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“Disability Is DEI.”

“DEI programs and initiatives designed to encourage diversity and promote fairness in education and in the workforce benefit people with disabilities, including ADHD… The full impact of this administration’s dismantling of DEI policies on people with disabilities is difficult to measure but impossible to discount.”

By Jillian Lillibridge Heilman, Ph.D., CRC Updated on May 7, 2025
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The following is a personal essay that reflects the opinions and experiences of its author alone.

March 4, 2025

As the Trump administration moves to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies in the public and private sectors of the United States, my thoughts turn to one of our country’s largest minority groups: people with disabilities.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 4 Americans — or 70 million individuals — live with a disability. This diverse group spans all age groups, racial and ethnic backgrounds, gender identities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic statuses, and religious beliefs. Disability doesn’t discriminate.

DEI programs and initiatives designed to encourage diversity and promote fairness in education and in the workforce benefit people with disabilities, including those with ADHD. And with the dismantling of these programs, we are witnessing a surge in discrimination toward people with disabilities. The full impact of the Trump administration’s dismantling of DEI policies on people with disabilities is difficult to measure but impossible to discount.

Disability In Dire Straits

I have served as a disability advocate for the past 25 years; 15 of those years were in higher education as a professor, program coordinator, and director of disability services. I have a graduate degree in rehabilitation sciences and am a nationally certified rehabilitation counselor. This is not a field I chose; rather, it chose me.

You see, I am also a mom to three children with disabilities and a fierce advocate for many more. In recent years, I have seen a gradual erosion of the services and protections available to individuals living with disabilities. I have been hesitant to voice my concerns over these changes because, by nature, I am a people pleaser. I stay in my lane, keep my head down, and get my work done. But that all changed two years ago.

[Free Resource: Classroom Accommodations for Children with ADHD]

In April 2023, as an assistant professor and rehabilitation counselor, I was offered the opportunity to train more than 500 rehabilitation counselors on multicultural competencies in counseling, among other things, under Florida’s Vocational Rehabilitation program. Cultural competencies help us, as counselors, support our clients by taking into account their backgrounds and acknowledging our own internal biases. I was excited about this collaboration — until Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the training was no longer permitted under the state’s new DEI policies.

Soon after, DeSantis signed a bill into law banning the state’s public universities from spending funds on DEI initiatives. This included training counselors on their ethical obligations as professionals. I explained that people with disabilities are from all demographic backgrounds and that counselors who understand cultural differences can more effectively support their clients’ vocational and mental health needs. I even offered to do the workshops for free. I was shut down.

Colleges and universities live under the threat of having funding withheld if they do not comply with political mandates to eliminate courses, programs, student organizations, support services, and other initiatives with DEI components.

[Read: “Here’s What Happened When I Revealed My ADHD on LinkedIn”]

The Escalating Attack on DEI

Florida’s assault on DEI initiatives two years ago foreshadowed what is happening today in American politics, and the threats to public and private institutions alike is real. I fear that President Trump is setting a national agenda and tone that does not value people with disabilities and their vital contributions to society. The evidence of this is everywhere:

  1. The standard Accessibility Statement on the White House website was removed by the Trump administration. This lack of visibility and accessibility underscores a lack of concern for Americans with disabilities, who had visible accessibility statements under Presidents Biden and Obama.
  2. The U.S. government has eliminated DEI efforts in all federal agencies and is pressuring private companies to do the same.
  3. The Trump administration aims to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).
    • The DOE oversees federal funding for K-12 schools servicing students with disabilities and handles discrimination complaints in education, including non-compliance, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Roughly 7.5 million students, or 15 percent of the student population, receive special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which provides $15 billion to support students with disabilities. Without the federal DOE, funding for students with disabilities would be eliminated, as well the ability to enforce allocation of services to these students.
    • The DOE provides protection. Seventeen states are actively working to eliminate 504 Plans in their education systems. The absence of strong federal oversight would leave millions of students vulnerable to discrimination and lacking the resources needed to be successful in school.
    • The DOE provides funding to Title 1 Schools. Federal dollars target schools in low-income areas to “provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps by allocating federal funds for education programs and services,” according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
    • The DOE oversees federal student aid to college students. Students could lose untold dollars in loans, grants, and federal student aid if the DOE is eliminated.

Disability rights are human rights. Disability rights are civil rights. Disability rights matter.

We must not turn a blind eye to the strategic maneuvers at play in our national politics. America’s leaders are making calculated decisions that threaten to upend the lives of thousands of Americans with disabilities. We must speak out.

What can we do today?

  1. Take a stand. Educate yourself and those around you. Advocate for disability rights.
  2. Call or write to your local, state, and federal legislators, your local news organizations, and to President Trump and Vice President Vance. Write op-eds explaining these harmful policies.
  3. Organize grassroots efforts in your community to support people with disabilities.
  4. Check in on people who are affected by these changes. Let them know they are not alone.
  5. Boycott businesses that do not value diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  6. Practice self-care. Go for a walk. Have dinner with a friend. Dance. Laugh. This is a marathon, not a sprint. We all need to take care of ourselves.

What Does DEI Mean: Next Steps

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