Trump Administration Sued (surprise …😉) Over ASL Interpreter Snub
Jun 23 2025
In what’s starting to feel like a recurring accessibility audit failure, the White House is once again being sued by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), and once again, it’s under a Trump administration.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for D.C., says the reinstalled Trump team dropped American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters from public briefings, despite prior legal rulings and clear expectations that were upheld under the Biden administration. The suit cites violations of both the Rehabilitation Act and the First Amendment, noting that captions alone aren’t sufficient for many Deaf users, as ASL is a distinct language.
Looking Back to 2020
In August 2020, the NAD and five Deaf plaintiffs took legal action against President Trump and his White House for failing to provide in-frame ASL interpreters at COVID 19 briefings, a time when access to public information wasn’t just a right but a critical necessity. This led to an agreement that included the provision of ASL interpreters for all press briefings and a $225,000 payment to cover legal fees and costs. The Trump administration settled the case in December 2021.
The Broader Accessibility Message
From our perspective at AAAtraq, where we spend every day helping organisations avoid digital exclusion, the irony isn’t lost. Ensuring content is accessible isn’t just a legal checkbox; it’s fundamental to communicating with your full audience and protecting your organisation from legal and reputational risk. Whether it’s a government briefing, a website, a document, or a live event feed, exclusion — intentional or not — comes with consequences.
Leadership Sets the Tone
While broadcast briefings may be outside our usual remit, the bigger picture matters. This case is a reminder of the broader inclusivity efforts that have taken root across sectors — often hard-won and steadily built. That progress wasn’t accidental. Leaders in government, commerce, and public service influence the tone. If they choose to follow the Trump model and roll back established accessibility practices, they should also be prepared to face the very real consequences: legal, reputational, and social.
A great deal of progress has been made in making digital and public spaces more accessible. Sustaining that momentum matters just as much as the policies themselves. With two lawsuits behind him, let’s hope Trump’s next move will be towards inclusion — not litigation.
Read the original article from Disability Scoop here:
White House Sued Over Accessibility
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