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NCD hears 12 project proposals; members push AI bundle, HCBS portability and travel-access study
Summary
Council members presented a slate of 12 proposals for FY27 work. Prominent items included bundled AI projects to address algorithmic bias and assistive technology, a portability study for Medicaid and HCBS recertification burdens, and a cross-cutting travel-access report.
The National Council on Disability heard presentations on a set of 12 proposed projects for FY27 work and agreed to a process for members to rank their top three by May 14. Chair Neil Romano and other members described proposals that span technology, community living, and access.
Romano proposed two items he described as priorities: an analysis of how newly announced 503(a)-style savings accounts could interact with existing ABLE accounts and a study of interstate portability barriers in Medicare and home- and community-based services (HCBS). Romano said the portability project would "examine how state by state eligibility decisions, waiting lists, and recertification requirements limit ability, employment, opportunity, and family stability for Americans with disabilities." He framed portability as a contributor to economic and family instability when people move across state lines.
Council member Kim Ridley and staff Kimie Eacobacci proposed bundling three AI-focused efforts into a single initiative that would examine algorithmic bias, federal procurement and standards to prevent ableist outcomes, and the potential for AI-enabled assistive technologies to ease direct-care workforce shortages. "If we don't ensure that it [AI] is built without an ableist bias, it's definitely going to be built with that," Ridley said.
Joy Welan proposed a cross-cutting travel and tourism accessibility report to collect rigorous data on barriers at each stage of travel: air travel, ground transportation, hotel reservations and recreation. Welan suggested that empirical evidence could support technical standards (for example, bed height or reservation enforcement) and allow the Access Board and DOJ to act with firm data.
Other suggestions included examining electric-vehicle accessibility for wheelchair users as vehicle platforms change, a follow-up on marriage-penalty barriers to benefits, a federal model for peer specialist programs, and medical-procedure guidance for people with spinal cord injuries. Staff told the Council that some items might be addressed through letters or smaller deliverables; members agreed to submit ranked priorities to staff for compilation.
What happens next: members will submit their top three project preferences by May 14; staff will compile rankings, consider bundling related proposals (for example, AI projects), and return recommended scopes for Council approval.
