Celebrated every November, National Family Caregivers Month (NFCM) is a time to recognize and honor family caregivers across the country. It offers an opportunity to raise awareness of caregiving issues, educate communities, and increase support for caregivers.

Each October, during National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), ACL celebrates the value and talent workers with disabilities add to America’s workplaces and economy. During NDEAM, we also celebrate the work being done across our agency and the disability networks to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Every October, we celebrate Residents’ Rights Month to affirm the rights of people living in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other long-term care (LTC) settings, and to raise awareness about the need for quality care and safety protections in these facilities.

The purpose of the federal SBIR program is to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector, strengthen the role of small business in meeting federal research or research and development needs, and improve the return on investment from federally funded research for economic and social benefits to the nation.

The purpose of the FIPs program is to generate new knowledge through research or to develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technologies to maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family/caregiver support, and economic and self-sufficiency of people with disabilities, especially people with the greatest support needs.

ARRT grants are intended to increase the number of high-quality disability and rehabilitation researchers. Grants are made to institutions of higher education to provide research training to individuals with doctorates or similar advanced degrees. The researcher trained by these grants will improve the community living and participation, employment, and health and function outcomes for people with disabilities.

This grant has been awarded to the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, which is partnering with the Institute on Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois-Chicago; the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University; The Arc; and USAging, the national association representing and supporting the network of area agencies on aging (AAAs) and Title VI Native American aging programs.

In this Policy Round-Up:

ACL has awarded a one-year (September 30, 2024-September 29, 2025) grant of $116,296 to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Aging and Disability Services Division, which operates as the state unit on aging (SUA), for assisting with the recovery efforts from major disasters declared by the president of the United States.

Today, ACL and our partners in the aging services network join communities across the country in observing Ageism Awareness Day. We honor and celebrate many important observances here at ACL, but this one is especially important to me as assistant secretary for aging. Raising awareness of ageism and stopping its spread is vital to our advocacy efforts, the success of the programs and services we fund, and the health and well-being of all of us.