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Disability Aid Disrupted
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The DJP Community Responds to the Gutting of USAID
February 27, 2025
On January 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order pausing activities funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for 90 days, a decision that has had widespread effects. Among those impacted are several Disability Justice Project (DJP) Fellows and members of the Disability Justice Media Network (DJMN), a global WhatsApp group of disabled journalists and filmmakers. The funding freeze directly affects people with disabilities worldwide who depend on these programs and services for their daily lives.
A mission of USAID’s work is disability inclusion, with the agency funding education and employment programs among other services. Disability Debrief explains how people with disabilities and organizations dedicated to disability services are facing “devastating impacts.”
On February 13, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to temporarily lift the funding freeze, arguing that administration officials have not offered “any explanation” for why the aid suspension was “a rational precursor to reviewing programs.” Despite court efforts to reestablish the movement of funds, the Trump administration announced this week that it was ending more than 90 percent of USAID contracts and $60 billion in US foreign assistance overall.
DJMN contributor Alexander Ogheneruemu, a team member at Voice for the Deaf Foundation, already has noticed the immediate impacts of the USAID freeze in Nigeria. Deaf-E3, a program partnering with Gallaudet University to strengthen Deaf education, empowerment, and employment in Nigeria, was forced to halt its efforts, according to Ogheneruemu. “The Deaf-E3 has helped a number of Deaf persons have a taste at the ‘good life’ without which they wouldn’t have,” he says.
With a sudden halt in funding to essential services, Nigeria is in crisis mode. The African country is one of the key beneficiaries of U.S. foreign aid, having received $1.02 billion in 2023, with a large portion coming from agencies such as USAID. Programs supporting Nigeria’s millions of out-of-school children, many of them with disabilities, to access quality and inclusive education programs have already shut down, threatening to deepen cycles of poverty and marginalization. USAID funding is also vital to Nigeria’s efforts in advancing HIV/AIDS treatment, maternal and child health care, and disease prevention.
Nigerian lawmakers recently approved a $200 million addition to the nation’s health sector for its 2025 spending plan — an effort to soften the blow of the USAID freeze. But compared to receiving over $600 million in health assistance from the U.S. in 2023 alone, the weight of this decision from the Trump administration is likely to be felt nonetheless. “The poor and vulnerable will suffer, especially those battling life-threatening, terminal illness,” says Ogheneruemu. “There will be a rise in death rate.”
“Stoppage of aid will naturally mean that programs have to find aid from other sources, and that is not always possible,” adds Merry Barua, founder of Action for Autism in India. “This will impact continuation of programs, which have to be trimmed down, to come to a stop.”
DJMN member Jacques Balolage, a disability rights activist in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and founder of the non-profit organization Equal Access Innovators (EAI), has also felt the detrimental impacts in his country. The Deaf leader emphasizes the value U.S. foreign aid offers the DRC, including donations, materials, training, partnerships, and exchange programs. “The aid has been instrumental in supporting both local and international organizations, whether for individuals with disabilities or those without, as well as street children who are often overlooked,” he says.
And now with the freeze, all activities related to the USAID agreements have been suspended, says Balolage. USAID employees were forced to flee their assignments in the DRC after the funding freeze left them jobless, and conditions are concerning for the people remaining.
On January. 31, the rebel group identified as the March 23 Movement (M23) captured Goma, a city in eastern DRC’s North Kivu province and home to more than a million people. As M23 advances, the risk of violence increases for people with disabilities, who already face greater barriers to fleeing conflict and accessing resources. Civilian casualties have pushed medical facilities beyond capacity, and food scarcity and rising prices in Goma are particularly dire for disabled people, who are often the last to receive aid. “The airport is closed, and there is a serious humanitarian crisis that is particularly affecting people with disabilities,” says Balolage.
Narrowing the limited programs for marginalized groups is cause for concern. And the lack of resources for people with disabilities extends far beyond the freezing of USAID, Balolage explains: “People with disabilities face additional obstacles. They deal with structural discrimination, lack of access to essential services, and invisibility in public policies. … I’m disappointed in the U.S. government.”
DJP contributing writer Francine Uwayisaba, a field officer at Rwanda Union of Little People, adds to this sentiment. Former USAID employees are now unemployed in Rwanda, including those with disabilities. Uwayisaba emphasizes the severity of this because finding a job as a person with a disability in Rwanda is already “really tough” due to societal prejudice, access to quality education, and accessibility challenges in the workplace.
With U.S. foreign aid no longer a guarantee, many other countries will need to find different revenues for funding, and activists are not giving up. “I’m determined to reflect on the discrimination faced by people with disabilities, despite my hearing impairment,” says Balolage. “[The] mission is to provide training in inclusive leadership, specialized education, climate change, technology, and humanitarian aid for people with disabilities, displaced persons, the Deaf, and street children, despite the challenges of funding.”
Sofia Garrett is a third-year journalism and media and screen studies major at Northeastern University, and she is eager to produce meaningful work for the Disability Justice Project. She previously served as sports editor at The Huntington News, Northeastern’s independent student paper, along with being a news correspondent at The Boston Globe. Now, she works with the video production team at Northeastern University Athletics.
News From the Global Frontlines of Disability Justice
Disability Aid Disrupted
The Trump administration’s 90-day pause on USAID funding has had far-reaching consequences, particularly for disabled people and organizations worldwide, including members of the Disability Justice Project (DJP) community. Activists from Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda report severe disruptions, deepening challenges for marginalized communities, especially disabled people facing conflict, poverty, and structural discrimination.
A Life’s Work
After losing his sight, artist Jean de Dieu Uwikunda found new ways to create, using a flashlight at night to outline objects and distinguishing colors by their scents. His story, along with that of DeafBlind sports coach Jean Marie Furaha, is rare in Rwanda. While over 446,000 Rwandans have disabilities, a 2019 study found that only 52 percent of working-age disabled adults were employed, compared to 71 percent of their non-disabled counterparts.
‘I Won’t Give Up My Rights Anymore’
After a life-altering accident, Lakshmi Lohar struggled with fear and stigma in her rural Nepalese community. In 2023, she found a lifeline through KOSHISH National Mental Health Self-Help Organization, which helped her develop social connections and access vocational training in tailoring. Today, Lakshmi is reclaiming her independence and shaping a future beyond the limitations once placed on her. “I won’t give up my rights anymore,” she says, “just like I learned in the meetings.”
Rwanda’s Marburg Crisis
As Rwanda confronts its first-ever Marburg virus outbreak, people with disabilities face heightened risks — not only from the virus but also from the lack of accessible health information. “Without proper accommodations, such as sign language interpreters, captions, Braille, or visual aids, the Deaf and DeafBlind community may miss crucial information about how to protect themselves, symptoms to watch for, or where to seek help in case of infection,” says Joseph Musabyimana, executive director of the Rwanda Organization of Persons with Deaf Blindness.
Capturing Vision Through Sound and Touch
Last year, the DJP trained Indigenous activists with disabilities from the Pacific on the iPhone camera to create a documentary series on disability and climate change. With VoiceOver, the iPhone provides image descriptions for blind and low-vision filmmakers and offers other accessible features. “If you think about it, it doesn’t make sense for a blind person to use a camera,” says DJP filmmaker Ari Hazelman. “The iPhone gives you more avenues to tell your story in a more profound way as a blind person.”
Work for All
The We Can Work program equips young Rwandans with disabilities to navigate barriers to employment through education, vocational training, and soft skills development. By fostering inclusive workplaces and advocating for policy changes, the program aims to reduce poverty and promote economic independence. Participants like Alliance Ukwishaka are optimistic that the program will enable them to achieve their dreams and showcase their potential. The initiative is part of a larger effort to support 30 million disabled youth across seven African countries.