Policy Impact Project

Understanding the news: What disability advocates should know about the potential impacts of health and education policy changes to the federal government
2025-03-20 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Recent executive orders have led to suggested and enacted cuts to federal funding for departments, agencies, grants, and programs. Many of these actions may have direct or indirect effects on people with neurodevelopmental disabilities including autism. Our panelists will discuss their perspectives on potential changes to health and education policy in this nation. The goal of this webinar is to provide facts to help our community understand what they are hearing in the news and what it means for people with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
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Joanne Juhnke
Advocacy Specialist
Disability Rights Wisconsin
Joanne Juhnke has been advocating for Wisconsin students with disabilities on a grassroots level since 2007 and professionally since 2013. Her work is informed by her experience as the mother of a young adult daughter whose disabilities include autism and who is in her last semester of 18-21 public school education. As an advocacy specialist on the Children & Youth team at Disability Rights Wisconsin, Joanne assists Wisconsin families to navigate challenges in education and long-term care and also contributes to systems-level policy advocacy.

Ari Ne’eman, PhD
Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Ari Ne’eman is an Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. His research focuses on the role that public policy can play in facilitating the inclusion of people with disabilities throughout society. His work has been published in Health Affairs, Health Services Research, the New England Journal of Medicine, and other peer-reviewed journals. Prior to entering academia, Dr. Ne’eman served as executive director of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and as one of President Obama’s appointees to the National Council on Disability.
