Hello everyone,
I haven’t posted here in a while, but I thought it was time to share a few thoughts.
Here’s the deal: a lot of things are happening in our country right now that just aren’t okay. Some of what I’ve been seeing is deeply concerning.
Back in 2016, Donald Trump was running against Hillary Clinton. I didn’t trust her at the time because of some of the things I’d heard—like the controversy over her emails and other questionable decisions. So I took a chance on Trump. I can honestly say I regret that decision.
But what he did in his first presidency is nothing compared to what he’s doing now. There have been major efforts to roll back important protections—especially when it comes to disability rights, education funding, and support programs like Social Security. These things matter, especially for children with disabilities, older adults, and those of us who depend on these systems to survive.
So, I’m sharing a few articles below that highlight what’s been happening under Trump’s current plans and actions. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read through them.
- Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to Freeze Teacher-Training Grants – A move that impacts special education programs and teacher diversity initiatives.
- Special Education Cuts Will Have ‘Immense Harm,’ Democrats Say – Lawmakers raise concerns about the shifting of special education responsibilities and deep budget cuts.
- Trump’s Social Security Administration to Cut Thousands of Jobs – Potential consequences for benefit delivery and disability claims processing.
- Trump Administration’s Social Security Changes Could Limit Access to Benefits – Especially for older adults and people with disabilities.
- Trump’s DEI Rollbacks Undermine Accommodations for People with Disabilities – Examining how dismantling diversity efforts affects accessibility.
- Trump Wants to Dismantle the Education Department – What that means for special education services and oversight.
- Trump’s Attacks on DEI Uproot Protections for Americans with Disabilities – How healthcare, education, and legal support systems are affected.
- Trump Breaks Promise Not to Cut Social Security – Staff reductions and office closures threaten access to vital services.
It’s more important than ever to stay informed, speak up, and fight for the rights of those most vulnerable—because when we stay silent, these harmful policies move forward without resistance.
This is especially personal to me, because I’m one of those people. I live with a visual impairment and rely on Social Security for support—just like my fiancé, Josh. We know firsthand how critical these protections are, and we won’t stop speaking out.
It’s frustrating to see how many people—some friends and even some family—think it’s okay to cheer for the dismantling of “big government.” But here’s the thing: what do they think is better? Big corporations? Because if everything becomes privatized or handed over to corporate control, it’s not going to benefit the average person—especially not those of us who are vulnerable.
Corporations don’t care about people with disabilities. They care about profits. They’re not going to make decisions with compassion or accessibility in mind—they’re going to look at what helps their bottom line. That’s the core of my frustration.
It’s not even about whether I can work or not—I could. But that’s not the point. The point is that people who don’t have to live through this kind of reality—living with a disability, navigating systems that already don’t work well—don’t understand how dangerous this mindset is.
What I really can’t wrap my head around is how any disabled person could support Donald Trump. He’s made it pretty clear through his policies and his rhetoric that he doesn’t care about people like us. And yet, some still defend him. I just don’t get it.
So as I keep building this entry for all of you—for informational purposes and for the sake of awareness—I’m going to be looking up more articles and links to support what I’m saying. I’ll keep adding to this post as I go.
Some friends that Josh and I have talked to—mostly people we’ve connected with through the blind community—brought something to our attention recently. I can’t recall exactly who mentioned it first, but I believe Josh heard about it on LiveWire, a phone system that many visually impaired individuals use to connect and share information. (While it’s open to everyone, it predominantly serves the visually impaired community.)
Initially, I was skeptical. The claim was that during the construction of Trump Tower, Donald Trump didn’t want Braille included on the elevator panels. It sounded too blatant to be true. After all, this was back in the 1980s.
Reportedly, Trump instructed the contractors to remove the Braille, stating, “No blind people are going to live in Trump Tower.” The contractors informed him that removing it would violate the law, specifically the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Consequently, the Braille remained because the contractors and architects refused to break the law on his behalf.
Considering some of Trump’s other comments about people with disabilities over the years, perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised. However, this incident is particularly egregious and wrong.
The reality is that anyone can become blind or disabled at any time. Life is unpredictable. I’ve met individuals who were perfectly healthy, and then suddenly, due to accidents or medical conditions like macular degeneration or retinal issues, they lost their sight. Disabilities can occur instantly, often with little to no warning. Many people don’t consider how their lives could change in an instant.
That’s why I felt it was important to share this information about the Braille incident. It highlights a troubling mindset. Moreover, there have been other instances where Trump has made disparaging remarks about individuals with disabilities. For example, during a 2015 rally, he mocked New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, who has a congenital joint condition. Such behavior is unacceptable and sheds light on his attitude toward the disabled community.
Cutting Social Security and weakening disability rights—especially by reducing staffing in critical government offices—is incredibly dangerous to people like me and my fiancé, Josh. These changes could affect us very badly.
Let’s start with Social Security. Trump originally said he wasn’t going to touch it. That was one of his big promises—he claimed he wouldn’t mess with Social Security at all. But cutting staff within the Social Security Administration is, in reality, a big part of cutting Social Security. Those workers are the lifeline of the program.
If you’ve ever had to call Social Security, you know how difficult it already is. You can wait on hold for long periods—sometimes literally for hours—just to speak with someone. And that’s with the staffing levels we’ve had. Now imagine what happens when they reduce the number of workers. It’s going to become a nightmare for people who depend on these services to live.
And let’s be honest—it already was almost a nightmare. The demand on Social Security staff is massive compared to how many employees they have. Taking away more resources just pushes the system closer to collapse.
This is serious. A lot of Americans rely on Social Security. And many of us don’t have another safety net. So to see this happening—and to see people cheering it on—is not only frustrating, it’s terrifying.
At some point soon (but not today), I plan to share some statistics about how hard it really is for people with disabilities to get jobs. There’s so much to say on this issue, but I don’t want to throw everything out there at once. It’s a lot to take in, and it deserves thoughtful attention.
Before I close, I want to leave you with one recommendation. There’s someone I absolutely trust when it comes to political information—her name is Heather Cox Richardson. I just recently started following her, thanks to Josh, who heard about her from his dad. His dad subscribes to her newsletter, and I’ve been reading her posts on Facebook.
She’s insightful, accurate, and consistently fair in how she explains current events and their historical context. I’ve thought about subscribing to her newsletter myself, since it might be easier to read via email, but I haven’t signed up yet. Still, I highly recommend checking out her work.
Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter: Letters from an American
Notes from the edge of the system 