On 9 September 2026 The Arc, the deservedly venerated organization that advocates for individuals with disabilities, published “SNAP Changes: What People With Disabilities and Their Families Need to Know.” The publication explains the how cuts in the US law for Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program are likely to affect families that include individuals with disabilities.
Here is The Arc’s introduction:
Last year Congress passed a law that made significant changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as “food stamps.” The law created the largest cuts to SNAP in history and could affect more than 40 million people who rely on the program, including people with disabilities.
Our SNAP FAQ explains the changes to SNAP resulting from the 2025 budget law.
The FAQ (frequently-asked-questions) document is available as a free download as a PDF.
As many special educators know, families with children with disabilities must sometimes depend on SNAP. As reported by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities tens of millions of people with disabilities in the US receive food assistance (Varadaraj and colleagues), but participation in SNAP is decreasing (Llobrera & Nchako), especially rapidly for children.
SNAP is important for families raising children with disabilities. When Bill Therrien and I were editors of Exceptional Children, we published a study that is highly relevant to this matter. Rajan Sonik and colleagues1 (2016) explained the importance of food insecurity in households with children with disabilities. Here is the abstract of their article:
The authors examined food insecurity in households including children with disabilities, analyzing data from the 2004 and 2008 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation, which included 24,729 households with children, 3,948 of which had children with disabilities. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the likelihood of food insecurity after adjusting for adult disability status, income, and other sociodemographic factors. Compared to other households with children, those including children with disabilities were more likely to report household food insecurity of any kind, very low household food security, and child food insecurity. Families raising children with disabilities were also more likely to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. These results suggest that children with disabilities face an increased risk of experiencing food insecurity and that there is a pressing need to improve the safety net system for these children.
I am writing this as those of us in my Earthly neighborhood approach the autumnal holiday season. Halloween is coming and, not long after it, there will be US Thanksgiving. Candy won’t fix the problem, and celebratory meals may only make it more painful for some individuals with disabilities. I hope we can support policies that promote the well-being of individuals with disabilities.
Reference
Sonik, R., Parish, S. L., Ghosh, S., & Igdalsky, L. (2016). Food Insecurity in U.S. Households That Include Children With Disabilities. Exceptional Children, 83(1), 42-57. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402916651847
Footnote
One of those colleagues is Susan L. Parrish. Professor Parrish, who is now President of Mercy College, has (along with her students and co-workers) conducted some of the most important research about the well-being of children with disabilities. I suspect that her productivity will decrease with her new administrative responsibilities, but readers with interests in the area would gain a substantial education by simply reading her works.
SNAP funding needs to be restored by a new Congress elected next week and heading to DC in January. Remember that when you vote.