About:
This site is for aggregating breaking news and information about the state of disability rights and advocacy work in the United States, particularly the anti-DEIA attacks under the current administration, in an online space separate from the control of social media moguls.
Disability impacts people of every race, sex, gender, age, class, national origin, citizenship status, religion, political affiliation, and geographic location. Due to its intersectional nature, BIPOC disabled and other multiply-marginalized folks are disproportionately impacted by any attacks on accessibility, and disability justice is intertwined in all liberation movements.
- NEW: Former Gallaudet Employee Speaks Out Against “Deceitful, Fanciful Thinking” in University’s Response to DoEd Layoffs
The following post provides information specific to Gallaudet University, the world’s only liberal arts university exclusively for D/HH students, in the wake of the Department of Ed’s layoffs last week. For a general overview of that news, click here. For more information and action items specific to Gallaudet University, click here. For an ASL version… Read more: NEW: Former Gallaudet Employee Speaks Out Against “Deceitful, Fanciful Thinking” in University’s Response to DoEd Layoffs - Week 9 Updates
Action items: Share this info. Disability is often lost in mainstream coverage. Call your Representative and tell them to intervene on behalf of the Dept of Education and the ADA. Call the Senate Finance Committee members and tell them to vote NO on Dr. Oz Protest U of T’s hosting of the upcoming racist and… Read more: Week 9 Updates - Breaking: Dept of Labor Dismantles PEAT, Key Digital Accessibility Resource
Per internal sources providing info on condition of anonymity: The Department of Labor has removed PEAT, a major digital accessibility resource, previously housed at PEATWorks.org. PEAT was used by thousands in technology to make sure their designs were accessible for disabled people. It was also one of the few resources on accessible AI. PEAT has… Read more: Breaking: Dept of Labor Dismantles PEAT, Key Digital Accessibility Resource - Breaking: Department of Justice Begins Rollback of ADA
Yesterday the Department of Justice began removing guidance related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the law that protects disabled people’s rights to access and accommodations in public. While the law itself remains on the books, the definition of legal “access” is developed by guidance from the US Access Board. The Board, comprised of… Read more: Breaking: Department of Justice Begins Rollback of ADA - Action Item: Protect Deaf and Special Education!
1300 Department of Education employees were laid off last week, some of them illegally, including workers in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), who provide a variety of special education funding and programs, oversee IDEA, and fund and support special institutions like Gallaudet, NTID, the American Printing House for the Blind, Helen… Read more: Action Item: Protect Deaf and Special Education!
Our Deal:
Who are you?
We’re a group of disabled people and allies seeking to provide timely and accurate disability-rights related information, which is often underreported in the mainstream media.
How do I cite this?
Unless an author or signer is otherwise noted, you can just call us the Disability Rights Watch collective. We’ll also always link to secondary sources when available.
But who are your “inside sources”?
Verified federal employees working in various agencies, whose identities we will protect, obviously.
What if I have a tip?
You can email sndw33[at]protonmail[dot]com or visit our “Contact” page to send a web message.
Have a question, comment, or tip? Hit us up.
For more secure communication, email us at sndw33[at]protonmail[dot]com.
For general questions or comments, use the form below