Disability inclusion is a big part of the DEI work. You may have to turn it back to calling it ADA compliance. - ThreadSky

lollardfish.bsky.social • 32 days ago

Disability inclusion is a big part of the DEI work. You may have to turn it back to calling it ADA compliance.

If you’re in an institution doing any kind of DEI work, the most important thing to do right now is simply call it something else. Change it to “Community Outreach” & then keep on doing the same important work. When they outlaw Community Outreach rebrand it as “Strategic Partnerships,” rinse/repeat.

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catladyamy.bsky.social•32 days ago

The ADA was signed by Bush Sr. It will be interesting to see how the GOP will be able to defend eradicating it.

jedimonkeyninja.bsky.social•32 days ago

They never have to defend anything they do. They just do horrible things and pretend they’re not horrible.

chessa.bsky.social•32 days ago

The Nazis killed people with disabilities. They called them useless eaters. I really doubt this administration is much better. Cruelty and terror are the point.

jmlwhittington.com•32 days ago

This is the correct move. Rebranding is explicitly under threat by the EO, but it does carve out a niche for extant law like the ADA while also championing current civil rights legislation that "already adequately ensures protections." So fall back on it and see if they show their hand.

lollardfish.bsky.social•32 days ago

Lots of incremental moves to make

deemcg.bsky.social•32 days ago

I searched the 47* White House website for references to the Americans with Disability Act, and found it completely scrubbed of any content on disability at all.

Deeply disturbing.

lollardfish.bsky.social•32 days ago

I’m extremely worried about the future of the ADA too of course.

stevesandiego.bsky.social•32 days ago

Really glad to be in California. While not immune to the new administration, we are somewhat buffered.

lollardfish.bsky.social•32 days ago

DOJ Civil rights wing ain't gonna help. Ed Dept ain't gonna help. Labor ain't gonna help. All the federal offices that provided the most minimal oversight ain't gonna help. Lawsuits, often the only remedy, will be defanged and notification rules put in place.

lettersfromthewasteland.org•32 days ago

My wife is so disillusioned with her family. She's been disabled her entire life. The ADA does not do nearly enough, and DEI efforts make a difference. Yet her family simultaneously decry inaccessibility while voting for these Nazi fucks.

saraterror.bsky.social•32 days ago

This is me and my mom, sadly.

lettersfromthewasteland.org•32 days ago

I am so sorry to hear that. Parents and siblings unable to see how their politics IS real life is the worst

lollardfish.bsky.social•32 days ago

The ADA is still law. Civil Rights laws are still laws. Treat them as laws. Fight for them. But we're gonna lose some of the fights and we have to be ready for that too I think.

phiguru.bsky.social•32 days ago

In a small town example that *worked* - someone bought and extensively renovated a retail shop, but didn't make the entrance accessible. A friend brought it to the attention of the building inspector and business and both the inspection process and the entrance are being fixed.

brassclothes.bsky.social•32 days ago

What particularly sucks is that not having the DOJ as an available enforcement mechanism significantly weakens the ADA right out of the gate.
Many if not most people with disabilities aren’t in the position to file individual complaints (pro bono work will be more critical than ever here).

marshviper.bsky.social•32 days ago

Saaaaame, this is bad.

sickofthisbs77.bsky.social•32 days ago

It's already been disregarded for quite some time in Texas. They're 50th in special education, and no one cares.
I wonder why that is?

laportereporte.bsky.social•32 days ago

considering that I've already seen the administration refer to it as "DEIA" in places like their snitch memos - with the A standing for Accessibility - I don't think there's any question the ADA is on their hit list

lollardfish.bsky.social•32 days ago

also the ASL thing

mumbly-joe.bsky.social•32 days ago

Remembering how they had to be sued to provide ASL interpretation of their literal public emergency briefings

clbergpowers.bsky.social•32 days ago

Not just ADA. They're definitely coming for the rehab act.

meemate.bsky.social•32 days ago

I think the Access Board is going to be gutted, and I doubt there will be meaningful s. 508 enforcement going forward. I think s. 504 will be more of a mixed bag because its enforcement is spread out, but it probably won’t be meaningfully enforced by most departments/agencies either.

meemate.bsky.social•32 days ago

I think the most at-risk part of the ADA is Title II, which even more traditional republicans consider federal overreach. I would be shocked if the new Title II regs passed last year go into effect.

lollardfish.bsky.social•32 days ago

Yup

mumbly-joe.bsky.social•32 days ago

Are currently, in fact https://clearinghouse.net/case/45899/

birdyholz.bsky.social•32 days ago

Yep.

carriehall1001.bsky.social•32 days ago

Same here. I'm disabled (multiple disabilities here)

periwinklep.bsky.social•32 days ago

Yes, we should all resist in every way we can. This isn't simply about an acronym that has been deliberately misunderstood, though. The people in charge actively want to harm disabled people, black people, historically excluded people, women, etc.

lollardfish.bsky.social•32 days ago

I know

snowmein.bsky.social•32 days ago

Discrimination against the disabled is now a Christian pro-life policy.

route234.bsky.social•32 days ago

The notion that you guys think this will work is hard to even believe. Do you even understand what we are up against? You think they will just magically stop at DEI?

birdyholz.bsky.social•32 days ago

Interesting you say this because my kid has been told by institutions of higher learning that dei was not for him and there was a special office to help him with all his disability issues. Only saying this to point out that there have been missed opportunities for solidarity all over the place.

meemate.bsky.social•32 days ago

Public universities are required to have specific ADA offices, and many private universities do as well. I get your point about solidarity, and disability inclusion should be part of DEI efforts, but accommodation work requires specialized expertise that doesn’t translate to the rest of DEI work.

birdyholz.bsky.social•32 days ago

That's true but there are ways to accomplish that which make clear the goal of incorporating diversity in all forms. For example, university of Illinois at Chicago where I used to work had (maybe still does) a webpage for all diverse groups that included the access office.

meemate.bsky.social•32 days ago

I 100% agree that DEI efforts should include accessibility. I just also think accommodations work doesn’t have an analogue in other DEI work, and having a standalone team or office handling that doesn’t necessarily say anything about organizational commitment to disability inclusion.

birdyholz.bsky.social•32 days ago

Completely agree. The vibe he got was one of dismissal and I don't think he was wrong about that. So when he ultimately was accepted by that institution, he made a different choice.

meemate.bsky.social•32 days ago

Lots of organizations say the right things and have the right programs in place, but still don’t have a genuine commitment to disability inclusion. Often they don’t even meet minimum legal requirements, despite saying the right things publicly. It wouldn’t surprise me if they were dismissive.

lollardfish.bsky.social•32 days ago

yes. many universities use DEI to mean "race" and that's also a problem.

baldwinsghost.bsky.social•32 days ago

I worked in DEI office in a small college. The office was for all students. That is white students were welcomed and some would hangout there with their friends but most self selected themselves out. I don’t know what to do about that kind of “everyone else is a race/disability except me”

birdyholz.bsky.social•32 days ago

100%

emilyrose.bsky.social•32 days ago

My uncle thinks that disability services, and especially developmental disability services will be relatively safe even from these guys. He’s super smart, and as a former CEO of a Fortune 500 company, he knows how these types tend to operate. I wish I could share his confidence, but I’m terrified.

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