Saint Sophia’s Mission Promotes Free ’26 Plus’ Program for Families of Adults With Disabilities

Free guides, a planning dashboard and help in every state support families as young adults with disabilities reach age 26.

NEW ROCHELLE, NY, UNITED STATES, October 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Saint Sophia’s Mission, an Orthodox Christian mission and 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is marking National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) by inviting families to use 26 Plus, its free planning program for parents of an adult child with a disability, at https://sophiasmissionus.org/26-plus/.

NDEAM is observed each October and is led by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy. The 2026 theme is “Celebrating Value and Talent” (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/initiatives/ndeam).

At 26, most young adults age off a parent’s health plan. Federal law lets children stay on a parent’s plan until 26 (https://www.healthcare.gov/young-adults/children-under-26/). Coverage after that for an adult child who cannot support themselves because of a disability depends on state law or the plan’s own rules, and families usually must send proof on time. Many states, including New Jersey and New York, require that proof within 31 days after the plan’s age limit. 26 Plus helps families plan step by step, from age 14 to 26 and beyond.

Work is part of that plan. In 2025, the unemployment rate for people with a disability was 8.3%, about double the 4.1% rate for people without a disability, and 38.1% of people with a disability ages 16 to 64 were employed, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/disabl.nr0.htm).

“Turning 26 should not mean a family loses its footing,” said Father Zachary Martin, CEO of Saint Sophia’s Mission. “Parents of autistic adults and adults with disabilities told us they needed plain answers, real deadlines and a place to start. 26 Plus gives them that, free of charge, and our job board helps their sons and daughters look for meaningful work. Every person has dignity and gifts to offer.”

26 Plus includes:

– My dashboard: families pick their state and their child’s birth month and year to see a countdown to 26, a checklist for the child’s age, deadlines and help in their state
– 10 plain-language guides on topics such as health coverage after 26, SSI at 18, Disabled Adult Child benefits, Medicaid, ABLE accounts, guardianship and its alternatives, special needs trusts and working without losing benefits
– Help in your state: Medicaid, SSI, SNAP, disability services, job help, parent centers, ABLE and free disability rights groups for all 50 states, DC and the U.S. territories
– A lawyer list that shows free legal help first, then special needs law firms by state
– Copy-and-paste 26 Plus Grok prompts, Powered by Grok, for families to use in their own free Grok app

Anyone can read the 26 Plus page and the start of each guide. A free account opens the dashboard, prompts, state resources, lawyer list and full guides. Families use their own Grok app, and nothing they type or upload in Grok comes to the Saint Sophia’s Mission website. 26 Plus is general information, not legal or medical advice.

For job seekers, Saint Sophia’s Mission runs a free national job board at https://sophiasmissionus.org/jobs/ with more than 1,500 listings, including jobs for people with disabilities, autism-friendly roles and remote jobs, with new jobs added daily. It also offers a free AI Job Coach, Powered by Grok: job seekers download the free Grok app and use the mission’s copy-and-paste prompts for help with resumes and interviews. The AI Job Coach is a computer program, not a person. Saint Sophia’s Mission’s recent job board announcement was featured on AP News and PIX11.

How to get started

– 26 Plus: https://sophiasmissionus.org/26-plus/
– Create a free 26 Plus account: https://sophiasmissionus.org/26-plus/join/
– 26 Plus guides: https://sophiasmissionus.org/26-plus/guides/
– Find a job: https://sophiasmissionus.org/jobs/
– Free AI Job Coach, Powered by Grok: https://sophiasmissionus.org/ai-job-coach/

About Saint Sophia’s Mission

Saint Sophia’s Mission is an Orthodox Christian mission and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered in New Jersey that also operates in New York. Its mission is to create meaningful job opportunities in the broadcast radio industry for autistic people, people with disabilities and veterans. The mission runs the free Saint Sophia’s Mission Job Board, the free 26 Plus program and the free radio stations NEWHD Radio and Veterans Classic Rock. Mailing address: 57 Grand St, Unit 3C, New Rochelle, NY 10801. Learn more at https://sophiasmissionus.org.

Father Zachary Martin
Saint Sophia’s Mission
+1 2122875792
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