Disabled and Deaf Trans People’s Survey Fact Sheet
Isolation & Connection
The Disabled and Deaf Trans People’s Survey (DTPS) is a groundbreaking effort by the Disability Project of Transgender Law Center to design and deliver a disability and trans led survey about the lives of disabled and Deaf trans folks in the United States. The DTPS sought to document and amplify the experiences, needs, and priorities of disabled and Deaf trans people. Too often, due to ableism, eugenics, and anti-Black racism, our cultural and collective knowledge and perspectives have been overlooked in research, making it harder specifically for Black, brown, Indigenous, queer, trans, undocumented, and poor disabled and Deaf communities to advocate for the changes we deserve
The DTPS team is deeply committed to honoring the trust that so many of our folks placed in us by taking the survey. In releasing this series of fact sheets, it is our hope that the findings from the DTPS provides a useful tool for the vital work ahead of shifting narratives, organizing across historic divides, and building collective power.
Disabled and Deaf trans people navigate life at the intersection of multiple communities. While most participants feel personally accepted in both trans and disability/Deaf spaces, they also report feeling isolated and disconnected, wishing for deeper community connections. Participants identified significant gaps in how each movement addresses their needs: trans spaces often lack accessibility, while disability and Deaf spaces don’t adequately support trans issues.
The findings below reveal an important distinction. Acceptance is not enough. To truly support disabled and Deaf trans people, both movements must intentionally ensure they are not only welcomed, but actively reflected in advocacy priorities and able to fully participate in movement spaces. This includes the development of movement analysis that centers race and class.
Disabled and Deaf Trans People are Isolated and Long for More Connection
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More than 6 in 10participants said they often feel:
- Isolated from others
- Wish they had more connections with other people
- Wish they had more people in their life to help them if they needed it
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1 in 4participants
said that they feel that people avoid trying to communicate or interact with them because they are disabled or Deaf.
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1 in 2participants
For Deaf, Deafplus, and Deafblind people, this was 1 in 2.
Connections to Trans Community and Movement
Most participants said that they feel accepted by the trans community as a Deaf or disabled person, but more than 3 out of 4 participants said they often or sometimes feel isolated from other trans people.
80%of participants said that as a Deaf or disabled person, it is often or sometimes hard for them to make connections with other trans people.
This was particularly true for participants of color, who felt that their needs and experiences as a Deaf and disabled person are not reflected in the movement.
- 37% of Black participants
- 36% of native participants
- 35% of API and Latine participants
One reason that Deaf and disabled people might feel disconnected is because of lack of accessibility in trans movement spaces.
Connections to Deaf and Disabled Community and Movements
Conclusion
Isolation is pervasive in both Deaf and disabled communities and in the trans community. Deaf and disabled people, especially those with significant disabilities, are often segregated through ableist systems that warehouse and exclude us. Trans people frequently experience estrangement from family and community, and this isolation is compounded for Deaf and disabled trans people, particularly Black and brown people.
While many Deaf and disabled trans people feel their disability identities are accepted in trans spaces and their gender identities in Deaf and disabled spaces, they still report profound isolation from others who share both identities. Too often, we are pressured to prioritize one identity over another. Trans activism rarely centers Deaf and disabled issues, and Deaf and disabled movements seldom address trans concerns. This underscores the need for deeper cross-movement solidarity, especially around shared struggles for bodily autonomy, affirming healthcare, and dignity in public life.
Deaf and disabled trans people deserve to have our whole selves recognized and supported in both spaces. BIPOC Deaf and disabled trans people should never have to choose hich part of their identity to defend. At a time of escalating anti-Black racism, white supremacy, imperialism, xenophobia, and policies designed to isolate and intimidate, solidarity, connection, and mutual recognition are essential forms of resistance.
About the Disabled and Deaf Trans People’s Survey
Open to all trans and nonbinary disabled and Deaf adults in the U.S., the survey was accessible in ASL, Spanish, and English in both spoken and written forms. To keep the survey short and accessible, the DTPS was broken into five different topics and participants were able to choose which sections they wanted to engage with. The information represented in this factsheet is from the “Isolation and Connection” portion of the survey (n=1,287). This survey was possible due to the innumerable trans, disabled, Deaf, and ill community members who generously gave advice, direction, and reflection.
We worked in close collaboration with disabled community based strategic advisors Ma’ayan Anafi, and Akemi Nishida and the research team of Ash Stephens and Emily Maurin-Waters.