Nevada’s disability community is speaking out about the chaos caused by the government shutdown and ongoing uncertainty in federal funding.

During the shutdown, programs like the state Centers for Independent Living had to dig into reserve funds to stay open. Social Security disability payments were unaffected but other federally-funded programs are on shaky ground because the bill to end the shutdown only funds the bulk of the government through Jan. 30.

Stephen Cohen, a disability rights advocate from Las Vegas who lives with Autism Spectrum Disorder, said people need to band together and make their displeasure heard.

“Use your voice and collaborate with others,” Cohen urged. “Don’t see your story as a burden. See it as an opportunity to change the issue that you’re facing. Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

During the shutdown, the Trump administration tried to lay off thousands of federal workers, including 121 people at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. A judge blocked the layoffs and people are just now getting back to work. Many other programs depend on federal funds, including the Governors’ Councils on Developmental Disabilities, vocational rehab and the University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, to name a few.

Nathan Orme, public information officer for the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, said the shutdown did not directly affect services from the Nevada Aging and Disability Service Division.

“The state will be evaluating remaining federal Fiscal Year 2025 authority and closely monitoring the outcome of the current continuing resolution for future impacts,” Orme explained. “Several programs, including the Independent Living Grants under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, are pending federal Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations.”

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a plan to make everyone on SNAP reapply for their benefits in an effort to root out fraud, something Cohen argued is a particular burden for people with disabilities. State data show almost a third of Nevada’s adult population, or more than 775,000 people, live with a disability.