Recent developments across federal policy, state litigation, and law enforcement responses have converged to create a deeply concerning national pattern: the erosion of protections for individuals with disabilities, particularly children and adolescents, in educational and community settings.
On March 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. This action seeks to shift authority over education entirely to the states, potentially eliminating federal oversight mechanisms designed to ensure equitable access to education. The Department of Education has played a critical role in enforcing civil rights statutes, allocating federal funds, and supporting services for marginalized populations, including students with disabilities. Its removal raises profound questions about the future enforcement of disability rights, particularly under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Concurrently, a multistate lawsuit titled Texas v. Becerra has emerged as a direct legal threat to Section 504 itself. Seventeen states are challenging the constitutionality of this pivotal civil rights statute, which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in federally funded programs. If successful, this litigation could dismantle essential protections and accommodations that millions of students depend on for access to equal educational opportunities. The implications are far-reaching and would reverse decades of progress in inclusive education.
Compounding these legal and policy threats are a series of tragic deaths involving autistic youth during police encounters, underscoring the intersectional failures of both educational and public safety systems to support disabled individuals during crises.
In April 2025, 17-year-old Victor Perez, a nonverbal autistic teen with cerebral palsy, was fatally shot by police officers in Pocatello, Idaho. Despite Victor’s visible physical and cognitive disabilities, officers opened fire within seconds of arriving at the scene. The incident has been widely criticized as a profound failure in crisis response and disability awareness.
This tragedy mirrors similar past cases. In March 2024, 15-year-old Ryan Gainer, a Black autistic teen, was killed by San Bernardino County deputies in Apple Valley, California, after his family called 911 during a mental health crisis. Although Gainer had calmed down prior to police arrival, officers responded with lethal force.
In September 2020, 13-year-old Linden Cameron, diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, was shot multiple times by Salt Lake City police during a mental health call initiated by his mother. Linden survived but sustained catastrophic injuries. A subsequent legal settlement awarded his family $3 million, and prosecutors deemed the shooting unjustified, yet no criminal charges were filed.
Each of these cases reflects a broader systemic failure to develop and implement trauma-informed, disability-competent response protocols. The recurring use of lethal force against neurodivergent individuals reveals the urgent need for cross-sector reform in crisis intervention, including mandatory training in disability rights, mental health crisis de-escalation, and the use of non-lethal alternatives.
Together, these developments, federal dismantling of educational oversight, constitutional challenges to disability protections, and deadly law enforcement responses, signal a regression in national commitments to equity, inclusion, and justice for individuals with disabilities. Coordinated advocacy, litigation, and policy reform are needed to restore and safeguard the rights that are currently under assault.
