The NAD Expresses Concern Regarding:
- Disappearance of White House Accessibility
- Recent Executive Orders Attacking DEIA Programs
- Impact of Widespread Suspension of Federal Grant Funding
by Lisa Rose, President, and Dr. Bobbie Beth Scoggins, CEO
ASL Community Letter:
English Translation:
Lisa Rose:
Hello!
The NAD is aware of the critical and unfortunate impacts of recent events due to the changing administration in the White House.
The first issue is the discontinuation of interpreters for White House Press briefings and emergency broadcasts.
The second issue, which has multiple parts, is the impact of the DEIA Executive Order, which has caused some deaf and hard of hearing people to lose their jobs, or to have their communications access threatened or removed.
The NAD considers these impacts to be critically important. The NAD Board and staff are here for you. To provide more information, I’ve asked Dr. Bobbie Beth Scoggins to share some details.
Dr. Bobbie Beth Scoggins:
Thank you, Lisa.
First, I want to share some important updates regarding recent changes under the new administration and discuss our next steps together.
First, it is concerning to see that the accessibility section of the White House website is now gone, along with all vital ASL videos that provided critical information to deaf and hard of hearing Americans.
Second, a new Executive Order has emerged that directly targeted Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA). We’ve learned that this order has resulted in some deaf and hard of hearing who are in DEIA-related positions and/or departments being placed on leave, with plans for their termination.
Many individuals have reported the termination of their accessibility services, specifically interpreters, which seems to stem from the misconception that these services are merely DEIA activities, rather than essential legal accommodations. These changes pose a serious threat not only to those federal deaf and hard of hearing employees, but also to the broader Deaf community across America. A decline in support could lead to reduced accessibility in workplaces, education and public services. If interpreters and other accommodations are viewed as expendable, it sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the rights and inclusion of deaf and hard of hearing individuals nationwide. This could result in fewer job opportunities and greater barriers to communication, affecting our ability to participate fully in society.
A recent order this morning paused all federal grants and a spending freeze as of 5 pm today. Agencies have until February 10th to submit detailed information on any programs subject to the suspension. This includes a number of grants that impact deaf and hard of hearing people.
The NAD is prepared to confront these challenges. We have a strong history of advocacy and legal action, including our successful lawsuit against the previous administration for failing to provide interpreters during critical COVID-19 emergency briefings in 2020. We litigated, and we won! We ultimately settled this case with the White House, who agreed to provide ASL interpreters for ALL press briefings, not just those deemed emergencies.
We have also successfully litigated cases against the federal government when interpreters were denied to federal employees.
To effectively pursue these critical cases, we need your help. Your support as a member of the NAD, and your donations are essential. Please check the form on the same page as this video, for various ways you can contribute. The NAD has been at the forefront of major civil rights battles impacting deaf and hard of hearing people for the past 145 years. Your contributions will strengthen our financial resources, allowing us to address these violations of OUR civil, human, and linguistic rights.
We will be hosting an information session on Thursday, January 30. This information session will provide an overview of what we know, and outline our plan moving forward, along with a Q&A opportunity. We encourage you to participate.
Additionally, please take a moment to fill out the two web forms that you can fill out on this page: one for ASL accessibility to the White House press briefing and another for federal Employees impacted by these Executive Orders. Gathering this data is vital to help us understand the full impact on deaf and hard of hearing federal employees.
Let’s stand together as members of the NAD. Your involvement is crucial, and I hope you will consider donating. We are all in this together.
Join our information session on January 30, 8:30 p.m. EST. Go to the link below to register:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/9717381006646/WN_LilvcdsATsmt0UgC7lL9pw
To help us gather more information, please fill out these surveys: