Tag: Disability in the United States

The ADA Is Turning 35—And It’s in Trump’s Crosshairs + More

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

The ADA Is Turning 35—And It’s in Trump’s Crosshairs

Since the bill was signed into law, disabled Americans have benefited from a much wider array of protections in the workforce, in education, and in the ability to access public places and private spaces open to the public, such as stores and restaurants. But in a world where disability rights victories, and disabled people themselves, are being attacked by anti-DEI activists who have President Donald Trump’s ear, disability civil rights feel a little more fragile. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, another essential and wide-ranging item of civil rights legislation, is also in peril, most notably through a lawsuit filed by 17 Republican state attorneys general and led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, as my colleague Sarah Szilagy reported in October.

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Donald Trump’s Next Diversity Target: People With Disabilities

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

President Trump’s suggestion last month that the tragic Potomac air crash was somehow the fault of disabled federal air traffic controllers was appalling—but it should have come as no surprise. Trump’s contempt for people with disabilities has been well documented, and it’s that animus, combined with the accelerating MAGA assault on diversity throughout the United States, that has disability rights advocates preparing to defend decades worth of hard-won protections.

One month into his presidency, Trump has unleashed a government-wide attack on people with disabilities, from anti-diversity executive orders to proposed special-education rollbacks to threats to slash programs like Medicaid that are lifelines for disabled people across the country. If successful, these actions could have catastrophic consequences for millions of Americans, according to disability rights experts.

Donald Trump’s Next Diversity Target: People With Disabilities

Related:

In the video below, Rep. Jahana Hayes mentions how Trump’s DEIA order is already affecting special education.

If Trump Dismantles the Dept. of Education, Who Will Pay the Biggest Price?

DEI (A?) – The Effect of Donald Trump’s DEI Executive Order on Accessibility

On President Trump’s first day in office, he immediately issued a new Executive Order declaring Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DEI”) efforts “illegal.” With this new order in effect, previous mandates that implemented DEI efforts both in the federal government and among federal contractors were revoked.

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While the primary focus is on race- and sex-based affirmative action, the Order lumps together “DEI” and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (“DEIA”) efforts. So, disability inclusion efforts may now be under scrutiny as well.

Watched: Disabled & The Cost of Saying I Do

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

I’m attempting to read Capitalism and Disability: Essays by Marta Russell (you can listen, here) for personal reasons. I say attempting because I easily get distracted, and am already reading The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State. In Capitalism and Disability, a documentary produced by Marta is mentioned, Disabled & The Cost of Saying I Do, so I decided to watch it. It’s also on YouTube here, and in higher video quality here.

The documentary covers the unfair disincentives that those who are disabled, on Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI), and get married face. This marriage penalty doesn’t apply if you are on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) unless you’re a Disabled Adult Child (DAC) or a widow or widower of a SSDI recipient. If SSI recipients marry someone with even a small income or level of assets, they could lose their benefits and Medicaid. This is because the Social Security Administration (SSA) considers a portion of the spouse’s income and assets as belonging to the SSI recipient. SSI recipients are often deemed to have income or assets that are too high for SSI or Medicaid because of this.

The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund gets funding from the Department of Education, but they cover SSI and the marriage penalty decently here and here. More resources on capitalism and disability can be found, here.