By Tali Wendrow

Looking at media reports of Medicaid being cut by about $1 trillion over the next decade, I feel an overwhelming sense of dread.  

An estimated 11 million people with low incomes could be losing their health care coverage as the result of legislation President Trump signed into law this month. As devastating as that number is, it falls short of conveying the full extent of calamity that’s surely coming.  In addition to concerns over losing health care coverage, an untold number of disabled people – and their families – are now living with a heightened fear of what the future will bring even if they are able to retain their government-provided medical insurance.  

As the mother of an adult with autism and a seizure disorder, I’m speaking from personal experience. 

In addition to covering doctor, hospital and prescription-medicine bills, Medicaid – through its Home and Community Based Services program –  also pays for the caregiver who allows our 32-year-old daughter, Aislinn, to maintain a much-needed sense of independence, and to live as full and happy a life as possible given all she has to deal with. 

No matter how good the relationship is, no person in their 30s, including our daughter, wants to have their parents as their only companions. Olivia, the caregiver who works with us, is around the same age as our daughter, so she is more like a peer. She is helping  Aislinn learn to do daily activities such as laundry and preparing meals, skills our daughter will need when the day comes that my husband and I are no longer able to provide her a home. 

Olivia does other things with Aislinn that I might not be free to do, such as accompanying her to the gym, where she needs help washing up and getting dressed after exercising. Because Aislinn is non-verbal, and at risk from strangers, Olivia also accompanies Aislinn on field trips to museums and other places visited by clients of the non-profit organization that offers a place for Aislinn to engage in activities and socialize.  

But it is not only my daughter, and millions of other people with disabilities, who benefit from these programs. I can tell you that, from what I’ve experienced firsthand over the years, this vital assistance greatly improves the quality of life -- not just for the person receiving the care, but for their family members as well. 

And it's not just families on low incomes. 

Harm Multiplied  

I’m an attorney. My husband, who’s nearing 70, is a retired contractor. We are comfortable financially. Even so, our lives would be completely upended if funding that pays for the caregiver, who’s with Aislinn three days a week, is lost due to cuts. 

What would happen? 

For starters, I’d probably have to quit my job to provide Aislinn with the full-time care she needs, drastically affecting the quality of life we all currently enjoy. And it’s not just the severe financial hit we’d have to endure. 

Any family member who’s provided care for a loved one over a long period of time needs no explanation as to how important it is to their own well-being to have help. No matter how much you love a person, providing constant care can be physically and emotionally exhausting. For those fortunate enough to have avoided walking in those shoes, I can only say that it can be very, very difficult. 

Also incredibly difficult is accepting the fact that even a single politician, let alone a majority in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, voting along party lines, would prioritize tax cuts for the wealthy over providing critical care and services to disabled people in need. 

But that’s exactly what just happened.  

About $6 of every $10 in tax breaks will go to the top 20% of households, or people who earn incomes of about $217,000 or more, a study by the non-partisan Tax Policy Center found. Put another way, the average tax savings for people earning less than $35,000 a year will be $150. For the top 1% – people earning more than $1.1 million annually – the reduction in taxes tops $75,000 a year.  

Those tax cuts will kick in quickly. The Medicaid cuts, which are certain to produce widespread ire once people begin experiencing the massive harm the reductions will generate, mostly won’t be implemented until after the 2026 midterm elections are held. This cynical ploy was made so that the politicians who passed this cruel legislation won’t have to face the wrath of voters next year.  

Shredded Social Safety Net 

Along with everything else, the coming Medicaid cuts– and the shredding of social safety nets they reflect – only adds to the unfathomable concern felt by any parent who wonders how a disabled child will survive once those parents are no longer available to provide care. 

That is where the real dread comes, as well as the incredible motivation to keep advocating for our loved ones, and fighting for the programs they – and their families – desperately need. 

Already an uphill battle, it just became even more daunting and difficult. But fight on, we will, because there’s really no other choice.  

But together, we can make our voices heard with our vote come the midterms. Then, hopefully, we can hold to account the politicians who voted to cut Medicaid for people like my daughter and millions of others, and put into office people committed to helping improve the quality of care – and life – for people with disabilities, and their families.  

For Lisa Franklin, who became partially paralyzed in 1996 when a drunk driver struck the van she was riding in, Disability Pride Month is about people with disabilities “owning” who they are.

“We need people to show up as they are,” explains Ms. Franklin, who is a wheelchair user and the founder, president, and CEO of the nonprofit Warriors on Wheels of Metropolitan Detroit (WOW). “We don’t want to be called ‘handicapped.’ By owning our disabilities and using our voices, we are making the world more accessible and dispelling stigma.”

She doesn’t remember the accident – only waking up one week later in the ICU to learn the extent of her injuries. Ms. Franklin says when she opened her eyes, she rejoiced that she had the vigor to live for whatever would come next. She not only survived but was ready to thrive.

As she moved forward with her life, one of the first things she realized was that the barriers she encountered as a wheelchair user were unacceptable, Ms. Franklin says. That was the first motivator for what would become her life’s work.

Another turning point came in 2004, when she entered the Ms. Wheelchair Michigan pageant and won the title of first runner-up. Ms. Wheelchair America and its state competitions recognize contestants for the beauty of being vocal advocates for people with disabilities.

Ms. Franklin says the competition was one catalyst for launching WOW, including the inspiration of a question asked by the judges: "If you could be any animal, what would you be?”

Her answer, which Ms. Franklin says came out of nowhere – part of her belief that God has put her where she is to serve a purpose – was, “I would be an eagle so I can soar.”

She’s lived up to that vision, fueled by her determination to create a barrier-free society.

Ms. Franklin established WOW in 2008 to focus on advocacy, disability rights, accessibility, community engagement, and development. Although WOW has earned worldwide recognition, her priority is making a difference for local urban communities such as Detroit, Highland Park, Hamtramck, and Dearborn. WOW advocates for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other laws impacting people with disabilities, while addressing individuals’ human spirit, morals, and values. After all, accessibility and inclusion are central to creating the sense of belonging that helps people flourish.

To that end, Ms. Franklin was integral in establishing Detroit’s Office of Disability Affairs. She is also a member of many organizations with goals similar to WOW’s, such as Detroit Disability Power, Detroit Advocates of the Blind, Deaf Black Advocates Detroit, and many more.  

With a mission of pushing for systems change in areas including transportation, housing, education, and civic access, WOW has established key programs that protect the rights of people with disabilities. This includes improving accessibility in public spaces such as the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, Belle Isle Beach, Hart Plaza, and the Detroit Riverfront. WOW also conducted law enforcement sensitivity training through a partnership with Arc Detroit, working with the Hamtramck, Ferndale, and Dearborn police departments. Most recently, the organization established the WOW Boutique, which offers free clothes every Wednesday.

What’s more, Ms. Franklin’s leadership of WOW has earned her numerous awards, such as the Spirit of Detroit Award from the Detroit City Council, the Judge Deborah Thomas Social Justice Award from the African American Institute, and a 2024 Disability Pride Month Game Changers Award from the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, and Comerica Bank.

Ms. Franklin wholeheartedly embraces Disability Pride Month, because it not only celebrates people for who they are but for what they can overcome. For her, it has been a journey of recognizing her own disability as part of her personal journey and embracing her ability to soar – and giving others the chance to do the same by removing barriers to inclusion.

“Disability Pride Month is so important,” Ms. Franklin says, “because if people don’t understand everything people with disabilities can do, this is a time for them to find out.”