VOR's Letter to the Trump Transition Team January, 2025
VOR has submitted a letter to the Trump Transition Team outlining some of our priorities for the incoming administration.
VOR's January Networking Meeting
"Addressing the Challenges and Opportunities of the Second Trump Administration and the 119th Congress".
Our first networking meeting of 2025 will take place on Zoom,
January 27th @ 4 pm Eastern, 3 pm Central, 2 pm Mountain, 1 pm Pacific time.
This meeting is open to all members of VOR.
To register, please click here
VOR's 2025 Legislative Initiative
Our Annual 
D.C. Fly-in
D.C. Fly-inJoin us on Capitol Hill, May 12 - 14, 2025, for as we meet with members of the 119th Congress and key members of cabinet agencies to discuss issues that affect people with severe / profound I/DD, autism, and mental illnesses.
To register, please click here
You must be a member of VOR to participate in this event.
Please Submit Comments Opposing the Department of Labor's Wage & Hour Div. Rule to End 14(c)
The US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has issued a rule to eliminate 14(c) programs. VOR vehemently opposes this rule, as it deprives individuals with IDD and autism the opportunity to work in the environment of their choice, alongside their peers.
To read the rule and submit a comment, please click here
To download a pdf copy of the rule, please click here
Please read the Executive Summary, which fails to mention the fact that 90% of the people in these programs have I/DD and autism, and that these employment opportunities are widely supported by the people who participate in them.
VOR supports competitive integrated employment as well as 14(c) programs. We believe in choice, and in allowing individuals and their families to make informed choices from a wide range of options.
VOR's Open Letter to the President and the PCPID
The President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities held its first in-person meetings since 2019 on September 25 and 26, 2024. This year's committee was notable in that self-advocates comprised a majority of committee members.
While the reports from HHS - sponsored agencies were informative and covered a variety of issues, all of the subject matter was directed to Home- and Community-Based Services. People with intellectual disabilities who receive long-term supports and services through the non-HCBS silo of Medicaid were once again left out of the conversation.
VOR Members Respond to Bias in Washington Post Stories on 14c
On August 30 and September 2, 2024, the Washington Post published a series of highly biased articles opposing sheltered workshops and 14(c). The articles went beyond mere bias. They cherry-picked comments from both sides and made several statements misrepresenting the programs and those that provide these opportunities. Several VOR members wrote to the Post to complain. Only one paper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which reprinted the Post's stories, printed a full response to the articles.
Attached below are a few of those letters.
