Administration for Community Living (ACL)
All Americans—including people with disabilities and older adults—should be able to live at home with the supports they need, participating in communities that value their contributions. To help meet these needs, the HHS created a new organization, the ACL.
Established in 2012, the ACL brings together the efforts and achievements of the Administration on Aging, the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the HHS Office on Disability to serve as the federal agency responsible for increasing access to community supports, while focusing attention and resources on the unique needs of older Americans and people with disabilities across the lifespan.
The ACL mission is to maximize the independence, well-being, and health of older adults, people with disabilities across the lifespan, and their families and caregivers. Since its inception, it has developed elderly housing initiatives, new models of community care for the elderly and people with disabilities, a partnership with the Veterans’ Administration to counsel veterans on their ongoing service needs, and a national network of increased transportation access for the elderly and people with disabilities ( ACL, 2016 ).