As we look ahead to the next four years, many are asking on social media platforms whether the rights of people with disabilities—including deaf individuals—are at a crossroads under Trump’s White House administration for 2025-2029. Deaf advocates and activists with disabilities are concerned: will the hard-fought gains of the last few decades be sustained, or will they be undermined by Trump’s policies, as outlined in Project 2025, that threaten essential protections?
Recently, Trump blamed a tragic aviation crash on the FAA’s DEI program, suggesting that people with disabilities shouldn’t qualify to work in aviation. This accusation is not only false but deeply harmful. It implies that deaf and disabled individuals are incapable of fulfilling these roles—an outdated and dangerous stereotype. In reality, deaf and disabled individuals are thriving in the aviation field, including as pilots. This rhetoric undermines efforts toward diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, stigmatizing deaf and disabled people while casting doubt on the value of accessible and inclusive workplaces.
It is becoming increasingly undeniable that deaf and disabled individuals are being unfairly targeted by the White House through Trump and his administration’s baseless claims, steeped in ableism, audism, and vidism. This targeted behavior extends not only to these communities but also to people of color and transgender communities. Many deaf and disabled people hold intersecting identities, meaning that for some, these attacks represent a compounded burden—a double or even triple threat to their dignity and rights. These claims are not just politically charged—they are damaging.
The rhetoric of Trump’s White House administration sends a clear message that the rights of deaf and disabled Americans are expendable. Since Trump’s second inauguration, several sign language interpreters have been fired due to the removal of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) programs from federal agencies. For many of us, sign language interpreters are the very foundation of our access to the world, especially in our workplaces. Furthermore, it is illegal to remove access from deaf workers by firing sign language interpreters
Despite the removal of DEIA from federal programs, the rights of deaf and disabled communities are still safeguarded by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504). This landmark legislation prohibits discrimination in any program receiving federal funding, ensuring protection for individuals with disabilities, including deaf people.
The Daily Moth, an online news platform focused on the deaf community, has provided a clear explanation of these protections. However, despite the safeguards offered by the Rehabilitation Act, many are increasingly worried that the rights granted under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may be rolled back. This ongoing uncertainty is the central concern of this article.
As the next four years unfold, it is essential for all of us who care about protecting the rights of disabled and deaf communities to remain vigilant. We also cannot afford to let the hard-won gains made under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other civil rights protections be eroded. We must remain extremely vigilant as these threats unfold.
First Term and Disability Rights: A Troubling Track Record
During Trump’s first term (2016-2020), disability rights and deaf advocates raised alarms about policies that disproportionately impacted these communities. One of the most concerning was the rollback of protections related to healthcare access and Medicaid—lifeline programs for many people with disabilities. Proposed cuts to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Medicaid threatened to strip away essential support systems, which are literally a matter of life and death for millions of disabled Americans.
Though the ADA itself was not directly targeted, fear persisted that these regulatory rollbacks could undermine the law’s practical impact, making it harder for deaf and disabled individuals to enforce their rights. Many of us are deeply concerned about what Trump will do during his second term, especially with his dangerous Project 2025 playbook..
The underlying motivation behind Trump’s potential cuts, as recommended in Project 2025, appears to be a profound disregard for the dignity and rights of people with disabilities and the deaf communities. For example, Trump’s repeated mockery of disabled individuals—such as his widely publicized ridicule of Serge Kovaleski, a journalist with a joint disability, during his 2015 campaign, and his derogatory comments about Marlee Matlin, the Oscar-winning deaf actress, while she participated in The Celebrity Apprentice—reveals a troubling and persistent pattern of ableism and audism that cannot be overlooked. Additionally, it is a well publicized story that Trump once ordered an architect not to include braille in Trump Tower elevator panels because no blind people would live in his building—even after being informed that excluding the tactile writing system violates federal law.
Trump’s behavior toward deaf and disabled people calls to mind Maya Angelou’s powerful quote: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” He has already shown us who he is far too many times. And this is the person we’ll be dealing with for at least four more years. We must push back against ableism, audism, and vidism in the years ahead. It’s time to stop saying, “Oh, Trump won’t do this to us.” At this point, it’s better to be an alarmist than a realist.
The ADA: Standing Strong, but Under Threat?
As of now, there’s no clear indication that Trump would seek to repeal or gut The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) entirely during his second term—such a move would face massive opposition from advocacy groups, state governments, and businesses that have invested heavily in complying with the law—the real threat lies in weakening its enforcement. The ADA also has broad public support across party lines, making a complete dismantling unlikely.
ADA, signed into law in 1990, has been a cornerstone of deaf and disability rights in the U.S. It prohibits discrimination based on disability in public accommodations, transportation, employment, and telecommunications, fundamentally improving the quality of life for millions of deaf and disabled Americans. It has opened doors to public spaces, workplaces, medical services, and educational institutions that were once off-limits.
While the ADA itself is unlikely to be repealed, the real risk lies in the weakening of its enforcement. Instead of a full rollback, the current White House administration may pursue policies that undermine the ADA’s impact by relaxing accessibility standards, cutting funding for enforcement, or reducing protections in areas like healthcare, telecommunications, and employment. While such moves wouldn’t eliminate the ADA outright, they could make it much harder for deaf and disabled individuals to fully benefit from its protections, particularly in terms of independence and access to society.
Weakening ADA—whether through reducing accessibility standards or cutting funds for enforcement—would deprive millions of access to essential resources, including physical accessibility, accessible telecommunications, healthcare, education, and assistive technology. Without these resources, we risk creating long-term barriers to independence and full integration in our society. We must brace ourselves to defend our rights.
The Role of the Courts: Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools
The conservative judicial appointments made by Trump during his first term, particularly to the Supreme Court, could have a lasting impact on disability rights throughout his second term. While the ADA has been upheld in key rulings, the growing influence of conservative judges may lead to narrower interpretations of the law, potentially weakening its effectiveness in future cases.
Yet, in an unexpected victory for disability rights, the 2021 case Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools demonstrated that even under a conservative judiciary, disability and Deaf rights can prevail. In this case, Justice Neil Gorsuch—appointed by the current White House administration during its first term—sided with disability rights, ruling that a deaf student, Miguel Perez, had the right to seek monetary damages under the ADA after his school failed to provide appropriate and accessible education.
While Perez v. Sturgis doesn’t change Trump’s Project 2025 landscape, it serves as a powerful reminder that victories for deaf and disability rights are possible, even under conservative courts. We must draw inspiration from such wins as we continue the fight for equality and equity.
The Pushback from Advocacy Groups
It is crucial to support and strengthen advocacy organizations like the National Association of the Deaf, National Black Deaf Advocates, Council de Manos, National Asian Deaf Congress, ACLU, AAPD, HEARD, Disability Rights California, and The Arc. These organizations are on the frontlines of defending the ADA and pushing back against harmful policies. They wield significant political and legal clout and will swiftly oppose any attempts to weaken protections for deaf and disabled people. Given these organizations’ strength in community advocacy and the broad bipartisan support for the ADA, any efforts by Trump to reduce its impact would likely face substantial resistance.
To fuel your passion for this cause, I encourage you to watch two powerful films directed by deaf filmmakers, which recently made their debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025. Deaf President Now, co-directed by Nyle DiMarco, chronicles the 1988 protest at Gallaudet University, where students demanded that the Board of Trustees select a deaf president. The second, Not Alone Anymore, directed by Shoshannah Stern, explores Marlee Matlin’s journey as the first deaf person to win an Oscar for her role in Children of a Lesser God.
Both films highlight the struggle for deaf rights and serve as powerful reminders of how hard the previous generation worked to secure our rights and opportunities. They represent my generation, a time when we didn’t have closed captions, video relay services, interpreters in various settings, and—most importantly—deaf leadership actively making decisions about what’s best for us. We cannot afford to lose these hard-earned gains. We all must be an active part of this disability and deaf rights resistance movement. In solidarity, let’s push forward together, both in the next four years and beyond.
Final Thoughts
Any attempt by Trump’s administration to undermine the rights of deaf and disabled people will face strong opposition. With broad bipartisan support for the ADA and vocal advocacy from rights groups, such efforts are likely to meet substantial resistance. However, the stakes remain high, and the outcome will depend on how aggressively the administration pursues these changes—and how proactively we push back.
The progress we’ve made is invaluable, and we cannot afford to go backward. We must stay vigilant and united in the fight for the rights of deaf and disabled people. With strong advocacy, public support, and a commitment to both equality and equity, we can ensure that these rights continue to advance.
It boils down to “nothing about us without us.”
About the author:
Julie Rems-Smario, Ed.D.
In 2021, Dr. Julie Rems-Smario graduated from the Ed.D. program at California State University, East Bay. She currently serves as an Education Programs Consultant for the Deaf Education Unit at the California Department of Education, where she is also the co-coordinator of the California Early Hearing Intervention and Detection program known as LEAD-K Family Services. In 2007, she was recognized by CNN Heroes and E-Women Network for her work with DeafHope, a nonprofit that supports Deaf survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Dr. Rems-Smario is also a co-founder of CoFusion Group, which engages in abolition work to address inequities in the educational system. www.cofusiongroup.org