White House sued for abruptly halting services for deaf when Trump took office

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) sued the White House for allegedly violating federal law and the U.S. Constitution by declining to provide American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters at prominent events like briefings and press conferences.

According to the 25-page suit, the White House abruptly stopped providing services for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals when President Donald Trump took office in January.

"In January 2025, the White House inexplicably stopped using ASL interpreters for any of its public press briefings or similar events," the suit said. "The White House's failure to provide qualified ASL interpreters during public briefings, press conferences, and related events is against the law. Federal law unequivocally prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities and requires them to have meaningful access to the federal government's programs and services. Failing to provide ASL interpreters deprives deaf people of meaningful access to the White House's press briefings."

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In a statement, interim NAD CEO Dr. Bobbie Beth Scoggins insisted that "Deaf and hard of hearing Americans have the right to the same access to White House information as everyone else. Denying them ASL interpreters is a direct violation of that right, and the NAD will continue to fight for their full inclusion in the democratic process."

"Such information must be provided not only through captioning but also in American Sign Language," she added.

NAD successfully sued the White House in 2020, resulting in the inclusion of Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDIs) in COVID-19 briefings.