Disability Law Commons^™

A Primer On Disability Discrimination In Higher Education, Laura Rothstein

Laura Rothstein

This article provides an overview of key issues and a focus on some of the most significant and important recent developments that should be given a high priority by university attorneys and higher education administrators and policymakers. It emphasizes the role that administrators responsible for facilitating or coordinating disability services on campus can play in ensuring that faculty members, staff members, and other administrators have the knowledge and tools to ensure access and also to avoid liability to the institution. Major changes in the Trump administration and Congress may signal changes that could affect disability discrimination issues on campus. These …

A Primer On Disability Discrimination In Higher Education, Laura Rothstein

Brandeis School of Law Faculty Scholarship

This article provides an overview of key issues and a focus on some of the most significant and important recent developments that should be given a high priority by university attorneys and higher education administrators and policymakers. It emphasizes the role that administrators responsible for facilitating or coordinating disability services on campus can play in ensuring that faculty members, staff members, and other administrators have the knowledge and tools to ensure access and also to avoid liability to the institution. Major changes in the Trump administration and Congress may signal changes that could affect disability discrimination issues on campus. These …

Would The Ada Pass Today?: Disability Rights In An Age Of Partisan Polarization, Laura Rothstein

Laura Rothstein

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was the most significant civil rights legislation enacted since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It provided comprehensive protection against discrimination for individuals with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, and public services. It built on § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act that provided these protections only to programs receiving federal financial assistance. It afforded broad access to those individuals who had benefitted from the 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This complex and far-reaching legislation was made possible by a confluence of timing and the right people at the right place at …

Symposium Current Issues In Disability Rights Law, Samuel J. Levine

Samuel J. Levine

No abstract provided.

Classifying Wcag 2.0 Guidelines As The Legal Standard For Websites Under Title Iii Of The Americans With Disabilities Act, Toni Cannady

Catholic University Law Review

Over the last two decades, technological advancements have driven significant changes in society that have led to more productivity, more convenience, and more accessibility. In particular, websites serve as a platform for consumers to engage in commerce. Under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, public accommodations are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of disability. Nonetheless, to date, the law “has failed to keep pace with these technological advances” creating profound effects for individuals with disabilities and businesses alike. However, in the absence of clearly defined standards, lawsuits by plaintiffs have fueled a new body of judicially made …

Inaccessible Websites Are Discriminating Against The Blind: Why Courts, Websites, And The Blind Are Looking To The Department Of Justice For Guidance, Elizabeth Sheerin

St. John's Law Review

(Excerpt)

This Note argues that Title III of the ADA should extend to websites and mobile applications as “places of public accommodation” and suggests a framework to determine which accommodations should be adopted to make websites accessible to people with visual disabilities. Specifically, it calls on Congress and the DOJ to fix this hole in the law and ensure the Act protects all persons with disabilities, as it was intended to. Part I will introduce the ADA, including its legislative history and amendments, and then will describe the standards private agencies have developed to make the Internet accessible to those …

The Future Of Disability Rights Protections For Transgender People, Kevin M. Barry, Jennifer Levi

Faculty Scholarship

The Americans with Disabilities Act and its predecessor, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Section 504”), protect people from discrimination based on disability, but not if the disability is one of three archaic medical conditions associated with transgender people: “transvestism,” “transsexualism,” and “gender identity disorders not resulting from physical impairments.” This Article describes the origins of transgender exclusion and discusses why a growing number of federal courts find this exclusion does not apply to gender dysphoria, a new and distinct medical diagnosis. Further, the Authors define the future of disability rights protections for transgender people.

Would The Ada Pass Today?: Disability Rights In An Age Of Partisan Polarization, Laura Rothstein

Brandeis School of Law Faculty Scholarship

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was the most significant civil rights legislation enacted since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It provided comprehensive protection against discrimination for individuals with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, and public services. It built on § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act that provided these protections only to programs receiving federal financial assistance. It afforded broad access to those individuals who had benefitted from the 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This complex and far-reaching legislation was made possible by a confluence of timing and the right people at the right place at …

Foreword To The Symposium: Current Issues In Disability Rights Law, Samuel J. Levine

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Why America Is Better Off Because Of The Americans With Disabilities Act And The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, Peter Blanck

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

First Race, Then Sex, Now Disability: The Fight Towards Increased And Equal Employment Of Individuals With Disabilities, Wallis Levy Granat

Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development

(Excerpt)

Think about a typical morning. 7:00 a.m.: You hear the dreaded alarm and moan as “Superstition” plays. You somehow manage to hit snooze and buy yourself another ten minutes of peaceful bliss. 7:10 a.m.: You roll over, turn the alarm off, and instinctually grab your iPhone. You check Facebook, your email, your Instagram, and your Chase bank account to make sure nothing has changed since you went to sleep. 7:15 a.m.: You reluctantly get out of bed and turn the lights on. 7:20 a.m.: You grab your favorite Tommy Hilfiger shirt and finish getting dressed. 7:25 a.m.: You turn …

Advocating For Children With Disabilities In Child Protection Cases, Joshua B. Kay

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Canines At The Company, Felines At The Factory: The Risks And Rewards Of Incorporating Service Animals And Companion Animals Into The Workplace, Rebecca J. Huss

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

With unemployment rates at historically low levels, the ability of an employer to attract and retain productive employees is key to a company’s success. Simultaneously, the percentage of persons in the United States with disabilities is increasing. Additionally, many persons without disabilities consider allowing companion animals at work a valuable employee benefit. This Article focuses on the legal and workplace implications of incorporating service animals and companion animals at work.

This Article begins by analyzing when an employer must accommodate a request by an employee with a disability to be accompanied by a service animal at work under the Americans …

The Future Of Disability Rights Protections For Transgender People, Kevin M. Barry, Jennifer L. Levi

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Canines In The Classroom Redux: Applying The Ada Or The Idea To Determine Whether A Student Should Be Allowed To Be Accompanied By A Service Animal At A Primary Or Secondary Educational Institution, Rebecca J. Huss

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Let’S Try Again: Why The United States Should Ratify The United Nations Convention On The Rights Of People With Disabilities, Arlene S. Kanter

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Mixed Signals: What Can We Expect From The Supreme Court In This Post-Ada Amendments Act Era?, Nicole Buonocore Porter

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Least Restrictive Environment For Providing Education, Treatment, And Community Services For Persons With Disabilities: Rethinking The Concept, Donald H. Stone

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Application Of Title Ii Of The Americans With Disabilities Act To Employment Discrimination: Why The Circuits Have Gotten It Wrong, William Brooks

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Knowledge Of Practicing Physicians About Their Legal Obligations When Caring For Patients With Disability, Nicole Agaronnik, Elizabeth Pendo, Julie Ressalam, Eric G. Campbell, Lisa Iezzoni

All Faculty Scholarship

doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05060 HEALTH AFFAIRS 38, NO. 4 (2019): 545–553

Permitted Incentives For Workplace Wellness Plans Under The Ada And Gina: The Regulatory Gap, Elizabeth Pendo, Brandon Hall

All Faculty Scholarship

Although workplace wellness plans have been around for decades, they have flourished under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”) into a $6 billion-dollar industry. Under PPACA, a “wellness plan” is a program of health promotion or disease prevention offered by an employer that is designed to promote health or prevent disease and which meets the other applicable requirements of that subsection. Employers look to these programs to promote healthy lifestyles, improve the overall health of employees and beneficiaries, and reduce rising healthcare costs. PPACA’s amendments to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) permit employers to offer …