Robyn Powell
@robynmpowell.bsky.social
Assistant Professor at Stetson University College of Law. Disability law, family law, health law, reproductive justice.
I’m excited to share my article, Holding Out for Love: Why Disabled People Can’t Say “I Do”, forthcoming in the Wake Forest Law Review (2026). It explores why marriage equality remains out of reach for many disabled people. SSRN: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
August 21, 2025 at 5:40 PM
I’m excited to share my article, Holding Out for Love: Why Disabled People Can’t Say “I Do”, forthcoming in the Wake Forest Law Review (2026). It explores why marriage equality remains out of reach for many disabled people. SSRN: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
I was 8 years old when the ADA became law. As a disabled woman, I celebrate its promise—but also know how fragile our rights remain. 35 years later, we’re still fighting for true equality.
www.damemagazine.com/2025/07/25/t...
#ADA35
www.damemagazine.com/2025/07/25/t...
#ADA35
The Promise, and Failure, of the Americans With Disabilities Act - Dame Magazine
I was 8 years old when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law. I didn’t yet understand legislation, or what “civil rights” meant. But I already knew there were places I couldn’t go — res...
www.damemagazine.com
July 26, 2025 at 5:40 PM
I was 8 years old when the ADA became law. As a disabled woman, I celebrate its promise—but also know how fragile our rights remain. 35 years later, we’re still fighting for true equality.
www.damemagazine.com/2025/07/25/t...
#ADA35
www.damemagazine.com/2025/07/25/t...
#ADA35
Reposted by Robyn Powell
The ADA is hailed as a historic civil rights milestone, recognizing people with disabilities as a protected class.
Yet now, on the 35th anniversary of the ADA, we've made so little progress. With Trump back in office, is the ADA doomed forever?
Yet now, on the 35th anniversary of the ADA, we've made so little progress. With Trump back in office, is the ADA doomed forever?
The Promise, and Failure, of the American Disabilities Act - Dame Magazine
I was 8 years old when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law. I didn’t yet understand legislation, or what “civil rights” meant. But I already knew there were places I couldn’t go — res...
www.damemagazine.com
July 25, 2025 at 3:48 PM
The ADA is hailed as a historic civil rights milestone, recognizing people with disabilities as a protected class.
Yet now, on the 35th anniversary of the ADA, we've made so little progress. With Trump back in office, is the ADA doomed forever?
Yet now, on the 35th anniversary of the ADA, we've made so little progress. With Trump back in office, is the ADA doomed forever?
Tomorrow is the 35th anniversary of the ADA. It changed lives—but it was never enough. As disability rights face growing threats, I wrote about the law’s promise, its failures, and what’s at stake now.
www.damemagazine.com/2025/07/25/t...
#ADA35
www.damemagazine.com/2025/07/25/t...
#ADA35
The Promise, and Failure, of the Americans With Disabilities Act - Dame Magazine
I was 8 years old when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law. I didn’t yet understand legislation, or what “civil rights” meant. But I already knew there were places I couldn’t go — res...
www.damemagazine.com
July 25, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Tomorrow is the 35th anniversary of the ADA. It changed lives—but it was never enough. As disability rights face growing threats, I wrote about the law’s promise, its failures, and what’s at stake now.
www.damemagazine.com/2025/07/25/t...
#ADA35
www.damemagazine.com/2025/07/25/t...
#ADA35
Excited to be a part of this. There’s still time to sign up!
Disability Rights: A Conversation with Human Rights Magazine Authors
📆 July 25, 2025, 🕰️ 3:00-4:30 p.m. ET. Explore reproductive rights, AI, and more with expert authors. Register HERE ➡️ ow.ly/f3Vi50Wjnwi
📺 Available on-demand after!
📆 July 25, 2025, 🕰️ 3:00-4:30 p.m. ET. Explore reproductive rights, AI, and more with expert authors. Register HERE ➡️ ow.ly/f3Vi50Wjnwi
📺 Available on-demand after!
July 24, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Excited to be a part of this. There’s still time to sign up!
Thrilled to share this new article that I co-authored.
Medicare Barely Covers Contraception, Making Birth Control Unaffordable for Many Disabled Women: New Study
Medicare Barely Covers Contraception, Making Birth Control Unaffordable for Many Disabled Women: New Study
The federal health insurance program for older adults also covers more than 1.3 million reproductive-aged women. Experts explain why they’re 72 percent less likely to use contraception than similar...
buff.ly
July 24, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Thrilled to share this new article that I co-authored.
Reposted by Robyn Powell
"Through a reproductive justice lens—which demands attention to the social, political, and economic conditions that shape reproductive decision-making—we can better understand why abortion access is fundamentally a disability rights issue." www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/...
Dobbs, Disability, and the Assault on Reproductive Autonomy
The Dobbs decision compounds historical reproductive injustices against disabled people, connecting modern abortion restrictions to the eugenic legacy of Buck v. Bell.
www.americanbar.org
July 23, 2025 at 9:41 PM
"Through a reproductive justice lens—which demands attention to the social, political, and economic conditions that shape reproductive decision-making—we can better understand why abortion access is fundamentally a disability rights issue." www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/...
Reposted by Robyn Powell
“The Department of Energy—not exactly an obvious hot spot for attacks on disability or other civil rights,” said UPenn law professor Jasmine Harris, who also specializes in disability law. “Anti-civil rights creep often happens away from the main stage, more likely to be under the radar.”
June 13, 2025 at 1:16 PM
“The Department of Energy—not exactly an obvious hot spot for attacks on disability or other civil rights,” said UPenn law professor Jasmine Harris, who also specializes in disability law. “Anti-civil rights creep often happens away from the main stage, more likely to be under the radar.”
Reposted by Robyn Powell
“The Department of Energy’s decision to rescind the Section 504 new construction accessibility requirement is a direct attack on disability rights and part of a broader pattern of civil rights rollbacks aligned with Trump-era policies,” said law prof Robyn Powell.
June 13, 2025 at 2:25 PM
“The Department of Energy’s decision to rescind the Section 504 new construction accessibility requirement is a direct attack on disability rights and part of a broader pattern of civil rights rollbacks aligned with Trump-era policies,” said law prof Robyn Powell.
Honored to be interviewed for this podcast.
You don't want to miss our most recent drop Episode 141: Parental Rights of Parents with Disabilities
adalive.org/episodes/epi...
adalive.org/episodes/epi...
May 8, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Honored to be interviewed for this podcast.
Thankful to be interviewed for this important article.
You may remember Michael Hickson, a Black disabled man who was denied life-saving care in early Covid.
His estate’s case is before the conservative Fifth Circuit of Appeals, where judges could gut disability rights in healthcare. My latest for @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
His estate’s case is before the conservative Fifth Circuit of Appeals, where judges could gut disability rights in healthcare. My latest for @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
The case that could gut disabled people's right to equal health care
The notoriously conservative Fifth Circuit will rule on whether it's a civil rights violation to deny a quadriplegic man a ventilator.
www.motherjones.com
May 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Thankful to be interviewed for this important article.
Reposted by Robyn Powell
“Disability is seen now as very much a Democratic issue and not a Republican issue,” @robynmpowell.bsky.social said. “I have significant concerns about what will happen, because the Fifth Circuit is, of course, just so notoriously conservative.”
May 7, 2025 at 12:42 PM
“Disability is seen now as very much a Democratic issue and not a Republican issue,” @robynmpowell.bsky.social said. “I have significant concerns about what will happen, because the Fifth Circuit is, of course, just so notoriously conservative.”
Just got the print copy! My latest article, “Disabling Abortion Bans,” is out now in UC Davis Law Review. It explores how post-Dobbs abortion bans harm disabled people—and how the law can fight back.
lawreview.law.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/file...
lawreview.law.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/file...
April 22, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Just got the print copy! My latest article, “Disabling Abortion Bans,” is out now in UC Davis Law Review. It explores how post-Dobbs abortion bans harm disabled people—and how the law can fight back.
lawreview.law.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/file...
lawreview.law.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/file...
Excited to be speaking at "Three Years after Dobbs: The Reproductive Justice Landscape" at Northeastern Law!
April 18, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Excited to be speaking at "Three Years after Dobbs: The Reproductive Justice Landscape" at Northeastern Law!
So happy to see @maddow.msnbc.com feature
@autisticadvocacy.org's important statement about how dangerous RFK Jr. is for autistic people.
@autisticadvocacy.org's important statement about how dangerous RFK Jr. is for autistic people.
April 12, 2025 at 1:39 AM
So happy to see @maddow.msnbc.com feature
@autisticadvocacy.org's important statement about how dangerous RFK Jr. is for autistic people.
@autisticadvocacy.org's important statement about how dangerous RFK Jr. is for autistic people.
The APHA Disability Section invites abstract submissions for our 2025 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Submit your abstract by Friday, March 28! More info available at: apha.confex.com/apha/2025/di...
March 20, 2025 at 5:46 PM
The APHA Disability Section invites abstract submissions for our 2025 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Submit your abstract by Friday, March 28! More info available at: apha.confex.com/apha/2025/di...
Reposted by Robyn Powell
The PWFA ensures pregnant and postpartum workers can access essential job protections—offering leave for recovery, mandating reasonable accommodations, prohibiting employer retaliation, and filling gaps left by other workplace policies.
Four Things You Should Know About the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
At a time when civil and reproductive rights are under constant attack, there remains at least one bright light: the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), a relatively new law that grants landmark pro...
msmagazine.com
March 20, 2025 at 3:50 PM
The PWFA ensures pregnant and postpartum workers can access essential job protections—offering leave for recovery, mandating reasonable accommodations, prohibiting employer retaliation, and filling gaps left by other workplace policies.
📢 DISABILITY SECTION CALL FOR ABSTRACTS! APHA 2025 Annual Meeting in Washington DC is accepting submissions until March 28! Topics include disability justice, health equity & more. Submit at: apha.confex.com/apha/2025/di... #APHA2025
Disability
Disability
apha.confex.com
March 19, 2025 at 2:45 PM
📢 DISABILITY SECTION CALL FOR ABSTRACTS! APHA 2025 Annual Meeting in Washington DC is accepting submissions until March 28! Topics include disability justice, health equity & more. Submit at: apha.confex.com/apha/2025/di... #APHA2025
Reposted by Robyn Powell
Check out @robynmpowell.bsky.social’s new article in the California Law Review exploring how the family policing system disproportionately surveils disabled parents, harming families under the guise of protection.
buff.ly/mAfgMxO
buff.ly/mAfgMxO
March 12, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Check out @robynmpowell.bsky.social’s new article in the California Law Review exploring how the family policing system disproportionately surveils disabled parents, harming families under the guise of protection.
buff.ly/mAfgMxO
buff.ly/mAfgMxO
Excited to share my new article in the California Law Review exploring how the family policing system disproportionately surveils disabled parents, harming families under the guise of protection. www.californialawreview.org/print/family...
March 10, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Excited to share my new article in the California Law Review exploring how the family policing system disproportionately surveils disabled parents, harming families under the guise of protection. www.californialawreview.org/print/family...
I am glad to be interviewed for this critical story to talk about how the child welfare system is using AI to discriminate against disabled parents.
As Trump leans into AI, automated systems are already ruining lives. A new organization is out to stop it.
Rage Against The Algorithm
As Trump leans into AI, automated systems are already ruining lives. A new organization is out to stop it.
www.levernews.com
February 21, 2025 at 8:12 PM
I am glad to be interviewed for this critical story to talk about how the child welfare system is using AI to discriminate against disabled parents.
I just checked and found that many datasets used for disability research are gone. We already have such limited data. This is devastating and dangerous.
Several CDC websites and datasets related to HIV, LGBTQ people, youth health behaviors and more have been removed after the agency was directed to comply with an executive order from President Donald Trump.
CDC websites, datasets taken down as agency complies with Trump executive order | CNN
Several US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websites and datasets related to HIV, LGBTQ people, youth health behaviors and more have been removed after the agency was directed to comply with...
www.cnn.com
January 31, 2025 at 10:57 PM
I just checked and found that many datasets used for disability research are gone. We already have such limited data. This is devastating and dangerous.
This is a nightmare.
Breaking news: The White House budget office is ordering a pause to all grants and loans disbursed by the federal government, according to an internal memo sent to agencies Monday, creating significant confusion across Washington.
White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion
The Trump administration has put a hold on all federal financial grants and loans, affecting tens of billions of dollars in payments.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 28, 2025 at 4:34 AM
This is a nightmare.
I can't even begin to explain how problematic this is.
New: Trump officials have paused all external communications at health agencies like CDC, FDA, NIH.
No health alerts and the famed MMWRs; no updates to key websites or social media posts.
And no indication how long the pause will last.
With @rachelroubein.bsky.social + Lena Sun.
No health alerts and the famed MMWRs; no updates to key websites or social media posts.
And no indication how long the pause will last.
With @rachelroubein.bsky.social + Lena Sun.
Trump officials pause health agencies’ communications, citing review
The agencies are charged with making decisions that touch the lives of every American and are the source of crucial information to health-care providers.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 22, 2025 at 2:42 AM
I can't even begin to explain how problematic this is.
Reposted by Robyn Powell
Yesterday, Trump signed an executive order directing the expansion of federal use of the death penalty and encouraging states to do the same.
The death penalty is unjust and cruel.
The death penalty is unjust and cruel.
Trump signs death penalty order directing attorney general to help states get lethal injection drugs
President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping execution order on the death penalty that directs the attorney general to “take all necessary and lawful action” to ensure that states have enough lethal i...
apnews.com
January 21, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Yesterday, Trump signed an executive order directing the expansion of federal use of the death penalty and encouraging states to do the same.
The death penalty is unjust and cruel.
The death penalty is unjust and cruel.