Isaac Schreier of Ankeny, Iowa, shows how he uses his specialized wheelchair to get around when he has broken bones from a condition called osteogenesis imperfecta. His parents, Maria and Jake Schreier, received legal assistance from the nonprofit group Disability Rights Iowa after the private company managing Isaac's Medicaid benefits refused to pay for the wheelchair. (Tony Leys/KFF Health News)
The Trump administration is trying to slash access to lawyers who defend the rights of Americans with disabilities, advocates say.
Most of the lawyers work either for the U.S. Department of Justice or for disability rights agencies that Congress set up in every state decades ago. Many of the Justice Department lawyers quit in 2025 after being reassigned to other duties, their supporters say. And Trump budget officials proposed deep cuts to federal grants supporting the state-based legal groups.
People with disabilities have the right to live in their communities if possible. Federal laws and court decisions say they may attend school, work jobs, and go to restaurants, movie theaters, and other public places. If they can find lawyers, they can file legal challenges when those rights...
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