NEW YORK, US - APRIL 29, 2025: Koray Dogan Kaya, a disabled Turkish scientist, said he was abruptly fired from his long-held US National Institutes of Health (NIH) position in what he claims was an unlawful consequence of Trump-era federal downsizing. The Turkish molecular biologist who has a congenital disability said he was dismissed from his research position -- a violation of labor laws and disability protections. Kaya, who was born with cerebral palsy and has resided in the US for more than a decade, characterized his sudden termination as a direct consequence of the employment downsizing process set in motion by the Trump administration. Kaya detailed the shock of receiving a call informing him that his subcontracted position at the NIH would be canceled within 25 hours. "At first, I thought the call came because of some requests I had made since I’m going through a critical health process. I had surgery in December and am just now starting to recover," he told Anadolu. He was told the decision had nothing to do with his job performance. Rather, it was an administrative move -- one with far-reaching consequences for him. "This means I will lose my health insurance, and due to my special condition, this is a violation of US law. "Because I fall into the category of individuals with special needs, my dismissal requires a longer notification period. This is a clear violation of the law. I will seek my rights in court," he said. Kaya has contributed to NIH projects since 2013 that involved embedding biological data into devices, designing algorithms and building web applications and portals to make the data accessible to researchers. With a PhD from Bilkent University and post-doctoral research experience in the state of Virginia, Kaya holds a US green card and has been recognized with several awards for his scientific work. His research, he noted, was not only ongoing but also crucial for his career trajectory and personal stability --particularly because of his medical needs. Kaya emphasized that his firing was not just sudden but failed to account for his disability, in violation of protections enshrined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act. "My aim is not to harm the institutions I have worked with, but to highlight that disabled individuals must have equal rights in the workplace and to raise public awareness on this issue. "My expectation is that this violation of rights ends as soon as possible," he said. He added that disabled individuals are entitled to reasonable accommodations during employment transitions, including extended notice periods and retention of essential benefits like health care. "Because I was born disabled, the termination process should have been notified at least 90 days in advance or delayed until I found another job," said Kaya. In a striking moment captured by Anadolu, a courier sent on behalf of the NIH retrieved Kaya’s work computer and employee ID from his home. Kaya required the courier to sign a protest statement, declaring the retrieval was conducted without his consent and against his will. Kaya is preparing to pursue legal remedies, and said he is not just fighting for his case, but for systemic change.