It’s Saima Akhtar again, and today, I’d like to talk to you about another one of our major litigation victories!
In August 2019, the National Center for Law and Economic Justice filed a federal class action lawsuit against the Suffolk County Department of Social Services over their failure to provide reasonable accommodations to disabled people applying for public benefits.
Under the ADA, state and local governments are required by law to ensure that disabled people can receive and benefit from all of their programs and services. But in Suffolk County, people with mobility impairments were forced to travel to Department offices in person and stand in line, and individuals with visual impairments did not receive written materials in alternate formats.
Public benefits provide critical economic support for low-income people to stave off severe poverty. Benefits programs must be available and accessible to all if we want our safety net to truly shield people from destitution.
Thanks to our actions, Suffolk County was required to update and enhance their procedures for seeking reasonable accommodations to ensure that disabled people can access and retain public benefits, benefiting tens of thousands of low-income people with disabilities.
This is the power of legal advocacy. NCLEJ’s high-impact litigation has benefitted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the country. I speak for everyone at NCLEJ when I say that we are very proud of the work we do.
If you’ve already donated, I’d like to thank you for your support. For those who haven’t yet given, I am urging you to make NCLEJ a priority in your charitable contributions this holiday season.
Thank you,
Saima Akhtar
Senior Attorney, National Center for Law and Economic Justice
The National Center for Law and Economic Justice advances racial and economic justice through ground-breaking impact litigation, policy advocacy, and support for grassroots organizing. We have provided legal representation and support since 1965.
