{"id":147,"date":"2026-05-23T04:10:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T04:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movingservicesamerica.com\/?p=147"},"modified":"2026-05-23T04:10:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T04:10:20","slug":"programs-for-students-with-hearing-and-vision-loss-harmed-by-trumps-anti-diversity-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movingservicesamerica.com\/?p=147","title":{"rendered":"Programs for Students With Hearing and Vision Loss Harmed by Trump\u2019s Anti-Diversity Push"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The U.S. Department of Education has pulled funding for programs in eight states aimed at supporting students who have both hearing and vision loss, a move that could affect some of the country\u2019s most vulnerable students.<\/p>

Read more Help ProPublica Report on Education<\/a><\/p>\n

The programs are considered vital in those states but represent only a little over $1 million a year in federal money. Nonetheless, they got caught in the Trump administration\u2019s attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion, with an Education Department spokesperson citing concerns about \u201cdivisive concepts\u201d and \u201cfairness\u201d in acknowledging the decision to withhold the funding.<\/p>\n

The funding, which was expected to continue through September 2028, will stop at the end of the month, according to letters from the Education Department to local officials that were obtained by ProPublica. The government gave the programs seven days to ask officials to reconsider the decision.<\/p>\n

The programs, part of a national network of organizations for every state, provide training and resources to help families and educators support students who are deaf and blind, a condition known as deafblindness that affects the ability to process both auditory and visual information. Those students often have significant communication challenges and need specialized services and schooling. (Education Week first reported that the department had canceled grants related to special education.)<\/p>\n

Nationally, there are about 10,000 children and young adults, from infants to 21-year-olds, who are deafblind and more than 1,000 in the eight affected states, according to the National Center on Deafblindness. The programs targeted by the Education Department are in Wisconsin, Oregon and Washington, as well as in New England, which is served by a consortium for Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow low can you go?\u201d said Maurice Belote, co-chair of the National DeafBlind Coalition, which advocates for legislation that supports deafblind children and young adults. \u201cHow can you do this to children?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

In Oregon, the 2023 grant application for the deafblind program there included a statement about its commitment to address \u201cinequities, racism, bias\u201d and the marginalization of disability groups. It also attached the strategic plan for Portland Public Schools, where the Oregon DeafBlind Project is headquartered, that mentioned the establishment of a Center for Black Student Excellence \u2014 which is unrelated to the deafblind project. The Education Department\u2019s letter said that those initiatives were \u201cin conflict with agency policy and priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The director of the Wisconsin Deafblind Technical Assistance Project received a similar letter from the Education Department that said its work was at odds with the federal government\u2019s new focus on \u201cmerit.\u201d The letter noted that the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, which oversees the project, had a policy of ensuring that women, minorities and disabled veterans would be included in the hiring process.<\/p>\n

The Education Department also was concerned about other words in the application, said Adrian Klenz, who works with deafblind adults in the state. He said he has talked with state officials about the discontinuation of the grant.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was told that apparently the administration is going through past grants and two words were flagged: One was transition and one was privilege,\u201d Klenz said. \u201cTransition \u2014 transitioning from childhood to adulthood. Privilege came up because a parent wrote a glowing review of staff that said what a privilege it was to work with them.\u201d ProPublica obtained a copy of the grant application and confirmed that those words were included.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Education Department Press Secretary Savannah Newhouse told ProPublica that the administration \u201cis no longer allowing taxpayer dollars to go out the door on autopilot \u2014 we are evaluating every federal grant to ensure they are in line with the Administration\u2019s policy of prioritizing merit, fairness, and excellence in education.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newhouse said the Education Department renewed more than 500 special education grants that fund services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. She said the agency decided not to renew fewer than 35.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of these use overt race preferences or perpetuate divisive concepts and stereotypes, which no student should be exposed to,\u201d she said, adding that the funds will be put toward other programs.<\/p>\n

The department started funding state-level programs to help deafblind students more than 40 years ago in response to the rubella epidemic in the late 1960s. While the population is small, it is among the most complex to serve; educators rely on the deafblindness programs for support and training.<\/p>

Read more These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.<\/a><\/p>\n

Deafblind programs help educators learn the most effective ways to teach reading and connect families with state and local resources. The programs also tally the number of students across the country who are affected by deafblindness.<\/p>\n

Disability advocates, who promote inclusion for people in their communities with disabilities, said they are struggling to reconcile how they can now be under attack for language about inclusion.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, under Joe Biden, who was president when the grant applications were submitted, language about diversity and inclusion efforts was required. The department at the time noted that \u201cdeafBlind children\u2009have complex needs and are among the most diverse groups of learners served\u201d using federal special-education funds.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were required by the Biden administration to write a statement around equity,\u201d said Lisa McConachie, of the Oregon DeafBlind Project, which serves 114 students in the state.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

She said the Trump administration\u2019s view of DEI is different from how inclusion is thought of by disability advocates. \u201cOur passion and our mission is around advocacy for inclusion for kids with disabilities,\u201d she said. \u201cStudents in special education are often marginalized in their schools. Students in special education are often excluded.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lanya Elsa, who lives in Washington and has two sons served by the state\u2019s deafblind program, said the organization has provided strategies for her son\u2019s educators over the years and has helped her connect with other families. She also is the former director of the Idaho program.<\/p>\n

Elsa said that while the funding loss may seem small, \u201cthose vulnerable students have nothing else. It is devastating.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Education Department notified Wisconsin on Friday that funding for its deafblind program as well as a separate federal grant to recruit special-education teachers was being discontinued. Officials there plan to appeal, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.<\/p>\n

About 170 deafblind students in Wisconsin are served by that grant, which funds assistive technology tools, coaching, family support and professional training across the state. And the recruitment of special-education teachers was begun to address a severe shortage.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake no mistake, losing these funds will directly impact our ability to serve some of our most vulnerable kids,\u201d Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly said in a written statement. \u201cLosing these dollars at this point in the year will be devastating for the kids who need these supports the most.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Read More<\/h3>\n
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\nThree Chicago Schools Get Expensive STEAM Makeovers. Can the Effort Reverse Declining Enrollment?<\/strong>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In Oregon, the impact will be felt soon. McConachie said about 20 families had signed up for a parent retreat next month to swap medical equipment, share resources and learn about services to help students when they get older.<\/p>\n

\u201cGathering those families together is a lifeline for them,\u201d she said. \u201cThese families are vulnerable and so are the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without funding, the weekend will now be canceled. \u201cThe impact can\u2019t be undone,\u201d she said. \u201cThe disruption will be harmful for many years to come.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Five Ways the Department of Education Is Upending Public Schools<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Citing concerns about DEI, the U.S. Department of Education has halted funding for programs that support students with combined hearing and vision loss in eight states. \u201cHow low can you go?\u201d one advocate asked. \u201cHow can you do this to children?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":145,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[13],"class_list":["post-147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-education"],"yoast_head":"\nPrograms for Students With Hearing and Vision Loss Harmed by Trump\u2019s Anti-Diversity Push - Moving Services America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movingservicesamerica.com\/?p=147\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Programs for Students With Hearing and Vision Loss Harmed by Trump\u2019s Anti-Diversity Push - 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