Events and Workshops

Online Workshop: Disability Discrimination Lawsuits: Ensuring Equal Access to Advocacy for Clients with Mental and/or Developmental Disabilities

 

On March 12, 2015, PWDF offered a live streamed online workshop entitled “Disability Discrimination Lawsuits: Ensuring Equal Access to Advocacy for Clients with Mental and/or Developmental Disabilities”.

A plaintiff with a psychiatric and/or developmental disability such as autism, severe anxiety, depression, dementia, or psychosis, e.g., schizophrenia, may have more difficulties pursuing discrimination litigation than someone with a physical or intellectual disability. This may be due to a vulnerable mental state (e.g., suicide), because of difficulty in establishing medical evidence, or due to the advocate’s fear or stigma of the disability.

This program discussed ways to overcome barriers to litigating on behalf of this population. These solutions included strategies for different pathologies and were based on strategies PWDF used successfully in U.S. federal court (e.g., reasonable accommodations for depositions) for clients with a variety of mental and/or developmental disabilities. (See Terrence Davis v. Michael Astrue, Case No. 3:06-CV-6108 EMC (NC) and John Doe v. Michael Astrue, Case No. 3:09-CV-980 EMC (NC)).

This course was approved for 1 hour of self-study MCLE, including 1 hour in Elimination of Bias, from the State Bar of California.

Date: Thursday, March 12, 2015

Video of this event is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_1KtT1tImM

PWDF Disability Discrimination Lawsuits (updated 3/20/15)

PWDF Disability Discrimination Handouts

PWDF Disability Discrimination CA MCLE Activity Evaluation Form