Grace Dow
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gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Grace Dow
@gracedowwrites.bsky.social
150 followers 120 following 790 posts
I am a writer who has cerebral palsy. Please visit my blog at https://gracedowwrites.com/
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gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about how ICE is affecting the care of disabled people.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/18/w...
When ICE Knocks, Care Stops
CW: ICE & Death Immigration enforcement rarely makes headlines for its effects on disability services, but the consequences are unfolding quietly in homes, hospitals, and day programs across th…
gracedowwrites.com
February 18, 2026 at 1:17 PM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about why disability data is essential to improving healthcare accessibility.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/17/i...
If You Don’t Count Us, You Don’t See Us
CW: Ableism The federal government finally acknowledges what disabled people have been saying for years: you can’t improve healthcare accessibility without knowing who’s being left out. A recent Go…
gracedowwrites.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:01 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today's blog post is about insurance companies denying cancer treatment.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/16/a...
A Firefighter’s Fight That Should Never Have Happened
CW: Death All across the United States, people who are already battling cancer are being forced to fight a second battle.  This battle is not against the cancer, but against the insurance syst…
gracedowwrites.com
February 16, 2026 at 5:05 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about how fraud crackdowns in home care can harm disabled people’s independence.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/15/t...
Trust, Care, and Consequences: The Real Impact of Fraud on Disabled Lives
CW: Fraud People often talk about fraud in home‑based care programs in terms of budgets, audits, and criminal charges, but for the disabled people who depend on these services, the consequences are…
gracedowwrites.com
February 15, 2026 at 9:18 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today's blog post is about the bureaucracy associated with disability

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/14/t...
The Paperwork Architecture of Disability Services
The other day I filled out my annual EVV (electronic visit verification) exemption form. In my home state of Massachusetts, MassHealth has utilized EVV for consumers of the PCA (Personal Care Assis…
gracedowwrites.com
February 14, 2026 at 9:08 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today's blog post is about how proposed Medicaid cuts would affect disabled people.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/13/w...
When Care Depends on a Budget Vote
Families across Missouri who care for loved ones with developmental disabilities are speaking out as proposed state budget cuts threaten their essential services. What started as a simple budget re…
gracedowwrites.com
February 13, 2026 at 10:53 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today's blog post is about the costs associated with being disabled.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/12/t...
The Disability Squeeze:The High Cost of Living with a Disability
CW: Poverty Living with a disability can be expensive. A study from Stony Brook University found that many disabled people spend thousands of dollars each year on their needs. In this three-year st…
gracedowwrites.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:53 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about how disabled employees are still too often undervalued and underpaid.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/11/a...
A Lifetime of Work, A Disability Used Against Him
CW: Discrimination For 35 years, Paul Rooney walked the same six blocks to Schuyler Elementary School in Kearny, New Jersey. There, he swept floors, cleaned bathrooms, picked up pizza boxes, and ke…
gracedowwrites.com
February 11, 2026 at 5:50 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about the tragic murder of Leon and Otis Clune and the systemic failures that can lead to filicide involving disabled people.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/10/f...
For Leon and Otis: A Call to Do Better
CW: Fillicide & Suicide The tragic murder-suicide in Mosman Park, Perth, Australia, where two parents took the lives of their autistic sons, their pets, and then themselves, forces society to c…
gracedowwrites.com
February 10, 2026 at 7:21 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about a rare and meaningful win for disability rights

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/09/t...
This Time, We Were Heard
Every now and then, the news brings us something that feels like a sigh of relief instead of just another headline. That’s what happened during the latest budget negotiations. Congress rejected a s…
gracedowwrites.com
February 9, 2026 at 7:28 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about the accessibility of NFL stadiums.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/08/t...
The Super Bowl Roars, and So Does the Call for Accessible Stadiums
CW: Suicide & Depression With the Super Bowl kicking off tonight and millions of fans getting ready for the biggest game of the year, it’s a good time to think about what it means to belo…
gracedowwrites.com
February 8, 2026 at 9:25 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about how pressure and scrutiny can disrupt motor control for people with CP.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/07/p...
Please Don’t Rush My Body
Too often, people assume that connection requires eye contact, immediate responses, or visible engagement. But for many people with cerebral palsy, those expectations can create the very barriers w…
gracedowwrites.com
February 7, 2026 at 6:52 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today's blog post is about residential communities for people with IDD.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/06/w...
What Happens When We Build for Everyone
CW: Segregation Planned residential communities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are often presented as a major improvement. The brochures come in bright colors. The lang…
gracedowwrites.com
February 6, 2026 at 7:17 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about comments made by Rep. Steve Miller (R-Idaho).

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/05/e...
Every Child Deserves a Classroom
CW: Ableism Rep. Steve Miller’s recent comments about special education hit hard. During a conversation about linking school funding to “outcomes,” he went further and questioned whether some disab…
gracedowwrites.com
February 5, 2026 at 5:51 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about the fight to protect disabled people’s right to live in their communities.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/04/a...
A Fight for the Right to Live Free
CW: Institutionalization The battle for disability rights is heating up as nine states plan to file a lawsuit against a 2024 change in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regulations relat…
gracedowwrites.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:38 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about assistive technology in schools.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/03/t...
The Assistive Tech Crisis
Schools across the United States are finding it increasingly difficult to provide assistive technology, which refers to any device or tool that helps a student with a disability access learning. Th…
gracedowwrites.com
February 3, 2026 at 7:28 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about revisions to disability mortality figures.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/02/d...
Data Errors, Deadly Consequences
CW: Death England’s national system for tracking deaths among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is facing criticism,  after revised data shows more avoidable deaths than …
gracedowwrites.com
February 2, 2026 at 5:03 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about how disabled people were forgotten and erased within the walls of America’s institutions.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/02/01/l...
Lost in the System
CW: Institutionalization, Abuse, Slurs, & Death Some stories begin not with memory, but with what is missing. For David Scott, a retired garbage collector from Brockton, Massachusetts, what is …
gracedowwrites.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:23 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about navigating the bureaucratic challenges associated with disability.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/01/31/w...
Worth and Waiting
Living with Cerebral Palsy involves a lot of waiting. Every day, I have to coordinate my schedule with others. It is not easy to rely on others for help with the most basic tasks. Since the day I w…
gracedowwrites.com
January 31, 2026 at 9:05 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about the justice system failing disabled victims.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/01/30/t...
They Couldn’t Speak—And No One Listened
CW: Abuse, Rape & Neglect The investigation into Delaware’s handling of abuse cases related to disability uncovers a harsh truth about the justice system. There is a clear trend: when abu…
gracedowwrites.com
January 30, 2026 at 9:31 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today's blog post is about disclosing your disability in the workplace.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/01/29/t...
To Disclose or Not
CW: Discrimination There’s an extraordinary feeling of disappointment that comes from disclosing your disability and watching someone distance themselves. It isn’t flashy. It’s subtle and almost in…
gracedowwrites.com
January 29, 2026 at 9:05 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today's blog post is about how Medicaid cuts affect disabled people.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/01/28/m...
Medicaid Means Survival
Advocates in the disability community are raising urgent concerns about Medicaid cuts. They warn that the services millions of people rely on could face a crisis. Medicaid has been essential for di…
gracedowwrites.com
January 28, 2026 at 8:06 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s blog post is about how ICE’s (Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s) actions are impacting disabled people.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/01/27/w...
When Disability Meets ICE, People Pay the Price
CW: Death & ICE The death of Wael Tarabishi has left a North Texas family heartbroken, not just because of the loss but also due to the circumstances surrounding it. Wael, a 30-year-old U.S. ci…
gracedowwrites.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:11 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today's blog post is about how Winter weather impacts disabled people.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/01/26/w...
Winter’s Weight on Disabled Lives
Winter Storm Fern, as it has been dubbed by The Weather Channel, has hit much of the U.S. Cold weather means snow, bitter cold temperatures, and shorter days, which disproportionately affect disabl…
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January 26, 2026 at 5:37 AM
gracedowwrites.bsky.social
Today’s post is about aging with a disability and the need for more support.

gracedowwrites.com/2026/01/25/a...
A Lifetime of Living Needs a Lifetime of Support
Families who care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities often face overwhelming challenges, and the experience of people like Sally Mitzel and her daughter RaeAnn makes that r…
gracedowwrites.com
January 25, 2026 at 5:57 AM