The Scott Dam at Lake Pillsbury in Lake County, California. File photo/courtesy of Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — In a show of unity on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to submit comments to Pacific Gas and Electric, the governor and the Trump Administration regarding the county’s concerns over plans to decommission and eventually remove the Scott Dam.
Built in 1922, the dam created the 80,000-acre-foot Lake Pillsbury, a center of recreation in the northern part of the county as well as a source of hydroelectric power and water that has proved critical for fire suppression during major wildland fire incidents over the past decade.
The dam is part of the Potter Valley Project which extends into Mendocino County. In addition to the Scott Dam and Lake Pillsbury, the project includes the Potter Valley powerhouse, built in 1908, the Cape Horn Dam, a fish passage and steelhead counting station, a tunnel and penstock, and Van Arsdale Reservoir.
The project diverts water from the main stem of the Eel River to the Russian River watershed, and manages water on which 600,000 Californians — in Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma and northern Marin — are reliant, PG&E and county documents explain.
For nearly six years, the dam — located entirely in Lake County, on the headwaters of the Eel River — has been the focus of an effort to remove it after PG&E decided to abandon the hydroelectric project, claiming it was no longer financially feasible.
A group of neighboring counties and wildlife advocacy organizations have joined the effort to advocate for the dam’s removal as part of a “two basin” solution, citing the benefit to salmon and steelhead.
It’s estimated that the dam’s removal could cost $500 million, a figure the board suggested is low if it’s to include restoring the land around the existing lake. At the same time, it’s estimated that an alternative, creating a fish passage, could cost $80 million.
Last month, Congressman Jared Huffman said the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded Round Valley Indian Tribes and the Sonoma County Water Agency $15 million in Inflation Reduction ACt funds toward implementing the two-basin solution. The funding is a “down payment” on construction of a new wintertime diversion to the Russian River following the removal of two salmon-blocking dams on the Eel.
However, both supervisors EJ Crandell and Bruno Sabatier told Lake County News at the time of that announcement that the plan is far from a done deal.
In comments during the hourlong discussion at Tuesday’s meeting, board members noted that a lot of their discussions so far on the matter have been in closed session.
The supervisors and members of the public also questioned PG&E’s claims about the need to stop operating the project because of its profitability, considering the nearly $2.5 billion in profit the utility reported for 2024.
Board members also faulted the process so far, recounting a lengthy history of Lake County being blocked from participation in talks with both PG&E and other counties.
With PG&E releasing its decommissioning plan on Jan. 31 — with a March 3 deadline for public comment — the board voted to submit its own comments on the matter. Their comments include criticizing PG&E for offering less than 21 business days to submit “substantive comments on a 2,086 page document.”
PG&E held one virtual public meeting on the plan on the morning of Feb. 6. Lake County News made a request to the company to hold another for the benefit of the community. The utility has not responded to that request.
Now, faced with a process that appears to be moving swiftly forward largely without the input of the county of Lake or the community members around Lake Pillsbury, the supervisors decided to take the fight to the state and federal levels.
The action they took on Tuesday included approving a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom in which they raise issue with the state taking sides in the process when they said it should have been neutral. Their criticism included pointing out that removal of the Scott Dam contradicts Newsom’s own January executive order on maximizing water storage, and they point out that the state, through the Department of Water Resources, is a party to a memorandum of understanding on the process that does not include Lake County.
Further, the county asks for time to meet with the Governor’s Office to discuss the situation. “Lake County has not been heard, and costs to keep Lake County whole in the face of potential future loss of Scott Dam have been minimized and misrepresented by other parties.”
The supervisors also decided to make the county’s case to the federal government.
In a letter addressed to President Donald Trump’s secretaries of Energy, Interior, Agriculture, Defense, Homeland Security, Commerce and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, the board notes it has “grave concern destroying and draining Lake Pillsbury,” which it said “would constitute an expensive and irresponsible gamble with regional water supply in an area that has repeatedly been threatened by catastrophic wildfire events.”
The supervisors ask for the Trump Administration’s “collective support in ensuring the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and your Federal Agencies take seriously the potential for profound human consequences.”
The board also pointed to Lake Pillsbury being a destination for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and recreation, as well as being used to fight fires in the Mendocino National Forest that surrounds it. “Two of the three largest wildfires in the state of California occurred in the areas surrounding Lake Pillsbury, each within the past decade: the August Complex (1,032,648 acres, 2020) and the Mendocino Complex (459,123 acres, 2018). The August Complex was lightning-caused.”
The letter argues that the dam’s decommissioning puts regional agriculture, fire protection, water availability and the tourism economy at risk.
The county’s most forceful argument is that if the Federal Emergency Regulatory Commission, or FERC, approved the dam’s removal, it would directly contradict Trump’s Executive Order No. 14181, “Emergency Measures To Provide Water Resources in California and Improve Disaster Response in Certain Areas.”
Trump’s order requests that the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce, “immediately take actions to override existing activities that unduly burden efforts to maximize water deliveries,” the letter notes.
If FERC approved the decommissioning, the board argued that it would “‘unduly burden’ many communities that rely on Lake Pillsbury, minimizing water deliveries to our farmers and other end users, including water flows in fire hydrants.”
The letter also refers to a second Trump action, Executive Order No. 14156, issued on Jan. 20, “Declaring a National Energy Emergency,” in which the president requests increases to the nation’s energy supply.
County officials said they’ve long been kept from having a meaningful part in the discussion process. That’s despite their lobbying efforts as well as an October 2020 attempt from Congressman John Garamendi, then one of Lake County’s members of the House of Representatives, to get Lake County a seat at the table.
Board shares frustrations about process
Supervisor Crandell, also the board chair, said at the start of the Tuesday afternoon discussion that the process regarding the Potter Valley Project has been framed in that decommissioning the dam is the best way to move forward. However, he said the county has always felt there has never been a proper discussion about the option of not decommissioning the dam.
Supervisor Sabatier said that on Feb. 11 a memorandum of understanding was approved by a number of parties, including Sonoma County Water, Humboldt County, Mendocino County Inland Water and others as part of the Eel Russian Project Authority, which has been working with PG&E to be part of the FERC process to keep water diversions going.
“Good for them,”said Sabatier, noting there have been big misconceptions about what is happening in Lake County with regard to the situation.
Sabatier said a lot of people believe Lake County has been involved in the talks with other counties and groups. “Those discussions may have occurred but they are very superficial.”
He said Lake County has been denied multiple times in its efforts to be involved in the conversations about the dam’s future. Sabatier pointed to the county’s efforts to be included in talks involving the two-basin solution as part of the Russian River Forum.
Every time the county asked to present its side, it was denied. Finally, it got the opportunity and that was the last meeting the group ever had, Sabatier said.
“We are in the midst of one of the biggest human climate change experiences and it seems like this project wants to ignore climate change or at least ignore the fact that we have to look at a global perspective to climate change and not try to provide for one and not another,” Sabatier said.
He said water availability and fish passage to their spawning grounds have been presented as a binary choice, and they don’t have to be.
Sabatier said the plan also includes building a new dam elsewhere. He said that’s the only option if Sonoma and Mendocino counties want to have water during the end of summer season or especially during times of drought.
He said PG&E’s plan is to destroy not just the dam but the Lake Pillsbury community and water storage, and likely destroy another community somewhere in Mendocino or Sonoma counties because they will have to flood somewhere in order to create a new basin for another dam.
Sabatier said the conversion has been “very myopic,” rather than looking at the whole situation.
Crandell, along with Sabatier, has represented the county in what discussions there have been with the state government and other counties and agencies, but he said they haven’t really had meaningful discussions.
He said it’s also been the case that when Lake County brings forward its concerns, 20 to 30 agencies have arranged to pile up on the county, never acknowledging its concerns but only arguing back.
Crandell said county officials believe the dam is actually helping the fish survive, noting that last year, one of the agencies wrote a letter to FERC asking them to convince PG&E to raise the gates.
“Just giving you an example of the frustration that we’ve had,” Crandell said.
County staff present information
Sabatier praised county staffers for their effort to research the situation, recognizing Deputy County Administrative Officer Matthew Rothstein, County Counsel Lloyd Guintivano and Treasurer-Tax Collector Patrick Sullivan. He also praised the Lake Pillsbury community for being an “amazing partner throughout this entire journey.”
Rothstein explained that the county contracted with SLR International Corp. to analyze the effects of the proposed dam decommissioning. As part of the work, the company conducted a thorough review of PG&E’s draft surrender application and provided detailed comments for the board to include in its letters.
He said SLR also provided technical concerns such as slope stability at each stage of the proposed dam removal and risk of landslides in the area of Scott Dam, which he said should be better understood before the project proceeds.
The study confirmed that Lake Pillsbury has been an important fire suppression asset that has helped to keep wildfires small and that it indicates PG&E should provide resources and create a plan to improve firefighting response times.
Other recommendations included PG&E consulting with the county of Lake to obtain correct tax information and incorporate that information into their analysis.
Rothstein said SLR also remarked that the way of life for residents surrounding Lake Pillsbury will likely be adversely affected during and post construction and PG&E should therefore identify proper compensation for those who are to be affected.
Sullivan said that throughout the process it's often been indicated that Lake County has been accommodated or concerns have been addressed but, he added, “it's clearly not the case,” nor does there appear to be a restoration plan for Lake County that's being contemplated.
SLR staff were on Zoom to answer questions. In their brief comments, as well as in the response letter they prepared for the county, the consultants noted that there are about 20 “unavoidable consequences” PG&E has cited in its surrender plan, but SLR said those needed to be more thoroughly evaluated as required by state and federal law in order to find scenarios to minimize those impacts to the county and enhance recreation, ecosystem and fire suppression benefits.
Their letter recommended PG&E discuss with the County of Lake such “likely options” before the final application for surrender of license is submitted on July 29.
Crandell said he appreciated SLR’s synopsis, as they want those issues addressed before moving forward. He said it’s been frustrating that the county has not been able to have the dialogue or to come together with the other parties and have potential action. Rather, the county has been told to take a wait and see approach.
Supervisor Helen Owen said she was concerned about environmental impacts of the dam removal, including sludge deposits. She said it’s her understanding that quicksilver mining had been done in the area where the lake nowsits.
Members of the public weigh in
Nikcole Whipple, a member of the Round Valley tribe and a Lake County resident, said her tribal people and their water rights were harmed with the dam’s creation. She said the fishery was so strong that it was of economic value to “the colonizers” to take not only the water source but the fishery and to forcibly move her people off their ancestral aboriginal territories onto reservations.
Lake County Chamber Executive Director Amanda Martin emphasized “the critical importance of including Lake County in the decision making process,” adding, “It is vital that as the dam and the lake are within our county's borders, the people in businesses of Lake County have a voice in this discussion.”
Martin said any decision made about the future of Scott Dam will have “significant implications to our community and it is only fair and just that we are given an opportunity to participate in a process that will shape our environment and economy for generations to come. We believe that decisions about the lake must include those who live here, work here and rely on the lake for their livelihoods. The exclusion of Lake County from these discussions has been both unfair and short-sighted as it overlooks the direct impact such decisions will have on our local economy, tourism and quality of life.”
Ray Todt, a Lake Pillsbury resident, said he’s seen firsthand how valuable Lake Pillsbury is for firefighting. To remove the dam would be a “man-made environmental disaster,” he said.
Todt reported that PG&E has threatened to close all of the recreational facilities and campgrounds around Lake Pillsbury.
In response, Sabatier said there was a deal struck between PG&E and the Mendocino Land Trust in 2022, brought forward by the California Public Utilities Commission, that there will be a conservation easement on the entirety of the Potter Valley Project that only allows the maintenance of what is already there. That easement, he said, is so restrictive “that there is no such thing as Lake Pillsbury 2.0.”
He said he’d never seen the ability of other agencies to cancel the county’s economic development without the county being able to comment. It’s a process that he called “absurd.”
Former Lake County Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Melissa Fulton spoke of her efforts to work against the proposal. She said she found it “extremely disturbing” that Congressman Huffman, whose district doesn’t have any tie to Lake County, began the project to dismantle the dam. Fulton noted that Lake County has been sorely missing at the table; she recalled contacting Huffman’s office in early 2019 to ask for a meeting about the matter and was told that wasn’t possible.
She thanked the board for its efforts, noting the county’s letters “express very well the issues that Lake County has faced in trying to address an issue that is totally within their boundaries.”
Carol Cinquini, a Lake Pillsbury community leader who has fought the dam removal, also thanked the board. She said PG&E is under no obligation to forward community comments to FERC.
“It's going to be really important that we continue this, stay strong and be very prepared during the FERC process which will open July 29,” she said.
Crandell said he has no ill will towards any of the other agencies, tribes or government. “I think they've all been put in the same position we have, they need a source of water, so they're doing what they feel they need to for their constituency.”
He said the process frustrates him, pointing to the transparency issues and not being allowed to be involved in the early years of the process. Some of the animosity might have died down if Lake County had been able to be a part of it. Yet, he said the county was kept out even after it paid a required $100,000 to participate.
During the August Complex, Crandell said he was at Lake Pillsbury Ranch and watched the helicopters go over to bring in water. He said hotshot crews on the fire told him the county would have been toast if it hadn’t been for Lake Pillsbury as a water source.
On Zoom, Frank Lynch said Lake County has been slighted throughout the process. He saluted the board for trying to stay engaged.
Lynch echoed Sabatier’s comments about trying to find the economic balance, and he said an effort to examine finding another entity to take overoperation of the lake is warranted.
Jonathan Cronan said Lake County needs Lake Pillsbury for fire mitigation. He said wildlife — including bears, otters and mountain lions — will perish when the dam is removed.
“We also have paid $7.5 billion in California for a new additional water storage which would be nice if we could apply that towards refurbishing the dam,” Cronan said. “I use Lake Pillsbury for recreation. It's a beautiful area and I hate to see that dam come out.”
Crandell offered more time to speak, and Whipple returned to the microphone. “You guys can’t even take care of this lake here,” she said in an apparent reference to Clear Lake, advocating for letting the Eel be a free flowing river. “Having another bacteria infested cesspool is not getting us anywhere.”
She accused the county of coming into the talks about the lake and acting “entitled.”
Crandell said he wasn’t going to respond to Whipple’s comments because it would take all day.
Written comments to the board on Tuesday appeared unanimously against the dam’s removal.
Board holds short deliberation
Supervisor Jessica Pyska said she had watched a Humboldt County meeting from a few weeks ago, noting they were the only MOU party that has had a public discussion. However, they didn’t talk about issues like sediments, potential structural collapse due to instability, and she suggested there are issues that they may not be aware of.
“Again, everyone is looking out for their own interests. But, I can’t wrap my head around that this dam has to come down to build another reservoir somewhere else, in this day and age when we're so focused on water capacity and storage and recharging groundwater, that's exactly what this project already does,” Pyska said.
She added, Humboldt County also didn’t discuss the potential for the rivers to dry up every year, which it’s known happens. “I think there could have been a lot more collaboration between all of the parties, a better conversation, better work product,” because if there had been, Pyska said they wouldn’t be where they were.
Vice Chair Brad Rasmussen also thanked the board members and staff for their work. “I know there's a lot of stakeholders with concerns but I don't feel like the Lake County concerns have been listened to and I have a lot of concerns about the impact on our community here so I'm in support of sending these letters as written.”
Sabatier made three separate motions, to approve the comments to PG&E in response to its draft application to surrender the project license, as well as the letter to Newsom and to the Trump Administration, with Owen seconding all three.
The board voted 5-0 on all motions.
On Tuesday evening, Newsom’s office released a statement celebrating the Trump administration’s announcement that it had released more than $315 million of obligated money to create new water storage at the future Sites Reservoir in the northern Sacramento Valley and at the existing San Luis Reservoir.
“We are grateful for this shared priority with the Trump Administration as we move forward together to build critical infrastructure to improve water storage,” Newsom said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.
On Tuesday evening, Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-04) said he voted against the Republican budget bill, which managed to pass by just two votes.
He also criticized Republican leadership for claiming no vote would be taken and then calling for one.
“Tonight, Republicans said they didn’t have the votes to pass their budget bill, sent everyone home, then called their bill up for a vote,” Thompson said.
“Every Democrat made it back to the floor, and every Democrat voted no. But Republicans passed their bill anyways, laying the groundwork to cut healthcare and food for children in order to pay for a tax cut for the richest in our country,” he said.
Thompson added, “If you can’t take Republicans at their word on the most basic things, like announcing there will be no more votes, then these people are not to be trusted.”
The budget passed by 217 to 2015, with just one Republican, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, joining Democrats to vote against it. Massie faulted the bill because he said that, over 10 years, it would $20 trillion to the deficit.
Thompson represents California’s Fourth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.
An illegally possessed mountain lion mount on display within a resilience in Napa County, California. Photo courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW, has announced the settlement of an investigation involving the unlawful possession of a sea turtle skull, several mountain lions, a wolverine, a ringtail cat, owl parts and illegally harvested deer.
CDFW’s investigation was conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and prosecuted by the Butte County and Napa County district attorney’s offices and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California resulting in guilty pleas, fines and probation for all involved suspects.
CDFW’s investigation began in November 2023 when two of its canine officers from the Northern Enforcement District were flying back to Northern California from a training in San Diego.
The officers were dressed in plain clothes and seated in front of a couple who were discussing hunting. A conversation with the officers and the unsuspecting couple ensued that ultimately led to the couple disclosing that they were transporting a sea turtle skull from the East Coast in their luggage. The couple also discussed their unlawful take of a mountain lion, which is a specially protected species in California illegal to hunt or possess in whole or in part.
The couple then spoke openly about a close family member’s unlawful possession of multiple taxidermized mountain lions, a wolverine and wolves at the family member’s residence in Napa County.
The couple then proceeded to share a video with the wildlife officers of the family member’s “trophy room” where the illegal mounts were displayed.
After deboarding the plane, the wildlife officers asked if the couple would show them the sea turtle skull. The suspects acknowledged the potential unlawful possession and waited until after any Transportation Security Administration officers could see before showing the officers the sea turtle skull concealed in a jacket inside their carry-on luggage. The skull belonged to a green sea turtle, a federally listed endangered species illegal to possess and transport.
Once back to their patrol districts, the wildlife officers authored search warrants for the couple’s residence in Chico and the family member’s residence in Napa County. The warrants were signed by judges in Butte and Napa counties.
In the process of serving the search warrant in Butte County, wildlife officers found the couple processing a deer that was taken illegally earlier in the day. Deer season was closed, and the suspects had no deer tags. Also inside the residence, wildlife officers found mountain lion claws, a ringtail cat, a barn owl mount, an illegal spike buck and several unlawfully taken deer with tagging violations.
Ringtail cats are a fully protected species in California. Mounted raptors and raptor parts are illegal to possess without appropriate state and federal permits.
At the family member’s residence in Napa County, meanwhile, wildlife officers discovered two illegal, full-bodied taxidermized mountain lions and one full-bodied taxidermized wolverine. Wolverines are another fully protected species in California illegal to possess.
All the unlawfully possessed animals and parts of unlawful animals were seized as evidence for the prosecution in Napa County, Butte County and in federal district court.
Formal complaints were filed against 24-year-old Byron Lee Fitzpatrick, 28-year-old Shannon Lee Price and 64-year-old Harry Vern Fitzpatrick by the Butte and Napa County district attorney’s offices, which initiated prosecution of the poaching crimes. The possession of the sea turtle skull, portions of deer parts and the owl violations were turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which assisted in the search warrants, investigation and prosecution.
A plea agreement was reached on Jan. 30, in Butte County. Byron Lee Fitzpatrick pleaded guilty to violating Fish and Game Code section 2000(a) and 2002, receiving a $1,865 fine and one-year probation prohibiting hunting or being around those engaged in hunting.
Shannon Lee Price pleaded guilty to violating Fish and Game Code section 2002, receiving a $1,015 fine and one-year probation prohibiting hunting or being around those engaged in hunting. All wildlife seized was forfeited.
A plea agreement was reached on April 23, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. Byron Lee Fitzpatrick and Shannon Lee Price were each fined $1,000 for violations of federal wildlife regulations and laws.
A plea agreement was reached on Feb. 15, 2024, in Napa County. Harry Vern Fitzpatrick pled guilty to two counts of Fish and Game Code section 4800(b), was fined $605, ordered to serve six-months probation and forfeited all unlawfully possessed and transported wildlife as a result of the convictions.
“This case exemplifies the unwavering preparedness and swift action demonstrated by our wildlife officers,” said CDFW Chief of Law Enforcement Nathanial Arnold. “It highlights a broad spectrum of natural resource violations and underscores the critical role our officers play in safeguarding our resources, not only here in California but elsewhere throughout the country and abroad. These violations encompass the take of deer out of season and the illegal possession of taxidermy, including endangered and protected species. Like human and narcotics trafficking, wildlife trafficking of both live animals and animal parts is known to fund transnational criminal organizations and their violent activities all over the world. The individuals involved exhibited a flagrant disregard for laws governing natural resources and are now being held accountable for their actions.”
CDFW said it is thankful for the support from the Butte and Napa County district attorney’s offices as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The investigation, which started as a casual conversation among airline passengers, led officers to serious violations of state and federal wildlife laws.
Anyone witnessing a poaching or polluting incident or any fish and wildlife violation or who has information about such a violation should immediately dial the toll-free CALTIP number, 1-888 334-CALTIP (888-334-2258), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Details
Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The employment rate for people with disabilities is about half that of nondisabled people. Johner Images via Getty Images
Whether it’s declaring that blindness prevents government employees from doing their jobs or suggesting that hiring workers with intellectual disabilities contributed to Federal Aviation Administration safety lapses, the Trump administration has repeatedly questioned whether people with disabilities belong in the workplace.
This stance reflects widespread stigma and misconceptions about what people with disabilities can and do accomplish.
Negative stereotypes and exclusionary practices persist despite the fact that people with disabilities are the largest minority group in the United States, representing nearly 30% of the population. Whether or not you identify as disabled, most people live or work in close proximity to others with a disability.
For years I have researched how people with disabilities have been kept out of efforts to guarantee equal access for everybody, particularly in higher education. This exclusion is often due to unfounded beliefs about capacity, intellect and merit, and the false premise that disability inclusion requires lowering standards.
However, studies demonstrate that including people with disabilities is good for everyone, not just disabled people. Schools and workplaces are more collaborative and responsive when people with disabilities are included at all levels of the organization. In other words, disability inclusion isn’t about charity; it’s about making organizations work better.
President Donald Trump issued executive orders the day he took office for a second time that aimed at ending government and private-sector efforts to make U.S. workplaces and schools more diverse, equitable and inclusive. In addition to affecting LGBTQ+ communities and people of color, these measures could erode years of progress toward protecting the rights of people with disabilities to earn a living.
Between 40 million and 80 million Americans identify as disabled. Even the higher end of this range underestimates the actual number of people with disabilities, because some individuals choose not to identify that way or even realize they qualify as such. That includes people with impairments from chemical and pesticide exposure, as well as many older people and those who are living with HIV and AIDS, to name some examples.
Only 15% of people with disabilities are born with their impairment, so most individuals become disabled over their lifetime.
Tracing historical precedents
Blaming failures on people with disabilities and people of color echoes the harms embedded in eugenics, an attempt to scientifically prove genetic inferiority of disabled, LGBTQ+ Indigenous and Black people.
Eugenics led to the institutionalization and forced sterilization of, and the coercive experimentation on, people with disabilities, immigrants and people of color across the U.S. Even the Supreme Court endorsed the concept in the early 20th century.
These studies began to fade after World War II, but their legacy persists. Even today, forced sterilization continues to be lawful in U.S jurisdictions in 31 states and in Washington.
Due to widespread activism and the advent of new legal protections, many states finally dismantled their eugenic policies in the late 1970s. But eugenics-era experiments provided foundations for contemporary medical research, standardized testing and segregated school placements.
People with disabilities have far-reaching legal guarantees of civil rights and access today due to the Americans with Disabilities Act. The statute, which was enacted in 1990 and strengthened in 2008, provided protections in the workplace, educational settings, transportation and places of recreation and commerce, among others. It also guarded against negative perceptions of disability.
For example, if an employer perceived someone as disabled and denied them consideration in the hiring process because of that, the candidate would be protected from discrimination under the ADA – whether or not they had a disability.
Accommodations for people with disabilities enable them to contribute unique talents to classrooms and workplaces.Halfpoint Images via Getty Images
Gaining workplace accommodations
Critics of inclusion efforts sometimes wrongly argue that employing people with disabilities is too costly due to the accommodations they may require. But the Job Accommodation Network in the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy found in 2023 that nearly 60% of these accommodations cost nothing.
What’s more, many tax incentives are available to cover these costs.
Disability civil rights law does not mandate hiring people who are not qualified or lowering standards to include the disabled. The law requires that candidates meet the “essential functions” of the job in order to be hired.
According to a 2024 Labor Department report, the employment rate for working-age people with disabilities was 38% compared with 75% for nondisabled people. Though there are countless reasons for this disparity, many people with disabilities can and want to work, but employers don’t give them the opportunity.
Providing benefits for everyone
Many accommodations designed for people with disabilities also benefit others.
Captioning on videos and movies was originally meant to benefit the deaf community, but it also helps multilingual speakers and people who simply are trying to follow the dialogue. Similarly, visual or written instructions assist people with depression, Down syndrome or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, but they can also make tasks more accessible for everyone, along with breaking assignments into smaller components.
Sensory break rooms benefit people with autism and post-traumatic stress disorder, while also providing a reprieve in a noisy work environment and minimizing distractions. Remote work options can make it easier for people with chronic illnesses to be employed, and they similarly benefit others who may have caregiving responsibilities – helping attract and retain talented employees. Text-to-speech software provides people with cerebral palsy and nonspeaking individuals with options for communication, similar to options that many people already use on their phones.
A large body of research demonstrates the broad benefits of making jobs and schools more accessible to people with disabilities, which is ultimately an advantage for everyone.
Studies on diversity in educational and workplace settings also demonstrate positive outcomes. In a study of 10 public universities, researchers found that students who reported positive, informal interactions with diverse peers had higher scores on measures of more complex thinking, a concern for the public good and an interest in poverty issues, and were more likely to vote and develop strong leadership skills.
In a national survey of human resources managers conducted in 2019, 92% of the respondents who were aware that one or more of their employees had a disability said those individuals performed the same or better than their peers who did not.
Research published by the Harvard Business Review found many advantages to hiring people with disabilities.
For one thing, people with disabilities can have unique insights that contribute to the workplace culture. The presence of employees with disabilities can make the environment of entire companies and organizations more collaborative. Earning a reputation for inclusiveness and social responsibility can improve customer relations and can give businesses an edge when they seek funding and recruit talented new employees.
Ultimately, I believe it’s important to create conditions where anyone can thrive, including people with disabilities. Doing so benefits everyone.
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