Featured Items
2025 Legislative Forum Wrap-Up
In March, the Minnesota Council on Disability’s annual Legislative Forum brought together advocates, legislators, and community members to tackle the barriers that keep Minnesotans with disabilities from living, working, and moving freely. The conversations converged on a single reality: true independence only happens when the state invests in the people and systems that make daily life possible. Two priority issues—direct-care workforce shortages and the lack of on-demand accessible transportation—show exactly why that investment matters. 2025 Legislative Forum Wrap-Up
NOTICE: Guardianship Task Force Temporarily Paused
Due to pending legislative actions, the Legislative Task Force on Guardianship has been temporarily paused. As a result, the meeting previously scheduled for April 22 has been canceled.
The Minnesota Council on Disability remains fully committed to engaging with individuals with disabilities and their families who are affected by guardianship laws and practices. Although the task force is paused, our work toward a barrier-free Minnesota—where every person with a disability has equitable access to all areas of life—continues. We will prioritize the reforms identified by the disability community and will continue to share updates and resources related to guardianship on our website.
We extend our sincere appreciation to the task force members for their time, contributions, and dedication to this important issue. We also thank Wilder Research for their valuable partnership and for helping inform the broader conversation around guardianship reform.
All information and research collected through the task force’s efforts will be preserved to support future initiatives in this vital area.
Thank you for your continued participation and advocacy.
Understanding Federal Medicaid and How You Can Protect It
Medicaid (Medical Assistance in Minnesota) is a state and federally funded program that provides affordable healthcare to approximately 72 million people nationwide, including 10 million people with disabilities. Beyond healthcare, Medicaid also funds crucial home and community-based services that help people with disabilities live independently in their communities.
Right now, members of Congress are using the reconciliation process to pass budget-related legislation. As part of this process, Congress is working on a budget resolution that sets overall spending targets. The current resolution calls for major spending cuts, putting Medicaid funding at serious risk.
Now more than ever, the disability community must act. Tell your members of Congress that Medicaid cuts would harm millions of Minnesotans.
For detailed information, helpful resources, and ongoing updates, please visit Understanding Federal Medicaid and How You Can Protect It.
Featured Resources
We support and promote public policy goals that positively impact the lives of people with disabilities. MCD helps policymakers understand how their decisions affect the disability community and brings together members of the government and the public to comment on legislation.
The Minnesota Legislature introduces dozens of bills each session that affect people with disabilities. Some bills aim to improve lives, while others may negatively impact the disability community. To help you stay informed, we maintain this list of disability-related bills.
There are over half a million valid disability parking certificates and plates in Minnesota. We provide the “Do’s and Don’ts” of disability parking, as well as information on disability parking laws and regulations.
A service animal is a dog, or in some cases a miniature horse, individually trained to do work or perform tasks for someone with a disability. Service animals are different from Emotional Support Animals (ESA) and can go almost anywhere with their owners. MCD works to inform the public about service animals and protect the rights of people with disabilities.