A deaf advocacy nonprofit has filed a complaint against the White House over the latter's sudden removal of sign language interpreters at press conferences and other public events since President Trump once again assumed the Oval Office in January. "Defendants are now denying hundreds of thousands of deaf Americans meaningful access to the White House's real-time communications on various issues of national and international import," the lawsuit brought by the National Association of the Deaf reads, per NPR. Those defendants include President Trump, press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, among others.
The NAD wants the courts to reinstate the American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters, as well as provide video for viewers. And no, it's not enough that there's English closed captioning on the bottom of TV screens. That's because, per the complaint, "ASL is a complete and complex language distinct from English. It has its own vocabulary and rules for grammar and syntax. It is not simply English in hand signals. Many deaf individuals cannot read or understand written English." The complaint accuses the White House of violating Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which bars discrimination due to disability.
The NAD notes in a release that it's not the first time it's had to sue the White House on this matter: In September 2020, near the end of Trump's first term, the group filed a complaint (and won) requesting ASL interpreters be present at all press briefings related to COVID-19. "Since that settlement, the White House provided ASL interpreters ... for all public briefings, press conferences, and related events by the president, the vice president, and the White House press secretary," the NAD says. "However, this practice abruptly ended in January 2025. The White House has not provided any ASL interpreters for any press briefings since that time, despite the NAD's repeated requests." (More sign language stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
