Protect Disability Rights and Raise Caregiver Pay in Texas
Protect Disability Rights and Raise Caregiver Pay in Texas
The Issue
On September 22, disability rights advocates gathered outside Governor Greg Abbott’s office with a simple request: meet with them to talk about how new federal cuts will impact Texans with disabilities and the caregivers who support them. They are still waiting for an answer.
The “Big Beautiful Bill,” signed into law this summer, slashes Medicaid and SNAP. Advocates warn that these cuts will devastate independence for people with disabilities and gut wages for the caregivers who keep them alive. Provisions may not take effect until 2026, but families are already preparing for the worst: fewer supports, more institutionalization, and caregivers driven away by poverty wages.
Right now in Texas, caregivers earn as little as $13 an hour. These are the people who help with bathing, dressing, toileting — the most basic daily activities that allow people with disabilities to live in their own homes instead of being forced into nursing facilities. As Ron Cranston of ADAPT of Texas put it: “They are our first responders to our activities of daily living. They keep us alive.”
Groups like ADAPT of Texas and the Personal Attendant Coalition of Texas are calling on Governor Abbott to act now. They want the state to protect programs that keep Texans independent and to raise caregiver pay to at least $20 an hour. They also point out that most caregivers are women and people of color, and their work has been undervalued for far too long.
This is about dignity, independence, and survival. Without fair wages, Texas will continue to lose caregivers. Without protection from Medicaid cuts, more people with disabilities will be pushed into institutions against their will. No Texan should lose their home, their freedom, or their life because leaders refused to act.
We are calling on Governor Greg Abbott to meet with advocates, support raising caregiver wages, and protect programs that allow people with disabilities to live independently in their communities.
Sign if you believe Texas must protect disability rights and raise caregiver pay before more lives are put at risk.
60
The Issue
On September 22, disability rights advocates gathered outside Governor Greg Abbott’s office with a simple request: meet with them to talk about how new federal cuts will impact Texans with disabilities and the caregivers who support them. They are still waiting for an answer.
The “Big Beautiful Bill,” signed into law this summer, slashes Medicaid and SNAP. Advocates warn that these cuts will devastate independence for people with disabilities and gut wages for the caregivers who keep them alive. Provisions may not take effect until 2026, but families are already preparing for the worst: fewer supports, more institutionalization, and caregivers driven away by poverty wages.
Right now in Texas, caregivers earn as little as $13 an hour. These are the people who help with bathing, dressing, toileting — the most basic daily activities that allow people with disabilities to live in their own homes instead of being forced into nursing facilities. As Ron Cranston of ADAPT of Texas put it: “They are our first responders to our activities of daily living. They keep us alive.”
Groups like ADAPT of Texas and the Personal Attendant Coalition of Texas are calling on Governor Abbott to act now. They want the state to protect programs that keep Texans independent and to raise caregiver pay to at least $20 an hour. They also point out that most caregivers are women and people of color, and their work has been undervalued for far too long.
This is about dignity, independence, and survival. Without fair wages, Texas will continue to lose caregivers. Without protection from Medicaid cuts, more people with disabilities will be pushed into institutions against their will. No Texan should lose their home, their freedom, or their life because leaders refused to act.
We are calling on Governor Greg Abbott to meet with advocates, support raising caregiver wages, and protect programs that allow people with disabilities to live independently in their communities.
Sign if you believe Texas must protect disability rights and raise caregiver pay before more lives are put at risk.
60
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Petition created on September 24, 2025