The Impact of the First 100 days of the Trump Regime on Americans with disabilities
When people talk about civil rights rollbacks, disability is often left out of the conversation. Today I want to change that. Over just the first 100 days of Trump’s second presidency, we’ve seen a rapid dismantling of key federal protections and support systems that disabled people depend on. These are not abstract concepts, but tangible policies that determine whether disabled people can live independently, access education, get healthcare, or hold a job. These changes haven’t been subtle. They’ve been sweeping, coordinated, and targeted. Some have come through executive orders, and others via budget directives, agency reorganizations, and public messaging. In this article, I’ll walk through twelve specific actions taken by Trump and his cabinet appointees that together signal the most serious federal-level threat to disability rights and inclusion in decades.
1. Executive Order 14151: Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferences
This order dismantled federal Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives, leading to the elimination of programs that supported disabled individuals in federal employment and contracting. It also resulted in removing accessibility statements from federal websites, signaling a deprioritization of digital accessibility.
2. Executive Order 14173: Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity
This order revoked the use of disparate-impact liability, a legal standard that allowed challenges to policies disproportionately affecting protected groups, including people with disabilities. The revocation weakened enforcement of anti-discrimination laws in employment, housing, and education.
3. Executive Order on Dismantling the Department of Education
This order initiated the process of dismantling the Department of Education. It proposed transferring oversight of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to the Department of Health and Human Services and moving the Office for Civil Rights to the Department of Justice. These changes raised concerns about enforcing special education laws and protections for students with disabilities.
4. Executive Order Establishing the Department of Government Efficiency
This order led to significant workforce reductions across federal agencies, including reclassifying nearly 10,000 employees at the Social Security Administration (SSA) as "at-will," removing their civil service protections. Critics argued that these changes could disrupt services for individuals relying on disability benefits.
5. Executive Order on Education Reforms
This order restructured college accreditation processes, discouraging considerations of diversity and inclusion. Accrediting agencies were directed to focus solely on student outcomes, potentially affecting the recognition of institutions that prioritize diversity initiatives, including those supporting students with disabilities.
6. Executive Order on Civil Rights Division Reorganization
Under this order, the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division underwent significant restructuring, shifting focus away from enforcing disability rights. Approximately half of the division's attorneys resigned or planned to leave, raising concerns about the division's capacity to uphold civil rights protections for individuals with disabilities.
7. Executive Order on Autism Research and Registry
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proposed creating a national health registry for autistic individuals and initiated a study based on private health records. These actions were coupled with proposed budget cuts to disability services. Although almost immediately repudiated, they still sparked alarm among experts and advocates who viewed them as stigmatizing and harmful to the autistic community.
8. Abolishment of the Administration for Community Living (ACL)
The ACL, a key agency supporting older adults and people with disabilities in living independently, was eliminated. Its programs, including Independent Living Centers, Assistive Technology grants, and Aging and Disability Resource Centers, were either defunded or administratively relocated with diminished authority and resources.
9. Threatened cuts to Medicaid and Disability Support Services via Budget Directives
The 2025 budget proposal included significant reductions to Medicaid, particularly targeting community-based services and Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers. These cuts threatened access to essential services that help prevent the institutionalization of people with disabilities.
10. Planned Cuts to Social Security Staffing and Reclassification of SSA Employees
An executive order creating the Department of Government Efficiency led to workforce reductions and reclassification of thousands of employees at the Social Security Administration as "Schedule F," stripping them of civil service protections. This change raised concerns about the timely delivery of SSDI and SSI benefits and the potential politicization of eligibility determinations.
11. Defunding of Disability Employment and Vocational Programs
The 2025 budget defunded several Department of Labor initiatives to promote employment for people with disabilities. This includes Supported Employment programs, funding for state vocational rehabilitation agencies, and employer grants for workplace accommodations.
12. Suspension of EEOC Discrimination Cases'
Severe reductions in enforcement, staffing, and prioritization at the EEOC are functionally limiting how many ADA-related complaints are being acted on. People with disabilities face longer delays, fewer investigations, and more case dismissals without full review. paused or withdrawn active EEOC lawsuits, though most early reporting has focused on race and gender. Disability advocates warn that ADA cases not tied to high-profile employers or public interest lawsuits are part of the dismissal trend.
Conclusion
These aren’t isolated policy tweaks. This is a structured dismantling of disabled people’s support systems. From eliminating DEIA programs and defunding community-based services to gutting civil rights enforcement and proposing stigmatizing autism surveillance, every action I’ve outlined erodes hard-won gains that disabled people have fought for over generations. The message is clear: disability is being deprioritized, defunded, and dismissed. If we don’t speak out now with facts, urgency, and solidarity, we risk losing not just programs, but the principle that disabled lives deserve equity, dignity, and full participation in society. That isn’t just a rollback. It’s erasure.