by Julia Endicott | Jul 25, 2025 | Community Mental Health, Inpatient Psychiatric Settings & Group Homes, News, Press Releases
CONTACT: Julia Endicott
978-877-3871
jendicott@drme.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 25, 2025
Disability Rights Maine Condemns Executive Order Taking Away Civil Liberties
Augusta –Disability Rights Maine (DRM) is deeply concerned by yesterday’s Executive Order “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.” The Order directs the Attorney General to seek “the reversal of Federal or State judicial precedents and the termination of consent decrees that impede the United States’ policy of encouraging civil commitment of individuals with mental illness who pose risks to themselves or the public or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves in appropriate facilities for appropriate periods of time.” In short, it authorizes increased involuntary commitment of people experiencing homelessness, including individuals with psychiatric labels.
“This order is a horrific backsliding of decades of progress to protect and advance the rights of disabled people. Institutionalizing people under the guise of humane treatment is a false narrative designed to stigmatize and isolate. Forced institutionalization is often violent, harmful, and expensive. What unhoused people with disabilities need is real, robust investments into supportive housing, peer support, and community-based services,” stated Executive Director, Kim Moody.
Decades of research and the experiences of people with disabilities themselves have shown that people thrive when they are provided with the tools to make their own choices, not when those choices are stripped away.
Disability Rights Maine remains committed to defending the rights of all Mainers and will continue working with the State of Maine and our partners nationally to oppose any effort that violates the civil rights of our community members.
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Disability Rights Maine is Maine’s Protection & Advocacy organization. Our mission is to advance justice and equality by enforcing rights and expanding opportunities for people with disabilities in Maine.
by Julia Endicott | Jul 8, 2025 | Announcements
CONTACT: Julia Endicott
978-877-3871
jendicott@drme.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
7/8/2025
Disability Rights Maine Condemns Passage of Reconciliation Bill
Augusta – Last week, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R.1 by a vote of 218-214. This follows the bill’s passage by the United States Senate by a vote of 51-50. On July 4th, 2025, the President signed the bill into law. This bill includes devastating cuts to essential federal programs, including Medicaid and SNAP, which will have a significant impact on Mainers with disabilities, children, and older adults. More than 31,000 people are expected to lose their MaineCare in the first year alone. Disability Rights Maine (DRM) strongly condemns this legislation.
“Mainers with disabilities already struggle to get the care they need to survive, let alone thrive, in their communities. The horrific reality of this legislation is that the poorest and most disadvantaged in our state will suffer devastating cuts to benefit the wealthiest taxpayers who need the least help,” stated Executive Director Kim Moody.
The final bill cuts nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid, slashes funding for home-and-community-based services for people with disabilities, and weakens protections for people with disabilities. It is projected that between two and five rural hospitals in Maine will close, and more are threatened. The impact, while not immediate, will be profound.
DRM remains committed to advocating for the rights of disabled Mainers and ensuring that all Mainers are able to remain in their communities with access to the care and critical services they need.
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Disability Rights Maine is Maine’s Protection & Advocacy organization. Our mission is to advance justice and equality by enforcing rights and expanding opportunities for people with disabilities in Maine.
by Julia Endicott | Jul 1, 2025 | News
Take DRM’s Community Survey!
Tell Disability Rights Maine (DRM) what you think! We use your answers to help us understand the disability community’s needs to shape our goals and priorities for next year.
Every day we fight to create a world where everyone benefits from the inclusion of people who experience a disability. We act to change Maine’s schools, workplaces, businesses and public spaces to ensure that people with disabilities are empowered in their choices. We need your input to help direct our work!
If you need an alternative format of this survey, please contact us at 207-626-2774, 207-766-7111 (VP) or 800-452-1948 or advocate@drme.org.
by Julia Endicott | Jun 26, 2025 | Announcements, Self-Advocacy
1 in 3 Mainers have a disability. Help us remind everyone that disability inclusion matters!
The Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (CCIDS), Disability Rights Maine (DRM), the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council, and Speaking Up For Us (SUFU) are partnering for a video project! We’re inviting people with disabilities and family members to submit short videos sharing why being part of their community matters. This project is intended to highlight the perspectives of disabled people across Maine and bring attention to important issues impacting the disability community.
Submissions encouraged by 8/31.
Download and share the flyer (PDF)!
Who can participate:
- People with all disabilities of all ages and backgrounds (invisible disability, chronic illness, neurodivergent, any and all)
- Family members of people with disabilities
What to share:
In a 15-30 second video, tell us:
- Your name, where you live, and your disability (if you feel comfortable sharing)
- If the location in your shot is important, tell us where you are (example: I’m in front of where I work)
And, tell us one thing you want your community to know about people with disabilities in Maine. You can use any of the following questions as prompts:
- Why does being a part of your community matter to you?
- What do you wish people understood about disability?
- Why is it important to listen and learn from people with disabilities?
- What help do you need to be included in your community? (example: MaineCare)
- Why does Medicaid (MaineCare) matter to you?
- Why does communication access matter to you?
Technical Guidance:
- Recording in “Landscape” orientation is best, avoid vertical (up and down) video!
- Be mindful of distracting sounds or activities in the background.
- Check the sound quality before you submit if applicable!
- Make sure you are lit well from the front, without a lot of light coming from the back (no big windows behind you).
- Keep your phone or camera steady while recording.
Submission:
- Please submit using this form.
Questions?
If you have trouble uploading your video or have other questions about this project, contact Julia Endicott at jendicott@drme.org or 207-626-2774 ext. 212.
by Julia Endicott | Apr 25, 2025 | Announcements
Dear Friends and Allies:
Last week, a leaked budget proposal called for dramatic cuts to Disability Rights Maine and our partners, the Maine Developmental Disabilities Council and the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, and our counterparts in every state and territory. These cuts would undermine decades of work that have transformed the disability services system.
With and on behalf of people with disabilities, our organizations fight to stop abuse and neglect, root out and expose financial exploitation, get kids the education to which they are entitled, assist people in getting and maintaining employment, ensure that polling places are accessible, train hundreds of people each year on their rights and advocate for policy reform that improves the lives of all Mainers.
Disability Rights Maine (DRM) staff are scrappy, dedicated, passionate, compassionate people who work hard every single day to create positive change. And we have. DRM has been at the forefront of ensuring that people with disabilities can live and work in the communities of our choice instead of in institutions and we continue to fight for community living and community-based services, which are more cost-effective and work better.
DRM was instrumental in eliminating the use of harmful seclusion and restraint in state hospitals. DRM fights for autonomy and communication access and for an end to discrimination. We help people become employed and contribute to the economy. The list of what we do goes on and on. And so we must fight to continue and ensure that disability rights are protected for decades to come.
Today, we ask for your help to do that – help us tell Congress that Maine believes in disability advocacy. Once you’ve signed, share with everyone you know! We are aiming for at least 3,000 signatures – can you help us get there?
Please, please, sign on today!
In solidarity, and with love and gratitude,
Kim Moody
Executive Director
