by Harper Chance | Sep 15, 2026 | News, Voting
by Nathanael Batson, DRM Intern, Spring 2026
Voting is a fundamental right that is granted to all eligible individuals. Not only does it ensure the proper transfer of power, but it also helps us engage with our community. During Disability Voting Rights Week, we want to remind everyone about the power of the disability vote and your rights this election season.
Federal and state laws require that state and local governments provide voting in an equal and accessible manner to people with disabilities. Yet, many polling places have major barriers to voting. This can range from polling locations with inaccessible wheelchair entries to voting facilities that lack electronic voting machines or Braille ballots for people who are blind. As shown in a 2022 report from the Election Assistance Commission, approximately 20% of people with disabilities who voted in 2022 either needed assistance or faced barriers at the polls. During every election, Disability Rights Maine works closely with the Secretary of State’s office to resolve and remove access barriers for disabled Mainers. You can learn more about our recent work in our 2024 Election Report.
Being denied the right to vote independently and privately is frustrating. When I voted for the first time in 2018, I went to my polling place prepared to use the Accessible Voting System (AVS). Upon arrival, however, no one knew how to use the machine or whether it was working. Instead of lashing out or getting angry, I accepted assistance from the deputy warden to fill out my ballot. After returning home, I contacted the town clerk to describe my experience. I knew my rights under the ADA, the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), and the Maine State Constitution, and explained the need for change and the importance of ensuring accessible voting during elections. My calm composure led my town and the surrounding areas to receive training on accessible elections. As a result of this training, my town has ensured that the AVS is working and available for voters to use.
Effective advocacy led to change again in 2020, when Maine moved to mail-in voting because of COVID-19. Initially, Maine only provided paper ballots, which were not accessible to people who are blind or have a visual or print disability. Disability Rights Maine sued and in response, Maine developed an accessible, online absentee ballot. This allows someone who may not be able to cast an absentee vote privately and without assistance from another person, as is their right.
Using the electronic absentee ballot is easy and secure. Here’s a simple list to help guide you through the process:
- The voter who is disabled requests an accessible absentee ballot;
- The voter affirms their disability by checking a box;
- The voter enters their name, home address, and email address;
- Within a few days, the voter will receive an email containing a unique username and password to access a web form to fill out their ballot;
- Once completed, the voter downloads the ballot to their computer and emails it to the address specified to them.
Remember, your right to vote is protected! If you encounter barriers to the polls or need help with a disability-related voting question, please contact Disability Rights Maine (DRM). We’re here to help.
by Harper Chance | Aug 27, 2026 | Announcements, News
Interested in helping shape MaineCare policies and services? Apply to join the MaineCare Beneficiary Advisory Council. The Beneficiary Advisory Council (BAC) is a dedicated group of individuals with lived experience who help shape access to quality healthcare, policies, and MaineCare services across the state.
We believe that the best solutions come from those directly impacted by Medicaid – whether as recipients, family members, or caregivers.
For more information, visit the website or review the advisory council fact sheet.
by Harper Chance | Aug 20, 2026 | News
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The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is launching a new program to help people explore their experiences related to their health condition, or changing body and/or mind. Barriers and difficulties related to health conditions can feel disempowering. We want to build a program that helps people have more agency over their lives.
To help us build this program, we want to learn what kind of information or support is most helpful for you. We are looking for people to take our Community Input Survey. The survey is open from Monday, August 17, to Friday, October 9.
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This survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. We do not ask you for your name. You don’t have to answer any questions you don’t want to answer. There are ASL videos for each question and answer. These videos also Read-Aloud each question and answer option. There is also an Easy-Read version. You can access all versions of the survey by going to our website.
We especially want to learn from:
- People of color who have long-term conditions but don’t identify as disabled
- People who have conditions related to trauma
- People who have intellectual disabilities
- People who use communication devices
- People who are both Deaf and Blind. This is also called “DeafBlind.”
- People who have been to jail or prison before.
- People who are immigrants, migrants, or refugees.
Our new program will make space for people to explore their own experiences with others in a similar situation. We will explore how these broader systems and structures interact with our individual lives and the world around us.
Help us serve our community better by sharing your experiences with us!
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The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power of people with disabilities. As a national cross-disability rights organization, AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the over 70 million Americans with disabilities by promoting equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation. To learn more, visit the AAPD website: www.aapd.com.
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by Harper Chance | Aug 17, 2026 | Community Inclusion, Developmental Disability Advocacy, News, Transition to Adulthood
Written by Lauren Wille, Legal Director of Disability Rights Maine
Next year, DHHS will launch a new home- and community-based services waiver called the Lifespan Waiver for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Lifespan is a foundational reform that has extraordinary potential to support people with IDD to thrive in their homes and communities.
HCBS waivers are services designed to serve people with disabilities, including IDD, in their homes and communities instead of in institutions. (They are called “waivers” because certain Medicaid funding rules regarding institutional care are not enforced, or waived, so that people can be supported outside of institutions.)
Although Lifespan will continue to provide many of the supports that are currently offered under existing waivers, it will expand the types of services it offers. The most exciting part of Lifespan is the premise on which is it based—that people with IDD have value, that they are not simply people to be cared for, but that they are people who have something to contribute to our society. The expanded scope of services offered under Lifespan recognizes this underlying truth.
Residential supports will continue to provide options like group homes and shared living (where a person lives with their provider). However, there will be a wider scope of services to support people who want to live more independently, including both in-person and remote support in the person’s own home, independent living skills training, and even housing start-up assistance, which can help people with things like security deposits and even with furniture. Community supports will still include the center-based supports offered now but will also emphasize more individualized supports in the community, as well as supports designed to help people build relationships and connect with their communities. Lifespan will also offer an incredible array of employment supports. Too often, people with IDD are steered away from employment. Lifespan can help ensure that people have the opportunity to explore employment by offering benefits and work incentives counseling, services to build skills to pursue competitive integrated employment, support in gaining and maintaining employment, and even self-employment assistance for entrepreneurs.
Lifespan is also designed to evolve as people grow older. Unlike the current system, which serves only people age 18 or older, Lifespan begins at age 14, and the available services will depend in part on the age of the recipient. People will no longer face an abrupt service cliff as they age out of children’s services and into adult services; instead, the transition is designed to be gradual, and people remain on the same waiver.
Issues will no doubt arise as the Lifespan Waiver is implemented over the next year and beyond. DRM shares the concerns others have raised about the shortage of service providers in Maine, and we have questions about how some of the specifics of the waiver will operate. These are not problems specific to the Lifespan Waiver, and they require long-term solutions.
The Lifespan Waiver recognizes the inherent value people with IDD have, and its goals are laudable in presenting services that aim to help people live their lives with self-determination and dignity. People with IDD have waited long enough for this kind of opportunity. The time for change is now.
by Harper Chance | Jun 26, 2026 | News
Change of Non-Emergency Transportation (NET) Broker in the Mid-coast Maine Region
NET brokers such as Modivcare Solutions LLC provide non-emergency rides to MaineCare-covered appointments.
Beginning July 1, 2026, Modivcare will expand services to schedule NET rides for the midcoast region which includes Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, and Sagadahoc counties, as well as the towns of Brunswick and Harpswell in Cumberland County. See the full list of NET brokers, by county that the member lives.
Providers can now schedule rides with Modivcare for members who have appointments on or after July 1, 2026. You can schedule rides online using the TripCare platform or by calling the dedicated provider line at: 1-877-659-1305.
See the Modivcare flyer for more information about how to schedule rides for members in the midcoast region.
