Department of Education Condemned for Ending Support for Students with Disabilities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 14, 2025

Broad Coalition of Disability, Civil Rights, and Education Organizations Call for Reversal of Layoffs at Department of Education

Washington, D.C. – A broad coalition of national, state, and local disability, civil rights, and education organizations is sounding the alarm over sweeping layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education. These cuts have gutted key offices—including the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)—threatening decades of progress in protecting students with disabilities.

These wholesale terminations place fundamental education laws in peril and place millions of children with disabilities at risk who receive services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Title IV of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. These layoffs circumvent the will of Congress and dismantle 50 years of precedent upholding rights for students with disabilities. Without personnel to oversee these laws, the Department cannot provide essential leadership, oversight, guidance, or support to states and schools—jeopardizing students’ access to a free, appropriate public education and hampering the ability of states and localities to serve all students. In addition, the terminations also threaten the vocational rehabilitation system that helps youth and adults with disabilities become employed.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of IDEA, a law that has enjoyed strong bipartisan support for five decades. Rather than celebrating progress, we face a crisis: the dismantling of the very infrastructure Congress created to ensure children with disabilities could reach their full potential, potentially catapulting them back to a time of segregation and refusal to provide educational opportunities.

The undersigned organizations urge the Administration – and call on Congress to do the same – to reverse course immediately and restore staffing and transparency at the U.S. Department of Education. Strong federal leadership is not optional—it’s a moral and legal obligation for our nation’s children with disabilities.

National Organizations:

AACTE: American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

Access Ready Inc.

Accessible College LLC

ACVREP

AFT, AFL-CIO

All4Ed

Allies for Independence

American Association of People with Disabilities

American Association of University Women (AAUW)

American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

American Atheists

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

American Council of Blind Families

American Council of the Blind Next Generation

American Council of the Blind

American Therapeutic Recreation Association

Angelman Syndrome Foundation

Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired

Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs

Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE)

Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL)

Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO)

Association of University Centers on Disabilities

Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD)

Autism Science Foundation

Autism Society of America

Autism Speaks

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law

Black Down Syndrome Association

Caring Across Generations

CEC Division on Visual Impairment and DeafBlindness

Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)

Center for Public Representation

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

Coalition on Human Needs

Common Coalition

CommunicationFIRST

Complex and Chronic Conditions, The Division for Physical, Health and Multiple Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children (CCC-DPHMD)

Council for Exceptional Children

Council for Learning Disabilities

Council of Administrators of Special Education

Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)

Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR)

Cure SMA

Dan Marino Foundation

DCDT

Disability Belongs

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund

Diverse Charter Schools Coalition

Division for Communication, Language and D/HH

Division for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners (DDEL)

Division for Early Childhood

Division for Emotional and Behavioral Health (DEBH)

Division for Learning Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

Division for Research, Council for Exceptional Children

Division of International Special Education and Services

Division of Leaders and Legacy

Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities

Division on Career Development and Transition

Down Syndrome Affiliates In Action

Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta

Easterseals, Inc.

EDGE Partners

EdTrust

Educating All Learners Alliance

Education Law Center

Educators for Excellence

First Focus on Children

Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics

GLSEN

Griffin-Hammis Associates

Inclusive Development Partners (IDP)

Innovations in Special Education Technology (ISET) Division of Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

International Council on Development and Learning

Low Vision Technology

MomsRising

Muscular Dystrophy Association

NAACP

National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities

National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD)

National Association of Private Special Education Centers (NAPSEC)

National Association of School Psychologists

National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI)

National Center for Learning Disabilities

National Consortium for Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities (NCPEID)

National Council on Independent Living

National DeafBlind Coalition

National Disability Action

National Disability Institute

National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)

National Down Syndrome Congress

National Down Syndrome Society

National Education Association

National Family Association for DeafBlind

National Federation of the Blind

National Health Law Program

National Rural Education Association

National Women’s Law Center

Orientation and Mobility Specialist Association

Parents for Public Schools

PreK-12 Programs, New America

Prevent Blindness

School Social Work Association of America

SchoolHouse Connection

SELF – Special Education Leader Fellowship

Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)

SPAN Parent Advocacy Network, Inc.

Success Beyond Sight

TDIforAccess

Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children

The Advocacy Institute

The Arc of the United States

The Association for the Gifted- Council for Exceptional Children

The Carroll Center for the Blind

The Center for Learner Equity

The Division of Evaluation and Assessment for Learning (DEAL)

The Hussman Institute for Autism

The National Association for Down Syndrome

The National Association of Federally Impacted Schools (NAFIS)

The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies

The Sibling Leadership Network (SLN)

TSC Alliance

United Spinal Association

United States International Council on Disabilities

VisionServe Alliance

ZERO TO THREE

State and Local Organizations:

ABLE New Hampshire

Advance Illinois

AHRC NYC

Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program

Alaska School Psychologists Association

All Blind Children of Texas

Alliance of and for Visually Impaired Texans

American Council of the Blind of Indiana

American Council of the Blind of Ohio

Arc Mid-Hudson

Arc of Onondaga

ARC of Rockland

Arizona Council for Exceptional Children (AZCEC)

Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families

Arts Education in Maryland Schools (AEMS)

Arts Every Day, Inc.

ASAH

Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment, Inc.

Association of School Psychologists of Pennsylvania (ASPP)

Autism Kids

Autistic Women’s Alliance

Beaver County Association for the Blind

Black Educator Advocates Network

Braille Revival League of Texas

California Alliance of Child and Family Services

California Association of O&M Specialists-CAOMS

California Association of School Psychologists

California Council for Exceptional Children

California Down Syndrome Advocacy Coalition

Center of Vision Enhancement

Chautauqua County Chapter, NYSARC, Inc. dba The Resource Center

Choices For Community Living, Inc.

Clinton ARC

Club 21 Learning and Resource Center

Coalition for Adequate Funding for Special Education

Coastal Alabama Down Syndrome Society

Collaborative for Exceptional Education

CompassIL

Connections Day School

DBMAT – Deafblind Multihandicapped Association of Texas

DeafBlind Community of Texas

Delaware Association of School Psychologists

Delaware Developmental Disabilities Council

Delaware Governor’s Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens (GACEC)

Designer Genes of North Dakota

DGCKids

Disability Law Center

Disability Law Center of Utah

Disability Law Center of Virginia

Disability Rights Arizona

Disability Rights Arkansas

Disability Rights California

Disability Rights Center – New Hampshire

Disability Rights Center of Kansas

Disability Rights Connecticut

Disability Rights Delaware of Community Legal Aid Society, Inc.

Disability Rights Florida

Disability Rights Iowa

Disability Rights Louisiana

Disability Rights Maine

Disability Rights Maryland

Disability Rights Mississippi

Disability Rights Montana

Disability Rights Nebraska

Disability Rights New Jersey

Disability Rights New Mexico

Disability Rights New York

Disability Rights North Carolina

Disability Rights Ohio

Disability Rights Oregon

Disability Rights South Carolina

Disability Rights Vermont

Disability Rights Washington

Disability Rights Wisconsin

“Down Syndrome Advocates in Action Nebraska “

Down Syndrome Alabama

Down Syndrome Alliance of the Midlands

Down Syndrome Association for Families

Down Syndrome Association of Maryland

Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida

Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma

Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas

Down Syndrome Association of Delaware

Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis

Down Syndrome Association of Houston

Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee

Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota

Down Syndrome Association of Northeast Indiana

Down Syndrome Association of Northeast Ohio

Down Syndrome Association of Orange County

Down Syndrome Association of Southern Maryland

Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin

Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area

Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida

Down Syndrome Foundation of Orange County

Down Syndrome Foundation of Tallahassee

Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas

Down Syndrome Network of Montgomery County, MD

Down Syndrome Network of Onslow and Carteret Counties (DSNOCC)

Down Syndrome Network of West Virginia

Down Syndrome of Louisville

Down to Defend, Michigan

ElevateDD

Engage New Hampshire

Families for Strong Public Schools

Families In Schools

Family Voices NJ

FIRSTwnc

Georgia Association of School Psychologists

Georgia Council of Exceptional Children

Golden Triangle Council of the Blind

Greater Louisville Council of the Blind

Hawai`i Association of School Psychologists

Hawaii Disability Rights Center

Honesty for Ohio Education

Idaho Council for Exceptional Children

Illinois Alliance of Administrators of Special Education

Illinois Families for Public Schools

IN-SIGHT

Incompass Human Services, Inc.

InControl Wisconsin

Indiana Coalition for Public Education

Indiana Council for Exceptional Children

Indiana Disability Rights

Inland Valley Down Syndrome Association

Kansas Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Inc.

Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Kentucky Protection and Advocacy

Kern Down Syndrome Network

Kids First Chicago

Learn In My Shoes

Liberty ARC the Montgomery County Chapter NYSARC, Inc.

Lifeworks, Inc.

Manatee County Council of the Blind

Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities at Kennedy Krieger Institute

Maryland Citizens for the Arts

Maryland Dance Education Association

Maryland Down Syndrome Advocacy Coalition

Maryland Education Coalition (MEC)

Maryland School Psychologists’ Association

Maryland Theater Education Association

Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress

Mercer County Association of the Blind

Michigan Council for Exceptional Children

Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities

Mississippi Down Syndrome Advocacy Coalition

Missouri Council for Exceptional Children

Montgomery County Association for the Blind

Native American Disability Law Center

Nebraska School Psychologists Association

Nevada Council of the Blind

Nevada Disability Advocacy & Law Center

New Hampshire Assoc of Special Education Administrators

New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities

New York State Council for Administrators of Special Education

New York State Council For Exceptional Children

NH Universal Changing Stations Alliance

NJ Community Schools Coalition

NYSARC Inc., Warren, Washington and Albany Counties Chapter

Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities in Puerto Rico (PR P&A)

Ohio School Psychologists Association

Oklahoma Disability Law Center

Our Children Our Schools New Jersey

PACER Center

Parent Information Center of Delaware

Parent to Parent of Georgia Inc

Parents Helping Parents Together, Inc

Parents of Children with Down Syndrome (PODS) of Prince George’s Co. MD

Partnership for Extraordinary Minds (xMinds)

Pennsylvania Association for the Blind

Pennsylvania Council Of The Blind

Pennsylvania Down Syndrome Advocacy Coalition

People’s Arc of Suffolk

Pine Belt Down Syndrome Outreach

Protection & Advocacy System, Inc, Wyoming

Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association

Rural Schools Association of New York

Save Our Schools Arizona

Save Our Schools NJ

SC Partnership of Disability Organizations

Sights for Hope

South Carolina Association of School Psychologists

St. Louis Arc

State Council for Persons with Disabilities

Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowement (SOCM),

Strategies for Disability Equity

Streamwood Behavioral Health Systems Innovations Academy

Strong Schools Maryland

Survival Coalition of Wisconsin Disability Organizations

Tennessee Council for Exceptional Children

Texas Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (TAER)

Texas Association of School Psychologists

The Arc Alliance, Pennsylvania

The Arc Arapahoe, Douglas & Elbert Counties

The Arc Chemung Schuyler

The Arc Erie County, PA

The Arc Greater Hudson Valley

The Arc Maryland

The Arc Michigan

The Arc Montgomery County

The Arc New York

The Arc of Alabama

The Arc of Arizona

The Arc of Aurora

The Arc of California

The Arc of Dane County

The Arc of Delaware

The Arc of Delaware County (NYS)

The Arc of East Central Iowa

The Arc of Greater Beaumont

The Arc of Greater Pittsburgh

The Arc of Illinois

The Arc of Iowa

The Arc of King County

The Arc of Macomb County, Inc.

The Arc of Monroe

The Arc of NC

The Arc of Ohio

The Arc of Philadelphia

The Arc of Rensselaer County

The Arc of Snohomish County

The Arc of South Carolina

The Arc of the Piedmont

The Arc of Washington State

The Arc Ontario

The Arc Otsego

The Arc Rockland

The Arc Westchester

The Austin Council of the Blind

The Disability Law Center of Alaska

The Down Syndrome Association of Connecticut

The San Diego Center for the Blind

The South Carolina Human Services Providers Association

Utah Council for Exceptional Children

Venango County Association for the Blind

Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Vermont Association of School Psychologist

Vermont Council for Exceptional Children

VIA (Visually Impaired Advancement)

VIPS (Vision Interventions and Parental Support)

Virginia Academy of School Psychologists (VASP)

Virginia Council for Exceptional Children

Virginia Down Syndrome Association

Vision Forward Association

VisionCorps

Washington State Association of School Psychologists (WSASP)

Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools

Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities

Wisconsin Public Education Action

Wisconsin School Psychologists Association