In response to US President Donald Trump’s recent executive order terminating federal diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) programs, the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) has expressed deep concern over the potential erosion of accessibility provisions for the Deaf community. An executive order signed on January 20th, 2025 mandates the closure of all DEIA-related offices and positions within 60 days, leading to the suspension of American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation during White House press briefings and the removal of the accessibility statement from the White House website. These actions have resulted in Deaf and hard-of-hearing federal employees in DEIA roles being placed on leave, with plans for their termination, and the withdrawal of essential accommodations such as interpreters.

A Deaf man, Steve Burrows, who was accused of a historical sexual assault, has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. The incident, which occurred several decades ago at the Ontario Camp of the Deaf, was recently brought to light and led to legal proceedings. The accused was the former President of the Toronto Association of the Deaf and appeared in a virtual courtroom where he admitted to the lesser included charge of assault of the unwanted touching of a girl’s arm at the Ontario Camp of the Deaf in Seguin Township 22 years ago. Burrows was found not guilty of sexual assault. As part of his guilty plea to assault, Burrows was granted a conditional discharge by Justice Robin Bellows, along with probation for 18 months. A publication ban prevents the identity of the complainant from being revealed. The Crown shared with the court important evidence, including interviews, statements, and the woman’s diary collected 22 years ago. The matter was scheduled to go to trial. However, the guilty plea avoided trial. 

JobStock and the Sarawak Society for the Deaf signed an agreement to help Deaf people find employment. The initiative, which began on February 10th, 2025, aims to create more job opportunities for the Deaf community in Sarawak. Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, the Minister of Women, Childhood, and Community Well-being Development, was present to witness the signing ceremony of this collaboration.

In Bogotá, BBVA Colombia has implemented a series of measures to support people with disabilities, aiming to make banking more inclusive. In collaboration with the Ministry of ICT and Fenascol, the entity launched the "Banking for All" initiative, which includes an application in bank offices to facilitate personalized assistance for people with deafness or visual impairments. Deaf clients can access an "online interpretation service" from the office's mobile phones, where an interpreter translates the client's sign language to the bank employee. Additionally, clients can use the 'call relay' option to receive personalized assistance from their homes. BBVA has also trained its staff to ensure that every office has a person in charge capable of assisting Deaf clients, connecting them with the appropriate application. This initiative is in line with the regulations of Colombia's Financial Superintendency, which requires all banks to implement tools that offer adequate services to all clients. After a year of testing, BBVA identified that Deaf individuals are the most frequent users of these services, and the entity continues working on improving its tools to make the banking experience more accessible and intuitive for everyone.

In Quito, the CONADIS and the Global Deaf Research Institute (GDRI) signed a two-year cooperation agreement to investigate the situation of Deaf people in Ecuador. The goal is to understand their needs and rights, using the results to improve public policies and the quality of life for this community. Through this agreement, the results of research conducted by GDRI directors in Ecuador will be shared, which will help generate public policies that benefit Deaf people in the country. Additionally, GDRI will learn about the National Agenda for Disability Equality of CONADIS. CONADIS will also provide technical support to GDRI in areas such as Ecuadorian sign language interpretation and research result interpretation. Edison Martínez, technical secretary of CONADIS, emphasized the importance of addressing the needs of Deaf people and highlighted that the institution works with organizations of Deaf people to guarantee their rights.