April 15, 2026
Letter from the Advocacy Director
I’d like to start this early Spring edition by welcoming Roger Crome to the Policy Team at MODDC. Roger is our new Policy Advocacy Specialist. He’ll work with me on any advocacy we do, including legislative work and administrative support for the program. Roger has a track record of improving policies so people with developmental disabilities can live more independently and be included in their communities. Roger also has experience helping people and understands the challenges they face. He is committed to building systems that make life better for everyone.
In less than a few weeks, Roger is already diving into work that will allow us to be even more robust in our advocacy efforts. I certainly feel the help and support. Thank you, Roger!
Below you’ll find my latest state budget update, information about the use of seclusion in Missouri schools—and what you can do to advocate about it, and an update from our Advocacy Fellow, Lydia Olmsted.
Let’s keep it MOving!
Christina Ingoglia
Policy Advocacy Director
State Budget Update
During the last full week of March, the Missouri House passed the state budget bills, including House Bill 2010, also called House Bill 10. This is the budget bill that includes funding for the Department of Mental Health and the Division of Developmental Disabilities, including waiver services and programs.
As you likely have heard by now, House Budget Chair Dirk Deaton brought the bill to the House floor with the inclusion of restoring rate cuts proposed by Governor Kehoe to the Self-Directed Supports personal assistance and medical personal assistance service as well as the cuts to Day Program Provider rates.
We are so grateful to him and to YOU for speaking up and advocating. Collectively, just from the MODDC advocacy alert, we sent 3,500 emails to Budget Committee members, met with many of our legislators in person, and educated other officials. We also worked to support grassroots advocacy led by Missouri SDS. They came out strong. The short story: Advocacy works! Your voice matters!
On that note, as the Senate begins its markups (changes to the budget), we are sharing potential concerns noted in HB 10.
- As of July 1, 2026, any new individual who needs developmental disabilities (DD) waiver services of any type will be placed on a waitlist.
- Within the Self-Directed Supports Program, the Community Specialist Service and the Individual Goods and Services line are still zeroed out. This means, as of July 1, 2026, these programs would likely no longer exist if the funding isn’t restored by the Senate.
You are welcome to reach out to members of the Senate Appropriations Committee or your state senator to share your thoughts about these issues. Currently, we do not have an official advocacy alert for this, but we will keep you posted if that changes.
Justice Department Report on St. Louis SSD’s Use of Seclusion
At the end of February, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) published a report about St. Louis Special School District’s use of seclusion in its SSD-only schools. These are schools where 100% of the population are students with disabilities. We want to warn you before sharing the link that the report is very difficult to read and includes themes around self-harm and other potentially disturbing topics. Read the report here: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-special-school-district-st-louiss-seclusion-and-restraint-practices
MODDC staffer Jada Turley-Winchester leads our work on education. We have been collaborating to educate the public about this report and its findings: that the use of seclusion in the instances investigated by the DOJ is illegal and violates portions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
ACTION ALERT! We have also launched an action alert to educate your legislators about two bills that would help address this issue at the state level. Find it here: https://moddcouncil.org/educate-and-act/
Policy Fellow’s Corner
The past few weeks have given me some great chances to practice advocacy as the MODDC Policy Fellow. In late March, Christina Ingoglia and I visited Highcroft Ridge Elementary School and talked to the 4th graders about disability advocacy and how kids can make a difference. I told the students about my job as the Policy Fellow and how I am working to make the Missouri House and Senate websites easier for everyone to use. The students were very excited about our visit and asked lots of great questions.
In early April, I went to the State Capitol to talk with Senators about possible cuts and changes to Medicaid services for people with developmental disabilities. I also went to a Senate hearing about a plan to remove state income tax and raise sales tax on goods and services. Many people spoke at the hearing, including Christina, who explained how higher sales tax could affect Missourians with disabilities who live on fixed incomes. I was grateful for the chance to meet with Senate Legislative Assistants and talk about how these proposed laws could impact people with disabilities. I look forward to continuing my advocacy work and supporting MODDC’s projects this legislative session.
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