CAROL TYSON

- Joined a letter led by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) to Senate Majority Leader Thune urging the removal of funding for the Dept of Homeland Security (DHS) from the minibus government funding package. - Joined a letter led by the Planned Parenthood Action Committee (PPAC) and the National Health Law Program (NHELP) to Congress, asking for restoration of Medicaid and other healthcare funding after deep cuts while stopping the funding of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)/DHS. - Co-led coalition letter with the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, urging US Congress to halt all funding to DHS ICE, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) activities, and reallocate the funding towards Medicaid, SNAP, and other essential services for people with disabilities and those who are Deaf and hard of hearing. - Joined a letter led by the National Immigration Law Center letter to Senators, urging them to vote "no" on Senator Markwayne Mullins nomination for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security because he is unqualified and has urged the continuation of DHS lawless violence at ICE and Border Patrol. - Joined a large coalition led by the Center for Law and Social Policy and others to endorse and support the anticipated reintroduction by Representative Espaillat and Senator Blumenthal of the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, in response to the announced rescission of the Protected Areas policy by the Trump Administration; the protected areas policy prohibited immigration enforcement actions in places that provided vital services important to well-being. The bill would restore those protections in places like schools, places of worship and healthcare facilities.

- Joined a letter from the Collaboration to Promote Self-Determination (CPSD) to Congress asking for federal oversight hearings over the Executive Branch's actions to illegally restructure the Department of Education, including the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) - Joined a coalition letter led by CPSD to the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) opposing the movement of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) away from the Department of Education. - Joined a letter spearheaded by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR) and sent to the House Judiciary Committee, defending a longstanding Supreme Court Decision in Plyler v. Doe which recognized that states could not exclude non-citizen immigrant children from public education. - Joined a large coalition of federal and state educational advocacy and civil rights organizations (All4Ed) in a letter to Congress opposing the unlawful transfers of Dept of Ed roles and responsibilities to other federal agencies. - Joined a letter led by the Education Task Force of the Consortium of Constituents with Disabilities (CCD) to Congressional representatives opposing the 21st Century Dyslexia Act (S.3010/H.R. 5769) which would undermine existing protections under IDEA and could result in unintended negative consequences for students with disabilities, including students suspected of or those already identified with dyslexia.

- Joined letter led by the National Women's Law Center, the Legal Defense Fund, and the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights to numerous college and university presidents and trustees, urging them to follow the law and not participate in the current federal administration's Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education - Joined comments led by the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities sent to the US Department of Education that it rescind a proposal to eliminate key state information and data collection requirements on significant disproportionality under IDEA Sec. 618 and the Equity in IDEA regulations - Joined letter to the Senate HELP Committee leadership asking them to hold the administration accountable for their Reductions in Force of Dept of Education staff and programs that support disabled students and people of all ages - Joined letter led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR) letter to the US Dept. of Education opposing cuts to education data collection - Joined coalition letter to the House Education & Workforce Committee asking them to hold an oversight hearing regarding the administrations efforts to dismantle the Dept of Education - Submitted comments to the Dept. of Education (DOE) opposing the DOE's proposal to remove Significant Disproportionality data collection from Section V of the Annual State Application under Part B of the IDEA

- Joined letter led by the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities' (CCD) Health Task Force to Senate leadership supporting S.5018/H.R. 6860, the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients' Act, which would require employer-sponsored private insurance to cover dialysis treatment for End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) - Joined letter led by CCD to congressional leaders calling for the reauthorization of the advanced premium tax credits (APTCs) for marketplace health insurance - Joined a coalition letter to all members of Congress opposing efforts to restrict access to gender affirming care - Joined coalition letter spearheaded by the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) to congress urging that it pass a clean bill extending Enhanced Premium Tax Credits for the marketplace exchanges, without including an abortion-related rider with the funding bill - Joined a coalition letter led by the Coalition to Preserve Rehabilitation to Senate leaders in support of S. 2898, the Dennis John Benigno Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Program Reauthorization Act of 2025 which would reauthorize funding for an established TBI program

- DREDF joined two letters led by the Transit Advocacy Network to Congressional leaders (Rep Graves and Rep Larsen) for supporting continued federal funding for public transportation despite threats from the current administration - DREDF led a coalition letter to the on the letter to House Energy & Commerce and Senate Commerce Committee leadership, asking them to consider the safety and accessibility of Automated Vehicles (AVs) s in any stand-alone AV bill or surface transportation reauthorization bills

- Joined a Coalition of local and national groups writing to DC Mayor Muriel Bowser asking her to immediately denounce the attempted federal takeover of DC, insist on an end to the federal surge, defend DC residents from abuse by police and ICE, enforce DCs Sanctuary Values Act and demand that DCs autonomy be respected

- Supported Disability and Age in Jury Service Non-Discrimination Act, a bill introduced by Senator Markey that would prohibit exclusion from federal jury service on the basis of disability or age, to be included alongside current protections, and would also clarify that disabled jurors are not to be disqualified on the basis of disability - Endorsed John Lewis Voting Rights Enhancement Act, which would restore and strengthen parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, most notably its requirement for states and jurisdictions with a history of voting rights violations to seek federal approval before enacting certain changes to their voting laws. The bill would also increase access to voting for people with disabilities.

- Joined a letter led by Common Sense Media and Encode AI to Congress arguing against the enactment of a federal moratorium on state regulation of AI that protects consumers and citizens within the state from the acts of AI developers and users - Endorsed a bill (yet to be finally named) that would honor disability advocate Judy Heumann with a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award given by Congress

- Joined letter led by the Leadership Conference of Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR) to Congress urging it to defend the National Education Associations right to advocate - Joined letter led by the Consortium of Constituents with Disabilities to the US Department of Education upon the department issuing a policy on "Proposed Priority: Advancing Artificial Intelligence in Education." The letter asks for an AI priority with guardrails relating to accessibility, universal design, and full inclusion of students with disabilities. - Joined letter to Congress led by Council of Parent Attorneys (COPAA) and Advocates and the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE), supporting funding for education programs for students with disabilities - Joined letter by COPAA and CASE to the Dept of Ed and Secretary McMahon, urging the Dept. and Congress to maintain all current grants (as of September 2025) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

- Joined a letter spearheaded by the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund to Congressional Committee leaders that opposes anti-DEIA and anti-critical race theory riders in FY26 appropriations bills - Joined letter by the Consortium of Constituents with Disabilities urging Congress to protect and expand FY2026 funding for critical HUD housing programs that serve older adults and people with disabilities - including Section 811, Mainstream/Non-Elderly Disabled (NED) Vouchers, the Fair Housing Initiatives Program, and Emergency Housing Vouchers - Joined a letter led by the Technology Task Force of the Consortium of Constituents with Disabilities (CCD) to the House seeking greater appropriations in support for the Assistive Technology Act and support for the US Access Board - Joined letter spearheaded by the National Coalition on Accessible Voting to Congress asking for a rejection of the Presidents FY26 budget proposal which would eliminate all funding for the Protection and Advocacy for Voting Accessibility (PAVA) program - Joined letter led by CCD to Congressional Committee leaders asking for the Appropriations Labor-HHS-Ed Subcommittees to distinctly and fully fund all programs in the FY26 Independent living request which includes the University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs), Projects of National Significance (PNS), Limb Loss Resource Center, Paralysis Resource Center, and the Protection and Access for Voting Access Program - Joined letter led by CCD to Congress letter urging it to vote against deep cuts in the Health and Human Services Agency and Dept of Education budgets, and asking for continued funding of all portions of the Protection and Advocacy program

- Joined a letter written by Congresswoman Jayapal to the Dept of Labor Secretary opposing DOL's proposed rule that would rollback a 2013 rule that provided wage and overtime protections to personal care/home care workers - Joined a letter led by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) that opposes two rules proposed by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and the Employment and Training Administration that would jeopardize employment of people with disabilities - Joined a letter led by Consortium of Constituents with Disabilities (CCD) and the Disability and Aging Coalition (DAC) to the Dept. of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, opposing a proposed fed rule from the dept of labor that would roll back the application of fed min wage and overtime protections of home care workers, including personal care assistants - Joined a letter led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights to the US Dept of Labor opposing a proposed rule out of the Dept. of Labor (DOL) that would require states to share their unemployment data and wage records with the department for "fighting fraud and increasing efficiency" - Endorsed the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act, which would assist employers providing employment under special certificates issued under section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to transform their business and program models to models that support individuals with disabilities through competitive integrated employment, to phase out the use of such special certificates, and for other purposes - Endorsed the Equal Employment for All Act, which would prohibit employment discrimination based on credit check findings