This Sunday, June 15, is Father’s Day, a day devoted to honoring our fathers—and our father figures—for the love and support they have given us over the course of our lives. Fittingly, it is also World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD), a day devoted to raising awareness of a serious world health issue that affects as many as one in ten older Americans.

In recent years, the United States has experienced a number of significant natural disasters. Several of these events happened with little or no warning. One key lesson that we have learned from these unfortunate circumstances is to "be prepared," a message that is especially important for older Americans and people with disabilities. September is officially designated National Preparedness Month, but preparedness is something we should be thinking about all year long.

I am delighted to welcome two important programs to ACL—the Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) and the State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs). These programs are moving to ACL as a result of the 2014 budget recently signed by President Obama.

Twenty-four years ago, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. The law’s passage signaled America’s commitment to achieving equality for all its citizens by providing long overdue protections for people with disabilities. We have made tremendous progress toward this goal, but we have yet to reach the point at which every person can realize the fundamental rights, protections, and freedoms afforded to each of us by the United States Constitution.

Adam’s* Decision In 2012, “Adam” (not his real name) was fighting an infection in his leg and facing a tough situation.

Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee spoke about opportunities to improve the well-being of older persons to the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing this week. The Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing was established by the General Assembly in December, 2010 “to consider the existing international framework of the human rights of older persons and identify possible gaps and how best to address them, including by considering, as appropriate, the feasibility of further instruments and measures.”

Over the course of my service as Assistant Secretary for Aging, one imperative has stood above all others: preventing elder abuse. I talk about it every chance I get, and it is something we all need to talk about. Preventing elder abuse must be part of the national conversation about how we care for older Americans. That’s why, as our nation prepares to observe World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) on June 15, 2014, I hope you will join me in seeking out opportunities to raise awareness about elder abuse and neglect.

Today, President Obama signed the "Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act" into law. This bipartisan bill, which recently passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of 95-3 and the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 415-6, makes important changes to disability programs authorized under the Rehabilitation Act and the Assistive Technology Act, including the transfer of three programs from the Department of Education to the Administration for Community Living (ACL).

"How is my child doing?": parents and other caregivers often ask themselves. Several federal projects are underway to support parents and professionals who work with young children in answering this universal question.

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act of 2014 (WIOA), signed into law by President Obama on July 22, 2014, transfers the Independent Living Services and Centers for Independent Living programs funded under title VII, Chapter 1 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by WIOA (P.L. 113-128) (Rehabilitation Act) from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), U.S. Department of Education, to the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.