Too many New Yorkers still facing barriers to accessibility in housing and public accommodations: ADC project seeks to help
Has your landlord failed to provide the ramp or lift you need to get in or out of your apartment independently? Are you experiencing other barriers to access in housing or public accommodations?
Perhaps we can help.
The New York City Human Rights Law provides powerful protection for people with disabilities. The law covers virtually all dwellings, regardless of when they were built, and every public accommodation (stores, restaurants, etc.) that you can possibly imagine.
Promoviendo la accesibilidad
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Under the law, physical modifications to premises must be made by the landlord and must be made at the landlord’s expense unless the landlord can prove that doing so would cause an undue hardship.
This means that a wide range of accommodations is required. Often, the issue is as simple as providing a ramp or lift, or widening a doorway.
(The term “accommodations” in the City Human Rights Law covers both physical modifications and accommodations to policies and procedures. This project is focusing on physical modifications.)
Unfortunately, the dismantling of the capacity of the City Human Rights Commission during the Giuliani and Bloomberg administrations has meant that there has not been sufficient institutional enforcement.
Moreover, in contrast to the development of a plaintiffs’ employment bar, very few private practitioners do accessibility litigation.
The Anti-Discrimination Center (ADC) is looking to build capacity in the private bar to do this work. This project seeks to field potential cases, assess them, and work with co-counsel to vindicate the accessibility rights that have been violated.
ADC has unparalleled expertise in regard to the City Human Rights Law. Its executive director is the principal author of the major revisions to the law in 1991 and 2005, and ADC has had success fighting on behalf of people with disabilities under both local and federal law.
Follow the appropriate link to the right to get help or to discuss project participation.