May 15, 2023 Update --
Senate Bill 266 was passed and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis.
We are deeply concerned about the repercussions this will have on students with disabilities amongst other marginalized students. You can read our statement below or read SB 266 online. We will continue to monitor the impact of this bill.
February 23, 2023 Statement --
Disability Rights Florida strongly opposes the recent announcement by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to defund initiatives dedicated to promoting inclusion, celebrating diversity, and advocating for equity within the state’s 12 universities. When discussing these initiatives, we must keep in mind that principles of inclusion, diversity, and equity are key to the civil rights of students and staff with disabilities. At a moment where there is a concerted effort by Florida Universities to invest in disability inclusion, a move like this by our government, without clarifying information about what the repercussions may be and what this will impact, risks a significant step backward in access and equity.
Universities across the state educate thousands of disabled students and employ important administrative officials, professors, and staff with disabilities to keep the universities running. The possible impacts of defunding supportive programming for people with disabilities could likely result in the illegal denial of classroom accommodations, a decrease to disabled staff employment, a reduction in authentic disability studies curricula, the diminishing of university disability office capacities and resources, elimination of disability student life organizations, the possibility of little to no resources available to students experiencing inaccessible housing, reduced availible mental health services, and much more.
This action also poses a serious legal issue. The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 require disability inclusion and access. Students and staff themselves will need to fight for basic rights that are already codified in law, potentially necessitating disability discrimination lawsuits and legal proceedings.
Florida university students and staff with disabilities deserve clarification about what defunding diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives will mean for them.
These programs must be given the support to grow and thrive. DEI initiatives offer students who have been historically excluded from academia a sense of belonging and validation. We strongly urge the DeSantis administration to abandon this budgeting plan. Disability Rights Florida values the diversity, equity, and inclusion programs established at Florida universities that make these spaces a better place for all students, and we stand with them against this plan to defund their essential programming.