ADA Watch Action Alert: Tell the Trump Administration to Stop Blaming People with Disabilities for Air Disaster

Contact the White House, Congress and other Leaders Now!

President Trump and members of his Administration are unjustly blaming people with physical, psychiatric, and intellectual disabilities for the tragic loss of life following the collision of an American Airlines plane with an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.

As a result of our rapid response, ADA Watch’s founder and executive director Jim Ward was quoted in Reuters news service reports, Yahoo! News and elsewhere. See below for our quotes and those from other disability organizations. Contact the Trump Administration, your members of Congress and other leaders here. Tell them to stop blaming the worst U.S. air disaster in more than two decades on people with disabilities and the diversity programs we rely on. 

Without any foundation in fact, Trump continued to attack Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) programs—initiatives designed to increase opportunities for historically marginalized communities. His assertion that DEIA programs reduce worker performance is not supported by objective research. The underlying assumption that people with disabilities, people of color, women, and other protected individuals are inferior performers is rooted in ableism, racism, and sexism, not reality.

Disability rights should never be a partisan issue. The disability community will continue to build coalitions, speak out, and pursue legal remedies to counteract the divisive and harmful rhetoric of this Administration. We call on policymakers, advocates, and allies to stand with us in rejecting these attacks and defending the civil and human rights of people with disabilities.

ADA Watch and the Coalition for Disability Rights & Justice are united in our mission to advance disability rights and ensure full inclusion in every aspect of society.

Contact the White House, Congress and other leaders now! 

“Blaming an aviation disaster on people with disabilities and the programs designed to foster workplace integration is not only unfounded—it is dangerous. This rhetoric fuels discrimination, reinforces harmful stereotypes, and increases the risk of real-world harm against people with disabilities,” said ADA Watch/CDRJ founder and executive director Jim Ward. 

 “The President is deliberately spreading falsehoods to demonize the quarter of American adults who live with disabilities rather than directing federal resources towards ensuring such a devastating tragedy never happens again. This is part of a broader coordinated attack on civil rights and equal opportunity across government. These attacks do nothing to keep Americans safe, and actually threaten our ability to ensure safety by building the strongest possible aviation workforce,” said American Association of People with Disabilities President and CEO Maria Town

Scott Thornhill, the Executive Director of the American Council of the Blind stated, “The tragic accident that occurred last night near Reagan Washington National Airport is one we all are deeply saddened about. This is not a time for political posturing or speculation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who devastatingly lost their lives. We strongly denounce any insinuation that hiring individuals with disabilities had any part in this horrific event.”

 “One of the biggest factors keeping people with disabilities out of the workforce is baseless stigma around our ability to do our jobs. Despite ample data showing the capability and productivity of disabled workers, disclosing a disability still makes job applicants 26% less likely to even get a preliminary interview. Programs like the one President Trump attacked have been part of the federal government’s work to eliminate that stigma. It is deeply disappointing to see our government now deciding instead to make it worse,” said Colin Killick, the Executive Director of Autistic Self Advocacy Network

 “The President’s harmful speculation unfairly targets disabled workers and reinforces dangerous and baseless stereotypes,” added Nicole Bohn, Executive Director of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. “Disability is not a liability, and these narratives only serve to fuel discrimination, exclusion, and stigma—particularly for disabled BIPOC workers who already face compounded barriers in employment. Right now, the focus must be on supporting the families and communities affected by this tragedy and ensuring a fact-based investigation—not on scapegoating disabled people who belong in every workplace, including aviation and public safety.” 

“The cause of the terrible plane crash at DCA last night remains unknown,” said Marlene Sallo, Executive Director of the National Disability Rights Network. “Now is the time to thoroughly investigate what caused this accident and support the families who lost loved ones. It is not the time to blame or further stigmatize people with disabilities.”

Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, stated, “Blind Americans share in our nation’s mourning for the lives lost in last night’s tragic accident. We are shocked that the President of the United States would reinforce unfounded misconceptions of disability by codifying them in the Keeping Americans Safe in Aviation executive order. We know that people with disabilities are among the best and brightest. We also know that our focus today and in the days to come should be on the lives lost not the misunderstanding of the lives of people with disabilities.”

The National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (NOND), said, “NOND dramatically and strongly disagrees with the statement made by the federal administration that people with disabilities create unsafe conditions for others. The government’s statement is appalling, dehumanizing and blatantly discriminatory. NOND supports DEI which is crucial to promoting the full inclusion of marginalized populations including people with disabilities. Research indicates that with age the incidence of disability and chronic health conditions increases. Disability is not about those of us who are disabled now; it is about our society at large.”  

 “Blaming people with disabilities for the deadly crash at DCA is both misleading and deeply misguided. Individuals with disabilities are hired under already stringent standards due to existing biases, and when we secure employment, it is because we have clearly demonstrated our ability to perform the job with excellence,” says United Spinal Association President & CEO Vincenzo Piscopo. “As a person with a disability myself, I can say without hesitation that I have proudly and consistently contributed value in every role I have held. To suggest otherwise is not only unfounded but also undermines the contributions of millions of disabled professionals who excel in their fields every day.”

Contact the White House, Congress and other leaders now!


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