Disability Law

Council that administers the LSAT is held in contempt; ADA consent decree is extended

A federal magistrate judge has held the Law School Admission Council is in contempt of court for partly violating a consent decree establishing procedures to handle requests for disability accommodations on the Law School Admission Test.

Mar 6, 2018 5:27 PM CST

Dad who gave his autistic daughter illegal marijuana is qualified to be her guardian, judge rules

A father who administers cannabis vapor to his severely autistic daughter is qualified to be her guardian, a Texas judge has ruled. Judge Brenda Hull Thompson ruled that the father, Mark Zartler, and his wife, Christy, are both qualified to be guardians for their 18-year-old daughter, Zara, the Dallas Morning…

Mar 5, 2018 2:01 PM CST

Contempt motion filed over handling of ADA accommodations for LSAT

Almost four years after the Law School Admission Council entered a consent decree involving allegations that it flagged LSAT scores of individuals with disabilities who sought extended time accommodations, a California agency has filed a contempt motion against the LSAC.

Jan 31, 2018 3:30 PM CST

BARBRI settles suit by blind law students who alleged bar prep materials weren’t fully accessible

BARBRI has agreed to make its online bar-review products more accessible to blind and vision-impaired students as part of a consent decree in a disability suit. The suit settled this week, according to a press release. The suit, filed last year in Dallas federal court, had claimed violations of the…

Jan 24, 2018 11:24 AM CST

State AG’s office won’t stop 6th grader from taking medical marijuana at school

The Illinois Attorney General’s Office and a Chicago suburban school district reached a temporary agreement to allow a sixth grade student to use her medical marijuana prescription on school grounds to treat her seizures.. The Chicago Tribune and USA Today had the story. Ashley Surin was diagnosed with leukemia at…

Jan 17, 2018 3:57 PM CST

Students at top law schools ask for more mental health support

Today’s law students may be more open about discussing their mental health issues than previous generations, but law schools still draw many Type A individuals, frequently on a never-ending quest for perfection.

Jan 3, 2018 8:00 AM CST

Surpassing expectations, defying labels: Life as a deaf attorney and working mother

Melissa Felder Zappala relates the challenges in work-life balance she faces as a deaf attorney and working mother.

Jan 1, 2018 3:30 AM CST

Attorneys with disabilities make success accessible

Prominent lawyers with disabilities have smoothed the road for the next generation, aided by the Americans with Disabilities Act, new technology and a shift in societal attitudes.

Jan 1, 2018 1:20 AM CST

Protecting digital accessibility ensures equal rights for disabled people

Disability community activists use social media to spread the message of equality, opportunity, justice and inclusion. Disabled people and their lawyers use the law to guarantee websites, mobile applications, kiosks and other technologies are available and accessible to everyone.

Jan 1, 2018 12:35 AM CST

Disability rights movement’s legislative impact sprang from on-campus activism

Throughout many years, disability rights activism has flourished through programs that advocate independence and provide young people opportunities to discuss with peers how laws could improve their lives.

Jan 1, 2018 12:30 AM CST

Fugitive lawyer who pleaded guilty in $550M disability fraud scheme is captured in Honduras

Updated: A lawyer has been captured in Honduras after fleeing the United States to avoid sentencing for bribing an administrative law judge to obligate the government to pay more than $550 million in lifetime disability payments.

Dec 5, 2017 8:40 AM CST

McDonald’s, Kmart among 4 companies to settle federal ADA suits over website and app access

Four companies have settled lawsuits that claimed they violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to make their websites and apps easily accessible to blind people. The companies are McDonald’s, Kmart, Grubhub and Empire Today, the Chicago Tribune reports. The cases were brought in Chicago federal court because…

Nov 7, 2017 3:37 PM CST

Law firm settles lawyer’s claim it failed to accommodate her claustrophobia

A law firm has settled a disability claim by a former associate in Philadelphia who alleged the firm failed to accommodate her claustrophobia. Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin confirmed that it had resolved the matter after it was sent to arbitration, the Legal Intelligencer (sub. req.) reports. Neither the…

Oct 31, 2017 7:00 AM CDT

Judge tosses contract between death row exoneree and his lawyer

A federal judge voided a contract between a North Carolina death row exoneree and his lawyer last week, an unusual move in a high-profile case that has highlighted the emotional and financial vulnerability of people who go free after being wrongly convicted. Henry McCollum, who is mentally disabled, and his…

Oct 30, 2017 4:00 PM CDT

Movie patron who can’t see or hear wins appellate ruling in bid for tactile interpreter

A federal appeals court is giving a deaf and blind man a chance to argue he was entitled to a tactile interpreter at a Cinemark theater.

Oct 11, 2017 7:00 AM CDT