America’s obsession with meritocracy has blinded many to a simple truth: there is no universal starting line. Acknowledging this doesn’t promote weakness—it calls attention to the real barriers that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) policies were designed to reduce.
In early 2025, President Trump signed Executive Orders that dramatically reduced DEIA polices that assist people with disabilities gain employment.
Disability Employment by the Numbers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for working-age Americans with disabilities (ages 16–64) is significantly higher than for non-disabled individuals. Factors for theses numbers include:
- Lack of inclusive hiring practices
- Insufficient accommodations
- Discrimination
Despite these facts, the Accessibility aspect of DEIA is often overlooked.
Political Ignorance
Conservatives staunchly believe DEIA is a far-left, “woke” ideology, claiming it replaces qualified job candidates with unqualified individuals from marginalized groups. These critiques are not only misguided, they moved the conversation away from how eliminating DEIA policies would be detrimental to people with disabilities.
It’s no surprise that when conservatives are asked if they oppose DEIA if it helped disabled people in the work force, they say, “no,” followed quickly by, “what does disability have to do with DEI!”.
If the conversation had focused more on barriers disabled individuals face in finding and keeping work, perhaps those on the Right would not have voted for its elimination.
📉 Too Soon to Measure
Its too early to see if the elimination of these policies will have a negative affect on disabled individuals seeking work, but what’s already clear is that these policies worked. They provided a foundation for disabled individuals to enter, remain in, and grow within the workforce.
Honest, informed conversations much be had about how public policies impact disabled Americans. Until we do, conservatives will continue blindly cutting down any policy that sounds dangerous; thus proving who the truly impaired really are.
Blind Zebra 
Leave a comment