Easterseals

For many families, caregiving is a lifelong journey.

From early childhood through adulthood, true autism acceptance means recognizing that caregivers need ongoing support too. Reliable information, services, mental health resources, and community connection all matter.

When caregivers are supported, families are stronger.

Explore trusted resources for every stage of the journey: easterseals.com/understandingdisability

A powerful example of local impact from our affiliate, the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center.

In a recent segment from Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW), we meet Paige, the Center’s 2026 Youth Ambassador, a determined 13-year-old building strength, balance, and confidence through Easterseals therapy.

Paige also helped represent Easterseals during this year’s Telethon, which raised more than $912,000 to support children and adults with disabilities across the Tri-State.

That support goes right back into the community, expanding access to early education, therapy, and services that make independence possible for people like Paige and nearly 5,000 individuals and families.

This is what our Affiliate network makes possible: real support, real outcomes, in communities across the country.

2026 Easterseals Youth Ambassador: Paige Musgrove Meet the 2026 Easterseals Youth Ambassador: Paige Musgrove

Government websites are how public services reach the community.

They’re used to submit applications, complete required forms, access school information, find public health guidance, and get updates from local agencies. For many services, there is no alternative.
When those systems are not designed to work for people with disabilities, the result is not just inconvenience, it creates unnecessary obstacles. Tasks take longer, require additional assistance, or cannot be completed at all.

That means delays in care, missed deadlines, and barriers to services people rely on to live, work, and participate fully in their communities.

The ADA Title II web accessibility rule was developed to address these gaps and establish a consistent standard for digital access across state and local government.

Delays in implementation mean those barriers remain in place longer. Public services need to be usable in practice, not just in theory.

Leading Disability Organizations: Delaying Digital Accessibility is Unacceptable - AAPD For Immediate Release: April 21, 2026 Contact: Naomi Hess, [email protected]; 202-873-4011 A broad coalition of disability rights organizations is expressing our unequivocal opposition: the Department of Justice’s Interim Final Rule extending the compliance deadline for the Title II digital ...

New research shows more than one-third of family caregivers in the U.S. are people with disabilities themselves. https://heller.brandeis.edu/community-living-policy/research-policy/publications/titles/caregivers-w-disabilities.html

That reality is often overlooked, but it has real consequences for families, the workforce, and our communities.

We see what happens when caregivers don’t have the support they need. When caregivers are stretched, the impact is felt everywhere, from health outcomes to workforce participation.

As our President and CEO Kendra Davenport shares, strengthening support for caregivers means building systems that reflect the full reality of care, including the experiences of caregivers with disabilities.

Read our full statement below.
https://www.easterseals.com/about-us/newsroom/easterseals-news/statement-easterseals-president-ceo-kendra-davenport-on-new

Statement from Easterseals President & CEO Kendra Davenport on New Research Highlighting Caregivers with Disabilities Easterseals CEO Kendra Davenport released a statement highlighting new research that reveals over one-third of family caregivers in the U.S. are people with disabilities. The organization calls for strengthened support systems, including Home- and Commu...