CW: Ableism
Disability advocates are suing after the Trump administration abruptly stopped providing sign language interpreters at press briefings and other events. The National Association of the Deaf filed a lawsuit late last month in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging that its repeated requests for American Sign Language interpreters remained unanswered. According to the federal complaint, the lack of interpreters violates Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act as well as the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
“The White House’s failure to provide qualified ASL interpreters during public press briefings, press conferences, and related events is against the law,” the complaint states. “Federal law unequivocally prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities and requires them to have meaningful access to the federal government’s programs and services. Failing to provide ASL interpreters deprives deaf people of meaningful access to the White House’s press briefings.”
According to the group, ASL (American Sign Language) is distinct from English in terms of syntax and structure, and closed captioning is insufficient for many ASL speakers. In addition to the National Association of the Deaf, two deaf people filed the lawsuit, claiming they had trouble understanding closed captions.
When it comes to captions, they are not always accurate. For some time, there has been much controversy (and extensive research) about the accuracy of automatic captions. According to a 2022 study published in The Journal on Technology and Persons with Disabilities, automatic captions had an accuracy rate of 89.8%, which does not meet the current legal and industry criteria for digital accessibility.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time ASL interpreters haven’t been included in important events. In 2020, a judge forced then-governor Andrew Cuomo to include an ASL interpreter in his COVID-19 briefings. The decision was reached following a lawsuit filed by Disability Rights New York.
Disabled people shouldn’t be forgotten when it comes to important news. If people can’t understand information, they miss out on hearing about what is going on around them. It’s 2025, and accessibility should be the norm.
Sources:
Campbell, Jon. “Judge Orders Andrew Cuomo to Add Sign-Language Interpreter to Coronavirus Briefings.” Democrat and Chronicle, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 12 May 2020,
Graham, Rebecca, and Jinhee Choo. ‘Preliminary Research on AI-Generated Caption Accuracy Rate by Platforms and Variables’. Journal on Technology and Persons with Disabilities, vol. 10, 2022, pp. 33–53.
Heasley, Shaun. “White House Sued over Accessibility.” Disability Scoop, Disability Scoop, 17 June 2025, http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2025/06/17/white-house-sued-over-accessibility/31497/.
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