people.

P: (216) 990-6199

W: NFBOhio.ORG

Facebook:  <https://www.facebook.com/ohiosblind/photos/>
https://www.facebook.com/ohiosblind/photos/

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