A Philadelphia Tourette syndrome advocate had a ‘dream job’ as a federal disability policy advisor. Then mass layoffs began

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

When Adam Fishbein was offered a position in the U.S. Department of Labor in 2021, it felt like he’d achieved a goal that he had worked toward most of his life.

He was a new college graduate and became a policy advisor in the Office of Disability Employment Policy, a nonregulatory agency that crafts policies and works with employers to increase workplace opportunities for people with disabilities.

“When I got that job, I was elated. I was over the moon,” he said. “It was my dream job.”

Fishbein was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at 6 years old, which set him on a path of advocacy work and fueled his determination to exceed people’s expectations of what it means to live with a disability.

At the office, he worked with a team of people in Washington, D.C., to ensure that employment programs and policies designed to support people with disabilities, like workplace accommodations, recruitment practices and discrimination protections, were well-funded and working correctly.

“What I loved about that was that I was affecting change. It felt like I was affecting change on a macro level,” Fishbein said. “I thought I would be there for my whole career. I really did. And maybe that was naïve.”

In February, the initiative known as the Department of Government Efficiency, or D.O.G.E., began ordering mass layoffs and firings across various federal agencies and departments to align with President Donald Trump’s goal of downsizing the size and scope of the federal government.

Fishbein was among thousands of workers who’ve lost their jobs through deferred resignations, early retirements, layoffs or firings.

Now, Fishbein faces an uncertain future in his own career, and he said he worries about the future of employment opportunities and protections for all people with disabilities if federal oversight and enforcement becomes weaker.

“We’re going to go backwards,” he said. “There’s no question.”

Tourette syndrome tics and challenges

When Fishbein was little and growing up in Philadelphia, his mother, Rachel Ezekiel-Fishbein, said he would hide under desks at preschool or have sudden outbursts. His teachers recommended that he get tested for developmental and behavioral conditions.

It took many doctors to arrive at a diagnosis of Tourette syndrome, which is a lifelong neurological disorder that often involves uncontrolled repetitive movements or unwanted sounds and verbal outbursts, known as tics or tic attacks.

With a diagnosis in hand, Fishbein was able to get accommodations at school. Federal laws require schools to provide education services to students with disabilities.

“Sometimes, it looked like extended time on tests or a separate room for testing so I could focus better and tic,” he said. “Sometimes it meant being able to take a break because I needed to tic.”

He also became a Tourette syndrome youth ambassador and spent time visiting other schools, churches and other places in the community to educate people about the disorder and dispel common stereotypes and misconceptions.

But as Fishbein got older and approached adulthood, Rachel and her husband, Joel Fishbein, said they still worried about what options their son would have when it came to higher education, eventual career prospects and his long-term independence.

“There were times when we didn’t know what his future would look like, and that was really scary,” Rachel said. “We had family support and we were able to get him what he needed, but you think, that’s not the way this might have ended up.”

That’s what made Fishbein’s acceptance to American University especially sweet, they said, as they saw their son overcome challenges, continue his advocacy work through college and really thrive.

He graduated with a master’s degree in public administration.

Their pride grew as Fishbein began working as a federal disability policy advisor, volunteering in his community at a dog rescue and as a youth soccer coach, joining an a capella group and starting a relationship with his girlfriend.

“He would say to Joel and I, ‘I can’t believe this is my life. I just can’t believe the life I have, I’m so happy. I never thought my life would look like this,’” Rachel said.

The future of employment opportunities for people with disabilities

The federal workforce cuts and the loss of his job have threatened to upend the life Fishbein has built for himself, he said.

He left his job in April under a deferred resignation program, which was an option given to some federal workers that came with guaranteed pay and benefits through at least Sept. 30.

About 154,000 federal workers have left or lost their jobs through deferred resignations and retirements, officials at the Office of Personnel Management told the Washington Post.

To say it was a voluntary choice is misleading, Fishbein said.

“They were encouraging us to take the deferred resignation offer and I took it because I frankly couldn’t afford to let it play out and potentially be unemployed with no safety net,” he said.

Fishbein has spent the last couple months looking for a new job, which has yielded few interviews and little success so far. The pressure is growing, he said, as the Sept. 30 date approaches.

“I’m facing potentially having no full-time income that’s stable and potentially having to move home, away from my whole life here,” he said. “It’s a scary prospect.”

At the macro level, Fishbein said he’s hopeful that state and local governments will fill in any gaps created by a shrinking federal workforce when it comes to disability employment oversight, protections and policies.

He’s encouraged by organizations and groups in the nonprofit and philanthropy sectors that are increasing awareness about disability rights and doing work to expand or maintain employment programs.

“I’m also hoping that corporations and for-profit businesses will recognize that even though there are less mandates now from the federal government and less enforcement of civil rights laws, they will do the right thing and keep investing in people with disabilities and other people in underserved communities,” Fishbein said.