This legislative session, a group of Northwest Center constituents, including team members from Employment Services and Early Supports, along with people we support, spent the day in Olympia meeting with lawmakers to advocate for policies that protect rights, strengthen community-based supports, and expand opportunity for people with disabilities.
For more than 60 years, Northwest Center has worked alongside individuals, families, employers, and systems partners to build communities where people with and without disabilities can learn, work, and thrive together. We’ve seen the demoralizing impact of isolation, stigma, and unmet needs—and we’ve also seen what’s possible when people get the support they deserve.
Throughout the day, our message was clear: people with disabilities belong in the community, and Washington must invest in the services that make that possible.
Protect community-based disability services from cuts
Community-based supports like Supported Employment and Community Inclusion help people build independence, relationships, and a sense of belonging. They also strengthen Washington’s workforce and economy.
We urged lawmakers to avoid further cuts to these services. Providers are already stretched thin, and years of underinvestment have contributed to closures and people going unserved.
Cutting services doesn’t just reduce access; it increases long-term costs and can push people into more restrictive settings.
Expand access to employment supports sooner
We advocated for lowering the eligibility age for DDCS Supported Employment and Community Inclusion from 21 to 20 (HB 1493 / SB 5681).
This would help close the gap many young adults experience after leaving school-based services and before adult supports begin.
Starting earlier supports real-world job experience, skill-building, and long-term economic independence, so young people with disabilities can pursue employment at an age closer to their peers.
End harmful isolation and reduce restraint in schools
We also supported efforts to end the use of isolation in public schools, starting with preschool, transition-to-kindergarten, and kindergarten programs.
Isolation and restraint can be traumatic and harmful for children’s development and mental health, and they disproportionately affect students with disabilities and those with trauma histories.
Instead of harmful practices, schools should be supported in using proven strategies that keep students safe while building emotional regulation and problem-solving skills.
Eliminate the Community Protection Program (CPP)
We urged lawmakers to support eliminating the Community Protection Program (CPP), the most restrictive community program administered by DDCS.
Advocates have raised concerns about young people being referred into the program before accessing other supports, a low graduation rate, and policies that can restrict rights and community inclusion.
We support shifting toward specialized services within existing waivers, with thoughtful transitions that preserve the supports people want while ensuring services are person-centered and rights-protecting.
Protect immigrant and refugee families with I/DD
Disability advocacy must include strong protections for immigrant and refugee families with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). These families can face language-access violations, documentation-linked denials, fear of enforcement or data sharing, and inconsistent due process across agencies.
We supported a proposed three-year Protect & Access initiative to strengthen rights protections and fund culturally specific navigation supports so families can safely access services.
Inclusion doesn’t happen by accident—it requires investment, accountability, and policies that center on dignity and opportunity.
We’re grateful to the lawmakers who took time to meet with our advocates and listen to the lived experiences of people with disabilities and families. We’ll continue showing up to support policies that protect civil rights, strengthen community-based services, and expand opportunity across Washington.
