Local opinion: Americans with disabilities concerned over rollback of accessibility programs

and analysis of the writer:

With the Trump Administration’s dismantling of DEI programs throughout the nation, one population of Americans are voicing their concerns about the ending of these programs: Americans living with a disability. If you look at Trump’s executive order from Jan. 20, the order doesn’t just target DEI programs, but also DEIA programs with the added “A” standing for accessibility.

The disability rights movement has fought hard over the last 80 years to provide accessibility to all Americans who are managing a disability including:

— Providing equal opportunity in the workplace with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973;

— Affirming the right for all children regardless of disability to receive an education with the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1975;

— and the ending of discrimination towards those with disabilities and promotion of equal access to public accommodations for all with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

The Jan. 20 executive order from the Trump Administration and a recent lawsuit in Sept. 2024 brought forward by 17 states are leaving many Americans with disabilities concerned about the future of accessibility, accommodation, and disability rights.

As an individual who had an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) growing up, and as a social worker who has worked with youth and adults with disabilities in multiple capacities, I believe the impending rollback of accessibility programs needs to be taken seriously.

Recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that about 1 out of every 4 Americans has a disability. With so many Americans managing a disability in their daily lives, we need to be asking ourselves the question: What will the rollback of these programs look like for myself and my loved ones who have a disability?

Some, like Aaron Di Blasi at Medium and Gus Alexiou at Forbes Magazine, view the impending cuts to disability inclusion programs with a hint of optimism, and that they are “a rollback, but not a defeat,” and that “Federal agencies have deeply embedded policies and procedures (regarding disability inclusion) that can’t simply be switched off overnight.”

Others, like Kings Floyd with The Century Foundation think tank, are expressing the concern that these challenges toward Section 504 and rollback of accessibility programs will lead to “negative stereotypes, perpetuate discrimination, and undermine the progress made in promoting inclusion and equality for individuals with disabilities.”

In the coming weeks, months, and years, we as caring American citizens need to be civically engaged so that we can help those around us who might be negatively affected by the rollback of programs that have helped individuals with disabilities live independently, receive a quality education, and be gainfully employed. In this transition moving forward of legal challenges to established disability protections and the rollback of accessibility programs, we all should be looking at opportunities to step up and serve those in our communities who are navigating life with a disability.