Trump Administration Withdraws Key ADA Documents
By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, April 9, 2025 -- The Trump administration has removed 11 guidance documents that helped businesses follow the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a new report says.
The documents were withdrawn last month as part of a federal effort to reduce rules that businesses must follow.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said the goal was to cut costs and boost the economy, The Associated Press reported.
“Putting money back into the pockets of business owners helps everyone by allowing those businesses to pass on cost savings to consumers and bolster the economy,” U.S. deputy assistant attorney general Mac Warner said in a statement.
But some disability experts say this decision could hurt people with disabilities. The guidance, while not legally required, helped businesses understand how to follow the ADA and avoid lawsuits.
A wide range of topics were covered, The AP reported. Some documents gave tips on making hotel rooms accessible, while other docs helped hospitals support disabled patients during COVID visitor bans.
There were also guides to accessible parking, stores and ways to help customers at gas stations.
Even though the ADA law itself hasn't changed, experts worry that removing these guides could confuse business owners and reduce access for disabled people.
“When your business is fully accessible to all people with all types of disabilities, they’re going to come. They’re going to spend their money,” Theo Braddy, the executive director of the advocacy group, the National Council on Independent Living, told AP.
Marc Dubin, a lawyer and ADA consultant in Big Pine Key, Fla., said the real question is whether the DOJ will offer new guidance in place of what was withdrawn. He added that guidance helps avoid expensive lawsuits by encouraging voluntary compliance.
Some businesses said the guidance opened the door for lawsuits.
“To the business owners, it’s saying, ‘You ain’t got to do all of this stuff,’ ” Braddy said. “It’s going to turn the clock back.”
The DOJ is supposed to enforce the ADA by investigating complaints and suing businesses when needed.
But advocates fear enforcement could weaken, leaving private lawyers to pick up the slack.
“It’s very clear to me that nothing can substitute for a strong, vigorous Department of Justice,” said Chai Feldblum, who served as the vice chair of President Joe Biden’s AbilityOne Commission, which created job opportunities for disabled people. “And not having that will be consequential for the rights of people with disabilities.”
Sources
- The Associated Press, April 8, 2025
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted April 2025
Read this next
Biden’s Prostate Cancer Likely Grew Undetected for Years, Experts Say
FRIDAY, May 23, 2025 — Former President Joe Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis has drawn attention to screening guidelines for older men. When Biden, 82, was diagnosed...
White House Report Blames Toxins, Food and Screens for Poor Health
FRIDAY, May 23, 2025 — A new White House report says today’s children are the sickest generation in U.S. history when it comes to chronic disease, and it puts the...
Family Link For Postpartum Psychosis Discovered
FRIDAY, May 23, 2025 — Women are 10 times more likely to develop postpartum psychosis if they have a sister who experienced the condition after an earlier pregnancy, a new...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.