On DEI, Here We Go Again.
It’s time to stop saying disabled people are less qualified. Evidence suggests that, far from making workplaces worse, disabled people make teams better.
Just when you think the news can’t hit a new low, along it comes. Last week, following a deadly and devastating air crash involving a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines flight over Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump weighed in.
In his remarks, Trump appeared to stick to the script—until he didn’t. He began with a moment of silence. He spoke of a tragedy of “terrible proportions.” He said, “we grieve for every precious soul that has been taken from us so suddenly.” But then, less than 20 minutes into the press briefing, he took aim at Obama, Biden, the Democrats, diversity and, in particular, people with disabilities.
When queried about this by a reporter, he said his reason for pointing the finger at diversity was “common sense.”
Not only does this take the focus away from the victims and first responders, it prejudges the outcome of the crucial investigation into what went wrong and further villainizes already marginalized groups—this in a world where minority groups, particularly disabled people, are already viewed as less competent and less employable.
Trump heavily implied that disabled employees, specifically those hired by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in a 2019 effort to help disabled candidates into careers in aviation (a program that was capped at just 20 individuals), were somehow less qualified to do the job.
This is a common myth used to discredit and demean so-called ‘diversity hires,’ presenting inclusion as somehow the antithesis of meritocracy. But the FAA’s own press release from the time confirms that disabled employees would receive the same training, and have to pass the same tests as their non-disabled counterparts. In other words, the disabled FAA employees were just as qualified to do their jobs as their coworkers. Inclusion and meritocracy are one and the same.
The FAA program noted:
The candidates in this program will receive the same rigorous consideration in terms of aptitude, medical and security qualifications as those individuals considered for a standard public opening for air traffic controller jobs. Participants in the program will receive up to one year of experience in an Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) with the potential to be appointed to a temporary ATCS position at the FAA Academy.
The FAA program went on to specify that candidates for the Aviation Development Program would have to meet criteria including: U.S. citizenship, qualifications standards, pass the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (AT-SA) aptitude test, pass a medical/security review, be proficient in English and show suitable education and/or work experience.
Evidence suggests that disabled workers—and employees from other minority groups—are not only just as qualified as their colleagues, they actually make their teams better. Research by Luisa Alemany and Freek Vermeulen written up in the Harvard Business Review found that “having employees with disabilities in its workforce can build a firm’s competitive advantage in four ways: (1) disabilities often confer unique talents that make people better at particular jobs; (2) the presence of employees with disabilities elevates the culture of the entire organization, making it more collaborative and boosting productivity; (3) a reputation for inclusiveness enhances a firm’s value proposition with customers, who become more willing to build long-term relationships with the company; (4) being recognized as socially responsible gives a firm an edge in the competition for capital and talent.”
It would be easy for critics to write off Trump's comments about the FAA as par for the course; a statement; nothing more. As if to say, “Get over it.”
But we can’t just ignore what Trump says about disabled people and other minorities. Here’s why: These statements matter because they stem from and reinforce biases. Disabled people are routinely deemed less qualified than they actually are. Their intelligence, talents and contributions are routinely underestimated.
And these biases have real-world implications: U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that in the second quarter of 2024, only 38% of disabled people of working age were employed—half the rate seen for non-disabled Americans—partly because of inaccessible work places, but also because they are discriminated against during hiring processes. It seems the same assumption of incompetence explains why it has been legal in the U.S. to pay some disabled workers less than minimum wage.
What’s more, the ripple effects are far-reaching. When the president of the most powerful country on earth says that disabled people are to blame, he gives others permission to think the same.
It is not enough to say that Trump’s comments are mean or hurtful or unkind. For the sake of millions of disabled Americans denied employment or fair pay, and for the sake of disabled FAA employees being blamed by their own president for a horrible accident, we must be unequivocal in our protestations. After all, the insinuation is, quite simply, wrong.
Josie Cox
Josie Cox
Josie Cox
