10/20/25 - When politics betray disability

Good afternoon!

Today I want to highlight two more articles on the Trump administration's cuts to Special Education staff at the Department of Education, and a piece I've been waiting to share about relations between disability communities and the Labour Party in the UK. These three pieces seem like a good opportunity to break down some basic questions and thoughts about disability politics, and ideology.

Trump’s attempt to gut special education office has some conservative parents on edge

Sara Luterman, The 19th - October 17, 2025

"Across some of the largest special education and parent groups on Facebook, debate has raged about what this recent move will mean for disabled children.  Among conservative-leaning parents, opinions roughly fell into three categories: denial, hopefulness and a sense of betrayal."

Heidi Stevens: Gutting special education services is a betrayal of conservative ideals and our collective values

Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune - October 17, 2025

"'Republicans used to understand that special education isn’t just something nice to have,” he [Eric Garcia] wrote. 'It isn’t charity. It is a right. … The administration’s decision to remove almost all personnel for the special education office is not just a betrayal of students with disabilities. It also is the final nail in the coffin for Republican support of the idea that people with disabilities can and should access public education so that they can empower themselves and live a fulfilling life.'"

No 10 meeting sees Labour hold out olive branch to disabled activists after breakdown of trust over cuts

John Pring, Disability News Service - October 2, 2025

"He told Disability News Service (DNS) at this week’s Labour conference in Liverpool: 'Disabled people cannot afford a Reform government ... The only hope we have is via a Labour government. We need to reset the relationship with disabled members and that’s at the core of everything we need to do.'"

Being disappointed or betrayed by our political allies is such a common experience for disabled people that it hardly seems worth complaining about. For one thing, politics is at least as much about disappointment and being "thrown under the bus" as it is about progress and victory. And that's true for everyone, disabled or not. But disability communities need reliable allies more than most groups. So when we are let down, it's rarely a surprise, but often devastating, and almost always confusing.

Still, this situation should probably prompt us to think more deeply about how disability, ideology, and politics relate to one another.

Which comes first, our ideology, our politics, or our experiences as disabled people? As disabled people, or allies of disabled people, how much does disability shape our politics? And how much do our political beliefs and loyalties shape our view of disability issues, and even how we experience our own disabilities?

How do the needs of disabled people and disability communities map onto today's politics and ideology? Conservatism has traditionally meshed fairly well with disabled communities' desire for individual freedom and the opportunity to participate in work, career development, and capitalism.

But conservatives can be less comfortable with thinking, feeling, and acting on the idea of disability as a cultural and social identity. Conservatism can also be an awkward fit for disabled people and parents who are temperamentally cautious or content, but who are forced into more aggressive advocacy political activism to get their needs met and their rights recognized. And Trump's MAGA conservatives seems happier with destroying protections and supports for disabled people rather than with conserving them.

Meanwhile, in recent years it seems like various strains of progressivism have both allied with and shaped disability politics and ideology. Progressives' willingness to embrace strong government services and openly criticize capitalism has a unique appeal for disabled people – who are often more aware than most people of the practical and emotional harm of the capitalist pressure to earn and produce in order to justify our value. And disability activism has for a long time found models of leftism and liberation helpful in asserting political power and social respect.

At the same time, our supposed "center left," while on the surface supportive, often fails to understand disability issues, and when in government, frequently fails us materially as well. And the further Left often seems to forget that disability communities are natural allies, and treat our very specific needs as afterthoughts or annoyances.

None of this is particularly encouraging for disabled people. But it can be useful to think about and reassess this way from time to time. And as the articles above suggest, it could, maybe should be a strength that disabled people exist in families and communities of all ideologies and political affiliations. At the same time, the UK article hints at the sort of bind disabled people always seem to be in, when our deeply flawed allies are vastly superior and, ultimate, safer for us than the strongest political alternatives.

What's your take on disability, politics, and ideology today? Send me an email at: apulrang@icloud.com and I'll share responses in an emails issue at the end of the month.

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