New Laws for People with Disabilities in the US in 2025

Every year in the United States, legislation regulating the lives of people with disabilities changes. These changes can be positive or negative, depending on the lobbying efforts of various stakeholders. We discussed this in the article "What Is the Price of Legislative Happiness for People with Disabilities in the USA?". The main legislative changes for 2024 were highlighted in the article "What's New for Americans with Disabilities in 2024?". The results for 2025 are less clear-cut. But the good outweighs the bad!

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Each year, legislative changes are tracked in a special report by the National Council on Disability. In its report "National Disability Policy: A Progress Report 2025", this organization generally evaluates legislative changes positively. The only exception is the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), passed by Congress and signed by US President Donald Trump. This law introduced the largest-ever cuts to Medicaid funding as part of sweeping budget cuts. These Medicaid funding cuts will total $911 billion over the next 10 years. "We are concerned that the reductions in Medicaid spending that will occur in the next years will have an adverse effect on access to necessary health care for many people with disabilities in the U.S. because states will face budget constraints that will require cutting essential services for the poorest members of this community," notes the National Council on Disability.

This reaction is justified by the facts. Medicaid covers more than a quarter of all adults with disabilities and about five-eighths of all nursing home residents. Furthermore, Medicaid-funded services for the disabled and elderly tend to be more expensive. For this reason, more than half of all Medicaid funds are used to pay for long-term services and supports, which are primarily provided to these populations. Therefore, cutting Medicaid spending will negatively impact people with disabilities.

Let's be fair. At the federal level, the reduction in Medicaid spending is the only negative development. All other legislative changes at the federal level will have a positive impact on the lives of people with disabilities. And there are many of these changes.

In January 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation enacted its "Wheelchair Rule." Full implementation of the rule began on August 1, 2025. This rule improves the safety and quality of service for passengers using wheelchairs or other mobility aids during air travel. The rule requires airlines to train staff in the safe handling and transfer of passengers, return mobility aids directly to passengers at the boarding gate, and promptly repair or replace damaged devices.

Early last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation finalized the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG). This document establishes mandatory accessibility standards for sidewalks, ramps, crosswalks, and public transit stops. All new construction and renovation projects must comply with these standards. The guidelines address the width, slope, stability of surfaces, and other characteristics.

More good news. Remember how we wrote about the inaccessibility of some websites and programs for people with disabilities during the immigration process? We discussed this in our article "Disabled People Need a Special Corridor to Immigrate to the United States." Now, a law has been passed that addresses this issue. In the spring of 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice finalized a rule that expands ADA Title II to include enforceable digital accessibility requirements for state and local governments. Websites and mobile applications must comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines. For large organizations (serving 50,000 or more people), the compliance deadline is set for April 2026, and for small organizations (serving fewer than 50,000 people), it is April 2027.

In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that will help individuals with disabilities assert their rights in court in the future under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This refers to the case of A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools. Previously, some courts required families of individuals with disabilities to prove "bad faith or gross error of judgment" in education discrimination cases. Now, the Supreme Court has ruled that such claims must be heard under the same "willful indifference" standard used in other civil rights laws. This simplifies these litigation's.

In addition to federal legislation, laws at the state level have also been actively changing. Due to the sheer volume of changes, it's difficult to provide a definitive assessment of these processes. For people with disabilities, it's best to research legislative changes in the state where they live. You're sure to find much of interest there. For example, in Maryland, legislators will regulate the use of service animals by 2025 for people with disabilities. Authorities have also simplified voting for people with disabilities and introduced mandatory access to repairs for power wheelchairs.

As we've seen, last year saw significant changes in legislation for people with disabilities. This opens up new opportunities for people with disabilities. However, these opportunities can only be realized by understanding the laws and using legal support. We wish you success in this endeavor in 2026. Happy New Year, friends.

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Author Credentials: Pavel Kuljuk's articles and poems are published in Australia, North America, and Europe. In recent years, he has been constantly collaborating with Australian Rural & Regional News (Australia), Red Hook Daily Catch and OpEd News (USA), and Disabled World (Canada). Kuliuk's individual publications are in Forbes (Kazakhstan), Rural 21 (Germany), London Loves Business (UK), Karrep (India), RealClearDefense (RCD), Change Links, Daily Caller (USA), and many others. Explore Pavels' complete biography for comprehensive insights into his background, expertise, and accomplishments.