Goodlaxson v. Baltimore

In June 2021, DRA, along with Disability Rights Maryland (DRM), Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center (CREEC) (now Disability Law United), and Dardarian Ho Kan & Lee, filed a lawsuit in federal court against the City of Baltimore for its failure to properly install and maintain curb ramps and sidewalks that are accessible to and usable by people with mobility disabilities throughout the City. These violations severely impact the ability of people with mobility disabilities to traverse the city, making it difficult or impossible for them to fully and equally participate in civic life in Baltimore.

Baltimore’s own data shows that there are systemic barriers to the accessibility of the City’s pedestrian right-of-way. In 2019, a multi-phase evaluation of its curb ramps showed that only approximately 1.3% of the 37,806 surveyed curb ramps complied with the ADA. Although the focus of the 2019 survey was on curb ramps, notes from that survey documented widespread problems with sidewalks, including sidewalks that were damaged or too narrow, which can make them unusable by people who use wheelchairs, scooters, and other mobility aids, so that people with mobility disabilities are forced to travel in the street with cars.

The lawsuit asked for a court order requiring the City to bring its sidewalks and curb ramps into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

In November 2024, DRA reached a milestone settlement with the City of Baltimore to increase access to the City’s curb ramps and sidewalks. The settlement, in the form of a partial consent decree, is the first big step in resolving claims brought on behalf of a class of persons with mobility disabilities alleging that the vast majority of curb ramps and sidewalks in Baltimore are not accessible and therefore violate federal disability rights laws. The settlement was approved by the court in March 2025.

Under the partial consent decree, the City has agreed, among other things, to devote a minimum of $44 million, and potentially up to $50 million, over the course of four years to the construction and/or remediation of thousands of curb ramps and the remediation of tens of thousands of square feet of sidewalks throughout Baltimore. The partial consent decree also requires Baltimore to ensure ongoing compliance with the requirements of the ADA and Section 504, to create new programs designed to increase sidewalk accessibility to Baltimore residents and visitors with mobility disabilities, and to improve its 311 system for requests and complaints related to the accessibility of specific intersections and sidewalks. In the third year of the partial consent decree, the Parties will begin negotiating a longer-term plan to make all of the City’s remaining curb ramps and sidewalks accessible to people with mobility disabilities. Read the partial consent decree.