• Posted April 9, 2025

Trump Administration Withdraws Key ADA Documents

The Trump administration has removed 11 guidance documents that helped businesses follow the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a new report says.

The documents were withdrawn last month as part of a federal effort to reduce rules that businesses must follow. 

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said the goal was to cut costs and boost the economy, The Associated Press reported.

“Putting money back into the pockets of business owners helps everyone by allowing those businesses to pass on cost savings to consumers and bolster the economy,” U.S. deputy assistant attorney general Mac Warner said in a statement.

But some disability experts say this decision could hurt people with disabilities. The guidance, while not legally required, helped businesses understand how to follow the ADA and avoid lawsuits.

A wide range of topics were covered, The AP reported. Some documents gave tips on making hotel rooms accessible, while other docs helped hospitals support disabled patients during COVID visitor bans.

There were also guides to accessible parking, stores and ways to help customers at gas stations.

Even though the ADA law itself hasn't changed, experts worry that removing these guides could confuse business owners and reduce access for disabled people.

“When your business is fully accessible to all people with all types of disabilities, they’re going to come. They’re going to spend their money,” Theo Braddy, the executive director of the advocacy group, the National Council on Independent Living, told AP.

Marc Dubin, a lawyer and ADA consultant in Big Pine Key, Fla., said the real question is whether the DOJ will offer new guidance in place of what was withdrawn. He added that guidance helps avoid expensive lawsuits by encouraging voluntary compliance.

Some businesses said the guidance opened the door for lawsuits. 

“To the business owners, it’s saying, ‘You ain’t got to do all of this stuff,’ ” Braddy said. “It’s going to turn the clock back.”

The DOJ is supposed to enforce the ADA by investigating complaints and suing businesses when needed. 

But advocates fear enforcement could weaken, leaving private lawyers to pick up the slack.

“It’s very clear to me that nothing can substitute for a strong, vigorous Department of Justice,” said Chai Feldblum, who served as the vice chair of President Joe Biden’s AbilityOne Commission, which created job opportunities for disabled people. “And not having that will be consequential for the rights of people with disabilities.”

More information

The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division has more on the The Americans With Disabilities Act.

SOURCE: The Associated Press, April 8, 2025