The Importance of DEI: Why Dismantling It Hurts Everyone
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) have long been fundamental in creating fair opportunities for all—especially for people with disabilities, both apparent and non-apparent. Yet, with recent moves like the dismantling of DEI departments in federal jobs under Trump’s administration in the US, we are reminded that progress is not guaranteed. It must be fought for.
What DEI Really Means
At its core, DEI is about leveling the playing field. It acknowledges that systemic barriers exist—historically and presently—keeping certain groups from having the same access to success as others.
For people with disabilities, this means:
Diversity: Recognizing and valuing people of all abilities, backgrounds, and experiences.
Equity: Ensuring resources and accommodations exist to provide a fair starting point.
Inclusion: Creating environments where everyone, regardless of ability, feels they belong.
DEI isn’t about giving certain groups an “advantage”—it’s about correcting deep-rooted inequalities so that opportunity isn’t reserved for the privileged few.
Privilege, Colonialism, and the “Step Forward” Exercise
A viral video called Take a Step Forward, illustrating how privilege—whether racial, economic, or ability-based—impacts people’s opportunities. Participants stand in a line and step forward based on their life circumstances. Statements like “Take two steps forward if you’ve never had to worry where your next meal will come from” or “worry about having your cell phone shut off” force participants to confront their lived realities. By the end, the disparities are striking: some stand far ahead, while others are left behind, not by choice but by systemic design.
This is the world we live in. And it is deeply tied to colonialism, a system that historically decided whose lives and abilities were valued and whose were not. The consequences of those decisions—inequity, exclusion, and discrimination—persist today.
Why Removing DEI Hurts People With Disabilities
For people with disabilities, DEI initiatives ensure accessibility, employment opportunities, and protection from discrimination. Without these structures, we risk:
Workplaces becoming less accessible: No mandated support means fewer accommodations, making it harder for disabled individuals to contribute their skills.
Increased bias in hiring and promotion: Without DEI training and accountability, unconscious bias often excludes those who don’t fit a “traditional” mold of capability.
Silencing of marginalized voices: DEI amplifies the voices of people with disabilities and their advocates. Its removal erases their seat at the table.
When DEI is dismantled, it sends a message: Your challenges don’t matter. Your barriers are your own problem. You don’t belong.
Moving Forward: The Fight for True Equality
We cannot let this rollback of DEI efforts go unchallenged. True equal opportunity requires action:
Speaking out: Call out policies that exclude and harm marginalized communities.
Building accessibility into all spaces: Whether in business, education, or community spaces, inclusion should not be optional.
Reframing the narrative: Disability is not a limitation; exclusion is. Equity is not unfair; inequity is.
The world will not change on its own. We must push for a society where privilege does not determine success, where disability does not mean exclusion, and where DEI is not seen as an option—but as a necessity.
The fight isn’t over. And we’re just getting started.
