In case you missed it, ADA expert Paul Grossman joined nearly 1,000 AHEAD members for a 45-minute webinar to talk about an important pending case, and what you can do to help prevent it from stripping the ADA rights from all Americans.
There is a lawsuit pending that could have serious ramifications for disabled people nationwide. Several blind students sued the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) to get accessible written materials in classes, and the students have already won at the trial court and appeals court. But instead of taking steps to remove the barriers to the students, LACCD plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that people with disabilities cannot bring a case under a “disparate impact” theory of discrimination (a way of saying the discrimination is not intentional). However, most disability discrimination that occurs is not intentional, therefore if the LACCD wins at the Supreme Court, it would negatively impact the right to get equal access under the ADA in every aspect of life: healthcare, public accommodations, housing, mass transit, etc.
The two sides are currently in mediation, and here’s where you come in: if the disability community and its allies put enough pressure on the LACCD now, we can influence them to settle the case instead of appealing it. The clock is ticking: if LACCD won’t settle the case by March 3, it will likely appeal to the Supreme Court, and put all ADA rights in grave danger. Hear Paul Grossman explain the case and how we can all contribute.