Why the Federal Government’s New Hiring Rules Terrify Me as a Disability Advocate

A view of the OPM Logo outside a conference room.

Let’s talk about what it feels like to be a disabled person trying to work for your government—while your government quietly rewrites the rules to keep you out.

Picture this: You’re a recent college grad, disabled, maybe neurodivergent. You’ve spent years preparing for a federal career. And now, you’re told your first task is to write a 200-word essay about how you’ll support the president’s executive orders. Oh—and don’t even think about using AI to help. Just you, a keyboard, and a soft demand for ideological loyalty.

This isn’t fiction. It’s policy. According to Axios, applicants now face essay questions designed to gauge patriotism—not qualifications. “How would you help advance the President’s Executive Orders?” one question asks. Never mind your skills. Your support for the administration comes first.

And if you’re already in the system? The rug may already be gone. Reuters reports that the Trump administration has proposed a rule to fast-track firings. Agencies can now skip traditional discipline, refer someone directly to U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and—if approved—terminate them in five days. No real process. No protection. No time to fight back.

Now imagine you're autistic and need extra processing time. Or you’ve got long COVID and had to request accommodations. Or maybe you just asked too many questions. What happens when those behaviors are labeled “misconduct”?

It’s not just hiring that’s shifting. POLITICO reported that agencies have been ordered to stop using diversity data in hiring—no tracking of disability status, race, or gender. No benchmarks. No visibility. So if fewer disabled people are getting hired… who’s supposed to notice?

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: the federal government isn’t just another employer. It’s the largest employer in the U.S. It sets a tone. And right now, that tone is saying: “Conform, or you're expendable.”

So here’s my question for you: What does "merit" really mean when it excludes nuance, experience, and identity?

Disabled workers aren’t liabilities. We are the very people who’ve spent our lives adapting, solving problems, navigating systems that weren’t built for us—and still showing up. That sounds like public service material to me.

If you’ve been impacted by these policies—drop a comment, share your story, or reach out. Because this isn’t just about job applications. It’s about belonging.

And the rules can’t change who we are. But maybe, just maybe, we can change the rules.

Mass Federal Layoffs: How Schedule A Employees Became the First to Go

A digital illustration of an email notification with the bold subject line "You're Fired" displayed on a white sheet emerging from an open blue envelope. The background shows a blurred email inbox interface with unread messages, reinforcing the theme of job termination or layoffs.

It’s Valentine’s Day. A day for love and connection. But instead of unwinding, I’m fuming.

Because once again, disabled federal employees are being treated as disposable.

Last night, reports by The Washington Post, The New York Times and others confirmed what many of us feared: the Trump administration has escalated mass federal layoffs, targeting probationary employees first—including those hired under Schedule A, the federal hiring program for workers with disabilities.

It’s infuriating. It’s discriminatory. And it’s completely predictable.

For those unfamiliar, Schedule A is not a handout. It’s a hiring path for people with disabilities that requires extensive documentation, qualifications, and agency approval.

But here’s the kicker: while most new federal employees serve a one-year probationary period, Schedule A employees must prove themselves for two years. The justification? That disabled workers need extra assessment to determine if they "belong" in public service.

It’s blatant discrimination baked into policy.

And now, those extended probationary periods have made Schedule A employees an easy target for mass layoffs.

On Thursday, 200,000 probationary workers were put on notice. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Education, and U.S. Small Business Administration were hit hard.

🔹 More than 1,000 VA employees—gone.
🔹 Entire teams at U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and SBA—fired overnight.
🔹 Education Department employees helping disabled students—cut loose.

These weren’t performance-based firings. No warnings. No due process. Just emails that never arrived and pre-recorded layoff videos.

This isn’t just about budget cuts. It’s part of a broader attack on disability inclusion in federal employment.

This administration has already gone after:
✅ Remote work policies (which help disabled workers)
✅ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives
✅ Reasonable accommodations (now “under review” by some agencies)

The pattern is clear. They don’t want us here.

What Needs to Happen Next?

🔹 Share this post. Get the word out.
🔹 Contact your representatives. Demand oversight.
🔹 Support federal worker unions. AFGE is fighting back—help them.
🔹 Push for Schedule A reform. The two-year probation rule is discriminatory and unjust.

People with disabilities fought for decades to secure a place in the federal workforce. We’ve been overlooked, underestimated, and discarded at every turn.

And now, we’re being purged again—just because we were the easiest to cut loose.

If we stay silent, this will happen again.

And next time, it might be worse.