The Disability Squeeze

Theo Braddy (National Council on Independent Living) joins The Disability Squeeze Podcast to discuss the financial and policy barriers facing people with disabilities who rely on home and community-based services. Drawing on his decades of leadership in the Independent Living Movement, Braddy shares his personal experience paying out-of-pocket for attendant care, explores how Medicaid’s “benefits...

Keynote address from Mia Ives-Rublee (Center for American Progress), recorded live at the Disability Squeeze Research Symposium at New York Law School (Sept 26, 2025). Nearly 500 people registered to attend the symposium on the extra costs of disability and the challenges they create for everyday life. Subscribe to The Disability Squeeze Podcast for more talks and stories on disability costs and p...

Maryland Delegate Aaron Kaufman discusses his experience making bipartisan legislation happen —from fixing broken wheelchair repair systems to making special education lawsuits more fair for families. We talk about his political strategy, the fight to protect Medicaid and SNAP, and what it takes to move disability policy forward in a divided political landscape. Topics include: Legal costs in spec...

Tracking how federal disability policy in the United States is shifting feels overwhelming — with major proposals, executive actions, and agency changes unfolding almost daily. In this episode featuring an interview with Binghamton University Professor ⁠Matt Borus, we discuss the key areas of disability policy to watch closely and why it matters. The interview draws on a recent piece published in...

In this episode, Kevin Gotkin lays out why many disabled people simply can't afford to participate in guaranteed income programs drawing on their new report CRIP COIN: Disability,Public Benefits, and Guaranteed Income. You can sign up for Kevin's newsletter on disability arts and politics here: https://www.cripnews.com/ You can find the full transcript of our conversation here .

What can governments do to address the disability squeeze? In this conversation with Dr. Daniel Mont , co-founder and CEO of the Center for Inclusive Policy and a leading global expert on the extra costs of disability, we discuss what we know about the extra costs of living with a disability, why these expenses matter, and how governments can design policies that help—even when resources are tight...

What if just existing cost you 30% more? Living with a disability shouldn’t come with a financial penalty—but in the U.S and around the world, it does. Everyday expenses—like prescription drugs, transportation, home modifications, assistive technology, and caregiving—add up to an invisible tax on millions of people, making it harder to work, attend school, and afford basic needs. I’m Dr. Zach Morr...

Listen to this interview with Carrie Leljedal —a family caregiver turned advocate with big ideas for addressing the disability squeeze. Like millions of Americans, Carrie knows firsthand about the extra costs of disability —whether it’s the astronomical cost of converting a van for wheelchair access or the crushing weight of medical bills. You can read the full transcript here .

Listen to our first interview with Dr. Arielle Silverman , Research Director at the American Foundation for the Blind, on the extra costs of living with a disability. We also discuss her book Just Human: The Quest for Disability Wisdom, Respect, and Inclusion . And be sure to stay to the end for interesting conversation about a basic income guarantee. *You can read the full transcript of the inter...