Disability Rights Advocates Urge Texas to Withdraw from Federal Lawsuit Threatening Community Living Protections

Media Contact:
Zac Henderson
Director of Communications, The Arc of Texas
zhenderson@thearcoftexas.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 24, 2026

AUSTIN, Texas — In a letter sent on Feb. 23 to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, The Arc of Texas called for the State of Texas to withdraw from the Texas v. Kennedy lawsuit, warning that the lawsuit threatens long-standing federal disability rights protections and will make it harder for Texans with disabilities to live in and receive services in their communities.

Texas and eight other states — Alaska, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana and South Dakota — filed an amended complaint in the case on Jan. 23, continuing a legal challenge to a rule addressing the “integration mandate” under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The mandate means that people with disabilities should have the choice to live in and receive services in the community when appropriate, and not be unnecessarily separated or forced into institutionalization. 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) updated Section 504 regulations in May 2024 to address discrimination in health care settings, as well as reaffirm the rights of people with disabilities to receive services in the community instead of in institutional settings. The nine states argue that the portion of the rule adopted by HHS related to community integration — the “integration mandate” — is unlawful and unconstitutional.  

“This case has real consequences for Texans with disabilities and their families. Weakening the integration mandate would roll back decades of progress and force more people into institutions,” said Sabrina Gonzalez Saucedo, director of public policy and advocacy for The Arc of Texas.  

The Arc of Texas, The Arc of the United States, and other disability rights advocates say the rules are essential to ensure people with disabilities can live, work, and participate in their communities — increasing quality of life and opportunities to build a future, and strengthening families and communities. 

Shira Wakschlag, senior executive officer of legal advocacy and general counsel for The Arc of the United States said, “This lawsuit is a threat to one of the most critical rights for people with disabilities — to live and participate in their communities. These states, led by Texas, are trying to narrow longstanding interpretations of the integration mandate, leading to more exclusion and institutionalization. People with disabilities belong in the community alongside family and friends, like everyone else. This lawsuit seeks to undermine that foundational right.”  

The legal challenge, led by Texas, targets provisions rooted in the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Olmstead v. L.C. (1999), which held that unjustified segregation of people with disabilities violates federal law and affirmed the right to receive services in community-based settings when appropriate. The ruling reshaped disability services nationwide.  

“This lawsuit threatens to undercut that precedent by blocking enforcement of protections that prevent institutionalization. We cannot turn our backs on the hard-won civil rights of Texans with disabilities,” said Jennifer Martinez, chief executive officer of The Arc of Texas.  

The amended complaint marks the latest phase of the lawsuit previously known as Texas v. Becerra. In an earlier version, Texas and other states sought to have Section 504 declared unconstitutional, but after backlash from the disability community, the states dropped their claim that Section 504 is itself unconstitutional. Recently, eight states dropped out, leaving nine states still pursuing the case and now asking the court to declare the updated Section 504 regulations unlawful, halt enforcement of the rule, and block HHS from holding states accountable for actions that put people with disabilities at increased risk of institutionalization. 

“The updated federal rule reflects decades of legal precedent and guidance from the courts and U.S. Department of Justice,” said Gonzalez Saucedo. “It provides clarity and enforceable standards. Without it, the legal protections for people with disabilities become weaker and more inconsistent. This is about protecting individuals’ autonomy, independence, and civil rights, and Texas should not be leading an effort that could take those rights away. A state that fiercely values independence and self-determination must not abandon those values now as a matter of convenience.”  

This lawsuit is part of a coordinated attack on disability rights. Advocates warn that if the lawsuit succeeds, it could become harder for people with disabilities to exercise their right to live in the community and access already limited home and community-based services, and will likely increase the isolating practice of institutionalization.  

Gonzalez Saucedo said, “Decades of advocacy have strengthened civil rights protections for people with disabilities, and those gains must not be reversed.” 

Call to Action
The Arc of Texas encourages every Texan to contact Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton immediately to demand the state’s withdrawal from the Texas v. Kennedy lawsuit and to stop attacks on Section 504. People with disabilities are in every community, every family, and every political party — so this impacts all of us. Protecting the right of people with disabilities to live and thrive in their communities relies on strong, enforceable federal civil rights protections. Tell Attorney General Ken Paxton that the latest complaint abandons the state’s values of independence, self-determination, family, and community. 

Learn More

• Overview from Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund 

• Briefing on Feb. 25 at 12:30 p.m. CST hosted by Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, American Association of People with Disabilities, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, National Council on Independent Living, and The Arc of the United States 

About The Arc of Texas
Founded in 1953, The Arc of Texas promotes, protects, and advocates for the human rights and self-determination of Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The Arc of Texas envisions a world where Texans with IDD are included in their communities with quality supports and services that meet their needs and choices.