Description

Four years after passage of the national Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibiting discrimination in access to public accommodations, only 8 percent of the courtrooms in New York State are fully accessible to people with disabilities. A survey of 275 courts in 40 counties throughout the state by the Commission in conjunction with the State Bar Association Committee on Mental and Physical Disabilities found limited accessibility for persons with visual and hearing impairments, and few accommodations for persons with mental disabilities. The survey report makes recommendations for the court system to fully comply with the requirements of the ADA, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in access to the services, programs and activities of state and local governments.