Advocacy Network on Disabilities Joins Press Conference to Defend Social Security Disability Benefits

On October 23, 2025, President and CEO of the Advocacy Network on Disabilities, Ire Diaz, joined U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Social Security Disability recipients, and aging and disability advocates at the Social Security office in Plantation, Florida, to raise the alarm about proposed federal changes that would drastically limit access to Social Security disability benefits.

Representative Wasserman Schultz convened the press conference after the Trump Administration announced plans to remove or sharply reduce age as a factor in disability determinations — a change that independent analysts say would lead to one of the largest cuts to Social Security disability benefits in history.

According to the analysis cited, the proposal could result in a 100% benefit loss for 400,000 low-income Americans, most of them people over age 50 with severe, documented impairments.

These are not new programs. These are earned benefits.

“Social Security Is a Promise — And We Must Keep It”: Ire Diaz Speaks

During the press conference, Advocacy Network on Disabilities President & CEO Ire Diaz delivered powerful remarks on behalf of people with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities. Speaking as both an advocate and as a voice for millions who rely on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Diaz called the proposal “a human crisis in the making.”

Below is an excerpt from her remarks:

“These aren’t handouts. They’re earned benefits — part of a promise our country made to its workers. A promise that if you contribute, if you work hard, and life throws you a curveball, your nation will be there to catch you.”

She went on to warn that the changes are not small administrative adjustments, but a targeted effort that would strip away long-standing protections and cut off access to life-sustaining support.

“These changes are not reform. They are abandonment,” Diaz said.
“This is happening on top of $1.5 trillion already slashed from Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, and WIC — programs that keep children, families, and seniors alive. Cutting Social Security access on top of that isn’t just irresponsible. It is cruel.”

Diaz also addressed severe staffing shortages at the Social Security Administration, which have left thousands waiting months — sometimes years — for decisions that determine whether they can secure food, rent, or medication.

“This is not just a policy failure,” she emphasized. “It is a human crisis. We are calling on the Social Security Administration to stop these harmful measures, preserve existing protections, modernize responsibly, and rebuild the capacity to serve the people so that no one is left waiting in fear and uncertainty.”

Standing With Our Community

The Advocacy Network on Disabilities joined other speakers, including Osteogenesis Imperfecta patient Simone Rodriguez and Ken Goodfriend of the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, to highlight the devastating impact these cuts would have on people with disabilities, older adults, and vulnerable workers.

For many Floridians — and millions across the country — Social Security disability benefits are not optional. They are the difference between stability and homelessness, between access to medication and going without, between dignity and despair.

The Advocacy Network on Disabilities stands firmly committed to:

• Protecting earned benefits

• Defending age-related disability protections

• Ensuring fair and humane eligibility standards

• Preserving access to life-sustaining programs

• Demanding adequate staffing, training, and resources so that no person waits in limbo

Our mission has always been to champion the rights and dignity of individuals with intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities. That commitment does not stop at programs or policies — it extends to the fundamental promises our nation makes to its people.

Our Call to Action

Now is the time to:

• Stand with disability communities

• Stand with older adults

• Stand with workers who have paid into the system

• Stand with every family who depends on earned benefits to survive

As Ire Diaz reminded the crowd:

“Social Security is more than a program. It is a promise. And we must keep it.”

We encourage our community, partners, and allies to stay informed, raise their voices, and continue advocating for the dignity and protection of every person who relies on these essential benefits.