[NABS-L] Fw: Legislative Alert: Immediate Action Required

[Kaleigh Brendle]

*From:* National Federation of the Blind <webmaster at nfb.org>
*Sent:* Thursday, February 13, 2025 6:00:22 PM
*To:* Kaleigh Brendle <kbrendle at villanova.edu>
*Subject:* [EXTERNAL] Legislative Alert: Action Required


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Immediate Action Required Regarding Section 504

Dear Federation Members,

A number of you have asked about the below matter. The National Federation
of the Blind is deeply concerned about the Texas v. Becerra case that has
been brought by seventeen states’ attorney generals. These seventeen states
(Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota,
Texas, Utah, and West Virginia) have sued the federal government regarding
updated rules which add “gender dysphoria” to the federal definition of
“disability” under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans
with Disabilities Act.

As a result, these states have charged that this addition to the
regulations renders Section 504 unconstitutional. As a reminder, Section
504 requires that entities which receive federal funding, like schools and
hospitals, cannot discriminate on the basis of disability.

Fortunately, we are not alone in our concerns. Other organizations, such as
the National Disability Rights Network, the National Council on Independent
Living, the American Association of People with Disabilities, the
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, and many, many more have also
voiced their displeasure with this lawsuit.

You can help in this cause! If you live in one of the states listed above,
you can contact your state’s attorney general and/or the Governor and ask
that the state drop the lawsuit. Be sure to tell them who you are and why
Section 504 is important to you so they can fully understand the gravity of
the situation. Remind them that Section 504 protects blind and other
disabled people from discrimination by entities that receive federal funds.
We are carefully monitoring this situation and will keep everyone advised
of any new developments.

Sincerely,
Mark A. Riccobono, President

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