Disability advocates are suing after the Trump White House abruptly stopped including sign language interpreters at press briefings and other events.

The National Association of the Deaf filed a lawsuit late last month in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after the group says its repeated requests for American Sign Language interpreters went unheeded.

The federal complaint alleges that the lack of interpreters is a violation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

“The White House’s failure to provide qualified ASL interpreters during public press briefings, press conferences, and related events is against the law,” the complaint states. “Federal law unequivocally prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities and requires them to have meaningful access to the federal government’s programs and services. Failing to provide ASL interpreters deprives deaf people of meaningful access to the White House’s press briefings.”

ASL is distinct from English with its own grammar and structure and closed captioning is insufficient for many ASL speakers, the group said. In addition to the National Association of the Deaf, the suit was filed by two deaf individuals who said they have difficulty understanding closed captioning.

This is not the first time the group has gone to court over this issue. In 2020, a federal district court ordered the White House to provide interpreters for all coronavirus-related briefings. Subsequently, a policy was put in place to provide ASL interpreters for press briefings conducted by the president, vice president, first lady, second gentleman or the White House press secretary, the National Association of the Deaf said.

Under the Biden administration, the group said that ASL interpreters were included in all public briefings, press conferences and related events by the president, vice president and press secretary. But, that changed when President Donald Trump took office in January.

“Deaf and hard of hearing Americans have the right to the same access to White House information as everyone else. Denying them ASL interpreters is a direct violation of that right, and the NAD will continue to fight for their full inclusion in the democratic process,” said Bobbie Beth Scoggins, interim chief executive officer at the National Association of the Deaf. “Such information must be provided not only through captioning but also in American Sign Language.”

The lawsuit names Trump, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

The National Association of the Deaf wants to see ASL interpreters included at any White House press briefings and other public events and visible in broadcasts of such events.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit.