Disability Rights North Carolina

TONIGHT!!

Addressing Solitary Confinement in the Durham County Youth Home

LOCATION: People’s Solidarity Hub – 1805 Chapel Hill Rd, Durham, NC 27707

DATE: Sep 28, 2026

TIME: 6:00 PM

DRNC will be hosting a community event to share more details on our monitoring findings, have a dialogue with a panel of people with lived experience and expertise, and to hold an open forum for questions, planning, and to begin organizing with the Durham community. DRNC hopes to draw an audience of community members, movement groups, and local officials, including representatives from the Durham County Board of Commissioners, with the goal of developing meaningful solutions to these conditions.

Register today! https://disabilityrightsnc.org/event/addressing-solitary-confinement-in-the-durham-county-youth-home/

Background:

Between September 2024 and June 2026, Disability Rights North Carolina has monitored in the Durham County Youth Home – the juvenile detention center (JDC) for Durham County. Among other issues, our monitoring has found that youth in the facility are regularly confined to their cells for between 22-24 hours per day – meeting the standard for solitary confinement. Despite DRNC attempting to directly resolve these issues with the Youth Home, youth are still being held in solitary confinement. Solitary confinement has been repeatedly shown to have disastrous mental health impacts, especially on children. Read our recent report https://disabilityrightsnc.org/news/behind-locked-doors-inside-north-carolinas-juvenile-detention-centers/

Read more! https://ncnewsline.com/2026/09/24/report-youth-in-durham-juvenile-detention-now-go-to-class-but-still-spend-too-much-time-in-cells/

This weekend marks the second anniversary of Hurricane Helene's devastating path through Western North Carolina, a disaster that claimed lives and changed communities forever. Two years later, many Western North Carolinians are still waiting for stable housing and rebuilt infrastructure. We're grateful to our community partners as we continue working together toward long-term recovery.

As we reflect on Helene, it is important to remember that disabled people are far more likely to be negatively impacted by disasters due in part to inaccessible infrastructure and exclusion from planning. True recovery and future disaster preparedness must include disabled people from the start. We must prioritize accessible evacuation, alerts, shelters, and recovery efforts.

Anniversaries of disasters of this magnitude are painful. Please be gentle with yourself today and reach out to your communities for support.

Image: Anchorage Nurse Assists in Hurricane Helene Recovery Efforts, thetundradrums.com

Upcoming Event! Addressing Solitary Confinement in the Durham County Youth Home

LOCATION: People’s Solidarity Hub – 1805 Chapel Hill Rd, Durham, NC 27707

DATE: Sep 28, 2026

TIME: 6:00 PM

DRNC will be hosting a community event to share more details on our monitoring findings, have a dialogue with a panel of people with lived experience and expertise, and to hold an open forum for questions, planning, and to begin organizing with the Durham community. DRNC hopes to draw an audience of community members, movement groups, and local officials, including representatives from the Durham County Board of Commissioners, with the goal of developing meaningful solutions to these conditions.

Register today! https://disabilityrightsnc.org/event/addressing-solitary-confinement-in-the-durham-county-youth-home/

Background:

Between September 2024 and June 2026, Disability Rights North Carolina has monitored in the Durham County Youth Home – the juvenile detention center (JDC) for Durham County. Among other issues, our monitoring has found that youth in the facility are regularly confined to their cells for between 22-24 hours per day – meeting the standard for solitary confinement. Despite DRNC attempting to directly resolve these issues with the Youth Home, youth are still being held in solitary confinement. Solitary confinement has been repeatedly shown to have disastrous mental health impacts, especially on children. Read our recent report https://disabilityrightsnc.org/news/behind-locked-doors-inside-north-carolinas-juvenile-detention-centers/

TODAY!

Join a Community Conversation for People with Disabilities

The North Carolina Statewide Independent Living Council (NCSILC) and NC Centers for Independent Living want to hear directly from people with disabilities across North Carolina.

Join one of our upcoming Community Conversations and tell us:

What is working well in your community?
What challenges do you face?
What needs to change?
What would help you live more independently?

What you share will help shape North Carolina’s next State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL). The SPIL helps guide statewide work on issues important to people with disabilities, including housing, transportation, employment, community supports, accessibility, and more.

Upcoming Community Conversations
September 23 | 1:00–2:00 PM
Virtual Event
Join by Zoom:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89591981849

September 23 | 2:30 PM
In-Person Event
Disability Partners, a Center for Independent Living
108 New Leicester Hwy
Asheville, NC

September 30 | 6:30 PM
Virtual Event
Join by Zoom:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85337613741

Can't Attend? Take Our Needs Assessment Survey!

Or better yet—do both!

Whether or not you attend a Community Conversation, please take a few minutes to complete our 2026 Needs Assessment Survey.

Every response helps us better understand the needs and priorities of people with disabilities across North Carolina.

We need to hear directly from people with disabilities, so please add your voice!

Your feedback can make a difference- complete the 2026 Needs Assessment Survey today!

If you need the survey in another format or language, have trouble with the survey link, or need help completing it, please contact:

Gloria Garton
984-480-6328
[email protected]

World Narcolepsy Day 2026 is today September 22, 2026. This day is dedicated to raising awareness of narcolepsy on a global scale.

Established by 24 patient advocacy organizations across 6 continents in 2019, World Narcolepsy Day unites the international narcolepsy community to inspire action, increase public knowledge, and elevate the voices of the 3 million people living with narcolepsy worldwide.

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological condition that impairs the brain’s ability to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. It affects 1 in 2,000 people; 200,000 Americans and 3 million people worldwide.

Because of low awareness (even among physicians) and misperceptions, there is an average of 8 to 15 years between narcolepsy symptom onset and diagnosis. It’s estimated that the majority of people with narcolepsy are currently undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.

Together, we can reduce delays in narcolepsy diagnosis, reduce stigma and improve outcomes. Get involved and use the hashtag .

Find out more: https://narcolepsynetwork.org/resources/
https://project-sleep.com/world-narcolepsy-day/

4 Ways to Vote! Make your plan for election season today with DRNC!

#1: EARLY VOTING. Early voting takes place from Oct. 15 to Oct. 31 at 3pm. Register AND vote at the same time at early voting sites. FIND SITES: earlyvotenc.com

#2: ELECTION DAY. Nov. 3, 6:30am – 7:30pm. Be in line by 7:30 PM, voting locations must stay open until you vote. Find your polling place & review your personal ballot at myncvote.com.

#3: VOTE BY MAIL. Any registered NC voter can request an absentee ballot and vote by mail. You do not need a reason. Note: Act early and allow for slow mail. See ncvoter.org/absentee-ballots.

#4: BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED VOTERS: If you are a blind or visually impaired voter in NC, you may request, mark, and return an accessible absentee ballot online: votebymail.ncsbe.gov/app/home

Find out more https://disabilityrightsnc.org/our-work/voting/

North Carolina Absentee Voting
A Simple Guide to Voting by Mail

Step 1- Check your registration. Any registered NC voter can request an absentee ballot and vote by mail. Be sure to make sure your name, address, county, and other voter registration information is correct. To confirm your registration details, visit: vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/

Step 2-Request your ballot. You can request your ballot online through
the NC Absentee Ballot Portal. You can also complete an official paper request form. You will need to provide your date of birth. You will also need either your NC driver license or DMV identification number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. votebymail.ncsbe.gov/app/home

Step 3-Review your ballot packet. Your packet should include:
Your ballot
An inner envelope
An outer return envelope
A clear photo ID sleeve
Instructions
List of acceptable photos
Photo ID Exception Form
Info to track your ballot

Step 4- Ask Two Witnesses or a Notary to Be Present. You must have either two witnesses who are at least 18 years old, or one notary public, present when you mark your ballot.

Step 5-Completely fill in the oval next to each choice. Do not use an X or a check mark. If you make a mistake, do not return the ballot. Contact your county Board of Elections and ask for a replacement.

Step 6- Place your completed ballot inside the inner envelope. Sign the voter certification on the envelope. Your witnesses or notary must also complete the required sections. If someone helped you complete your ballot, that person must complete the section for assistants. Seal the inner envelope.

Step 7-Include Your Photo ID Documentation. Flip the inner envelope over and place a copy of an acceptable photo ID or the completed exception form in the clear sleeve.

Step 8- Prepare the Outer Return Envelope. Place the sealed inner envelope inside the outer return envelope. Make sure the return envelope is addressed to the Board of Elections in the county where you are registered. Seal the outer envelope.

Step 9- Return Your Ballot. Return your ballot to the county Board of Elections where you are registered. Take your ballot to your county Board of Elections office or to an early voting site during early voting. Mail it using the correct postage. Send it through an approved commercial carrier. Note: do not take your absentee ballot to an Election Day polling place.

Step 10-TRACK YOUR BALLOT. Use BallotTrax.net to find out whether your ballot was received and accepted. Note: If BallotTrax shows a problem, contact your county Board of Elections as soon as possible.

Before Returning Your Ballot, Check your work:
You signed the voter certification.

Your witnesses/notary completed all required info.

If someone helped you, that person completed the assistant certification.

Only your completed ballot is inside the sealed inner envelope.

You placed either a copy of your photo ID or a completed Photo ID Exception Form in the clear sleeve.

The inner envelope is sealed and placed inside the outer return envelope.

You are using an approved return method.

Your ballot will reach your county Board of Elections
by 7:30 p.m. on November 3.

Questions or Problems?

If you need help or have a problem, contact your county Board of Elections or DRNC’s voting hotline at

888-WE-VOTE-2 (888-936-6832).