Attorneys working in the background with these groups make sure the federal government lives up to the promises upheld by the Americans with Disabilities Act and others that cater to the demographic.
The Trump administration has found a new way to downplay the rise of litigation from members of the disabled community: cut access to lawyers who fight for the rights of disabled Americans, USA Today reports.
If disabled Americans have difficulty finding lawyers, lawsuits will have a hard time progressing. “I think many families of people with disabilities, or even many people with disabilities themselves, don’t hear about it until they Google, ‘Where can I get help?’” George Washington University health law professor Alison Barkoff said.
The purpose of some of the attorneys is to ensure disabled Americans continue to have the services they need to live in their own homes instead of having to move into assisted spaces or simply enjoy luxuries like going to the movies, restaurants, and school. “These are people who, if these supports are ripped away, are going to have to leave their communities and their families, at a higher cost for taxpayers,” she continued.
The U.S. House and Senate committees feel the funding shouldn’t be touched; however, given the current Trump administration, Congress’s continued support could be altered. Affected members think the same, highlighting the importance of state-based legal groups.
This is the type of needed assistance Trump and his team are trying to take away from Americans who are entitled to such help — and for seemingly selfish reasons.
The White House dumped American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters from press briefings, causing backlash from advocacy groups, and resulting in U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruling the decision was an illegal exclusion from crucial government updates on important matters of war, the economy, and public health for deaf Americans.
However, President Donald Trump’s legal team, according to The Independent, argues that having ASL interpreters would harm the president’s way of presenting his “image” to the public and would also force him to “share his platform.”
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Source: Black Enterprise
