Donald Trump sued by deaf Americans

On May 28, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) filed a lawsuit to compel the White House to immediately resume providing American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters during broadcasts of their press briefings to make them accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people. Two deaf individuals – Derrick Ford and Matthew Bonn – joined NAD in this lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, alleges that the White House stopped using ASL interpreters in January, “denying hundreds of thousands of deaf Americans meaningful access to the White House’s real-time communications on various issues of national and international import.”

Donald J. Trump, The Executive Office of the President, The White House Office, Office of the Vice President, White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt were named as defendants in the suit.  ~ Newsweek

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This is not the first time the NAD has sued the Trump White House for access to press briefings. In September 2020, the NAD obtained a landmark court ruling ordering the White House to provide interpreters for all coronavirus-related briefings.

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The lawsuit was resolved when the White House implemented a policy to provide ASL interpreters for all press briefings conducted by the President, Vice President, First Lady, Second Gentleman, or the White House Press Secretary. 

Since that settlement, the White House provided ASL interpreters, including Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDIs), for all public briefings, press conferences, and related events by the President, the Vice President, and the White House Press Secretary. These interpreters were visible on the White House’s official communication channels, including WH.gov/live, Facebook, Twitter/X, and YouTube.

The White House’s press briefings were thus fully accessible for deaf and hard of hearing people. However, this practice abruptly ended in January 2025. The White House has not provided any ASL interpreters for any press briefings since that time, despite the NAD’s repeated requests.

“Deaf and hard of hearing Americans have the right to the same access to White House information as everyone else. Denying them ASL interpreters is a direct violation of that right, and the NAD will continue to fight for their full inclusion in the democratic process” said Dr. Bobbie Beth Scoggins, Interim Chief Executive Officer of the NAD. “Such information must be provided not only through captioning but also in American Sign Language.”

The complaint alleges that the White House is in violation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which mandates meaningful access for people with disabilities to all White House communications, and in violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which mandates freedom of exchange of information. 

Since taking office in January, Trump has signed over 130 executive orders and has taken actions that significantly impact the American people. These actions include shutting various offices within the federal government (many of which were responsible for the provision of workplace accommodations that directly impact deaf and hard of hearing federal employees in compliance with various civil rights laws), reducing the federal workforce, and ending various federal programs and services. Without accessible information, these rapid changes leave deaf and hard of hearing people with more questions than answers.

When top government officials make important announcements without ASL interpreters, deaf and hard of hearing people cannot meaningfully access this information – including critical information about protecting their families and livelihoods. This lawsuit seeks to ensure access to the highest levels of government for deaf and hard of hearing people.

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(Source: National Association of the Deaf)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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