Numerous government orders and laws targeted efforts in universities to support diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility for Ohioians at campuses, local, state and federal levels.
The Americans with Disability Act, which passed in 1990, prohibits discrimination and guarantees equal opportunities for people with disabilities.
“(The ADA) been in place for a long time, and it's all been to try to help decision makers and leaders know that this is a requirement that the feds have put in place so that our society could be more inclusive,” Dianne Bouvier, Athens City Commission on Disabilities vice chairperson, said.
In 2021, former President Joe Biden issued Executive Order 13985 titled Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, but President Donald Trump ended the order by promising to remove all DEIA programs, laws, policies, preferences and activities of the government.
According to the White House website, the new order is titled Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.
Bouvier said everyone is still trying to figure out the effects of the laws and orders.
“It impacts people on an everyday level,” Bouvier said. “People living with disabilities, it impacts them because if there isn't intentional interest in trying to make change, it will never become an inclusive place for people living with disabilities.”
Student Senate Accessibility and Accommodation Senator Rees Morris said many do not understand people use DEI as a catch-all term for minorities.
“Are they going to think that too much accessibility funding is going to be too much DEI, or are they still going to follow closely with the ADA's commitment to accessibility?” Morris said. “It’s really, really hard to tell where this is going.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2023 report, Athens County has an estimated population of 43,005 between the ages of 18 and 64, and 6,410 of whom are disabled. For the 19,855 people who live in the city of Athens between the ages of 18 and 64, 2,254 people have a disability.
“There's a lot of intersectionality between people who are people of color and people with disabilities, people who are white and people with disabilities, or people who are female and have disabilities,” Bouvier said. “It's not something that's just a unique identifier, it's something that sort of compounds people's need to have an inclusive society.”
According to its website, Ohio University’s Office for University Accessibility aims to ensure equal opportunities and access for the entire university community and assist students and university faculty who need accommodations for disabilities.
“We currently receive an average of 12 new applications a day, mostly from incoming first-year students for the fall who want accommodations in place before they begin classes,” Kristi Kozma, assistant director for Student Accessibility, said via email.
Kozma said OU’s Office for Accessibility helps more than 3,500 students, with 1,415 students currently in the process of registering for services.
With the passing of Ohio Senate Bill 1 and the Trump Administration's actions towards DEI, some are concerned about the possibility of the Office for University Accessibility closing down.
“It's part of what is considered diversity because we are diverse people and any offices that they might consider diverse might be closed,” Carolyn Bailey Lewis, a former OU professor and Athens City Commission on Disabilities outreach and communications team member, said.
Kerri Griffin, director of Civil Rights Compliance and Title IX coordinator at OU, said via email the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 require the work of the Office of Civil Rights Compliance.
Griffin said OU’s Office of Civil Rights Compliance will continue to help students receive accessibility services and equal opportunities.
“Those laws are still in place and still require that we provide reasonable accommodations to students, staff and the public who visit campus,” Griffin said via email.
Lewis said she believes the removal of the Department of Education will negatively affect students at any level because students need individual accessibility plans.
“We don't want to go back to the way it used to be in institutions,” Lewis said. “That's not good. I don't think teachers are very caring people. They pay attention to what students are doing. If it's not under education, it might get lost in a negative way.”
Morris said although the future looks scary, he still hopes that more people will realize the importance of DEIA programs.
“They'll look you in the eyes and they'll tell you that they care about accessibility, but if you're gonna talk the talk you do in fact have to walk the walk, and that's the only thing that we can do right now, unfortunately,” Morris said.
