Disabled People’s Future in America 

CW: Ableism & Eugenics

Megha Satyanarayana was a teenager when she realized just how much “we tuck people with disabilities out of sight and out of mind.”  Sadly, disabled people still face numerous barriers when it comes to living their lives.

Under the guise of government efficiency, President Donald Trump and his administration are cutting funding for or disbanding vital agencies and services that millions of disabled of Americans rely on. However, it’s about more than that. Whether through rhetoric about normalizing institutionalization again or by making Social Security benefits more difficult to obtain, this is nothing more than ableism, the eugenics doctrine at work in the highest levels of government.

Trump’s appointees are also cutting the Department of Veterans Affairs and demolishing the Department of Education, both of which help disabled people. Furthermore, the Department of Justice is eliminating guidelines that help businesses better serve disabled people. One of the documents focuses on making new hotels ADA compliant. Another topic is how to communicate with disabled clients or customers. The Republican budget plan in Congress calls for cuts that will undoubtedly affect Medicaid, which provides health insurance to 20% of Americans. 

As a person with cerebral palsy, Medicaid impacts me every single day. Medicaid allows me to live in my apartment where I receive around-the-clock care. In September of this year, at the age of 26, Medicaid will be my only source of health insurance.

Medicaid provides coverage for home and community-based services. There are many different types of home and community-based services available under Medicaid. Examples of covered home and community-based services include physical, occupational, and speech therapies, durable medical equipment, home healthcare, home-delivered meals, and dietary management. These services are intended to help people remain in their communities.

In my case, Massachusetts Medicaid provides the funding for my PCAs (Personal Care Assistants). My PCA helps me with activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, and toileting. Without Medicaid, I wouldn’t be able to pay for PCA services, which cost more than $50,000 annually.

There have also been massive layoffs concerning disability services. For example, the changes to the Office for Civil Rights were among almost 1,400 layoffs announced by the Education Department in March. Combined with recent resignations and retirements, the agency expects to lose over half of its workforce. In addition to the Office for Civil Rights, personnel from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, the Institute of Education Sciences, and other divisions were let go. 

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stated that the layoffs are a “first step” toward closing the agency entirely, as President Donald Trump has consistently promised to do, having signed an executive order last month. McMahon has proposed relocating oversight of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to the Department of Health and Human Services and transferring the Office for Civil Rights to the Justice Department.

Most recently, the federal Department of Health and Human Services moved to eliminate the Administration for Community Living (ACL), a subsidiary established in 2012 to support disabled and aging people, as part of a larger series of cuts that will result in the layoff of approximately 10,000 HHS employees. According to HHS’ press release on the restructure, ACL’s tasks will be reassigned elsewhere within the department, although the administration has yet to provide any information or clarify its plans. An undetermined number of the administration’s employees will be laid off.

The actions taken by President Donald Trump and his appointees are affecting millions of Americans. Disabled children, veterans, and the elderly all rely on these services. People’s lives should be more important than money and politics. 

Sources:

Cochran, Lexi Lonas. “Trump Signs Executive Order to Dismantle Department of Education.” The Hill, The Hill, 20 Mar. 2025, thehill.com/homenews/education/5179987-trump-executive-order-department-of-education-linda-mcmahon/amp/. 

Diament, Michelle. “Trump Administration to Close Agency Promoting Community Living for People with Idd.” Disability Scoop, Disability Scoop, 31 Mar. 2025, http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2025/03/31/trump-administration-to-close-agency-promoting-community-living-for-people-with-idd/31384/. 

Diament, Michelle. “As Education Department Slashes Nearly Half Its Staff, Special Ed Worries Mount.” Disability Scoop, Disability Scoop, 12 Mar. 2025, http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2025/03/12/as-education-department-slashes-nearly-half-its-staff-special-ed-worries-mount/31350/. 

Diament, Michelle. “Ed Department Cuts May Leave Students with Disabilities ‘Little to No Recourse.’” Disability Scoop, Disability Scoop, 18 Mar. 2025, http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2025/03/18/ed-department-cuts-may-leave-students-with-disabilities-little-to-no-recourse/31362/. 

Diament, Michelle. “Trump’s Pick for Education Secretary Proposes Offloading Special Ed.” Disability Scoop, Disability Scoop, 24 Feb. 2025, http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2025/02/24/trumps-pick-for-education-secretary-proposes-offloading-special-ed/31314/. 

Diament, Michelle. “Trump Education Secretary Confirmed despite Special Ed Concerns.” Disability Scoop, Disability Scoop, 5 Mar. 2025, http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2025/03/05/trump-education-secretary-confirmed-despite-special-ed-concerns/31332/. 

Kosofsky, Isadora, and Abby Goodnough. “Medicaid Is Not a Top Campaign Issue. but for These Voters, It’s Crucial.” The New York Times, The New York Times Company , 26 Oct. 2024, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/10/26/us/medicaid-election-voters-photos.html?unlocked_article_code=1.VE4.kycA.3Ph6OZk9LLH2&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare#. 

Métraux, Julia. “RFK Jr. Moves to Close Administration for Community Living.” Mother Jones, Mother Jones, 28 Mar. 2025, http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/03/rfk-hhs-acl-community-living-shutdown/. 

Satyanarayana, Megha. “Slashing Programs That Help People with Disabilities Is a Nod to Eugenics.” Scientific American, Springer Nature, 28 Mar. 2025, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/slashing-programs-that-help-people-with-disabilities-is-a-nod-to-eugenics/.