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Federal Court Rules Case Alleging Systemic Discrimination By New York Courts Against Blind Jurors in Grand Jury System Can Proceed
September 24, 2026 – Brooklyn, New York – On September 14, 2026, Judge Ramón E. Reyes, Jr. of the Eastern District of New York substantially denied Defendants’ attempt to dismiss a lawsuit filed in March 2025 by Brooklyn resident Albert Elia and the National Federation of the Blind – New York (NFBNY) against the New … Continue reading “Federal Court Rules Case Alleging Systemic Discrimination By New York Courts Against Blind Jurors in Grand Jury System Can Proceed”
Nob Hill Gazette: Disability Rights Advocates Celebrates in Silicon Valley
FingerLakes1.com: Federal Court Certifies Disability Class in Five Points Prison Lawsuit
Federal Court Certifies Class of People With Mobility Disabilities Denied Wheelchairs, Canes, and Other Accommodations at Five Points Correctional Facility
September 15, 2026—Romulus, NY—On August 24, 2026, Judge Vacca of the District Court for the Western District of New York granted Plaintiffs’ motion for class certification in the lawsuit titled Cardew v. New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. This lawsuit, filed by Disability Rights Advocates and Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York … Continue reading “Federal Court Certifies Class of People With Mobility Disabilities Denied Wheelchairs, Canes, and Other Accommodations at Five Points Correctional Facility”
Thank you, Bay Area! Next stops: Chicago & New York
Center Square: Deaf Inmate Sues Over Phone Access
WTTW Chicago: Illinois Prisons Do Not Provide Equal Phone Access to Incarcerated Deaf People, Lawsuit Alleges
Deaf Incarcerated Individual Challenges Illinois Prisons’ Systemic Exclusion from Expansive Telephone Access Program
September 3, 2026—Chicago, IL—Yesterday, Daniel Valenzuela, a Deaf individual incarcerated in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), filed a federal lawsuit challenging IDOC’s failure to provide Deaf people equal access to its expanded telephone program. Mr. Valenzuela is represented by Disability Rights Advocates, Equip for Equality, and Much Shelist. Read the complaint. “I have six … Continue reading “Deaf Incarcerated Individual Challenges Illinois Prisons’ Systemic Exclusion from Expansive Telephone Access Program”