Disability Rights

MFJ Joins Advocates in Demanding Increased Funding for School Accessibility

Mobilization for Justice, as part of the ARISE Coalition, joined advocates throughout New York City to ask that the Mayor and City Council increase funding for school accessibility by including a major investment in the FY 2020-24 School Construction Authority Five-Year Capital Plan to make at least one-third of schools accessible to students, parents, and …

Partnership for Children’s Rights Merges into MFJ to Help Families Secure Special Education Services

On June 11, 2018, Partnership for Children’s Rights (PFCR), a not-for-profit law firm founded in 1999 to protect the rights of New York City’s disadvantaged and disabled children, will be merging into Mobilization for Justice (MFJ), a 55-year-old prominent anti-poverty organization formerly known as MFY Legal Services.  The merger will dramatically expand MFJ’s ability to …

Ditch the Wheelchair, or Find a New Place

In an article in today’s New York Times, Paula Span describes how people who use wheelchairs are being denied admission to certain adult care facilities, and the lawsuit filed on behalf of the Fair Housing Justice Center by MFJ and the AARP Foundation. The lawsuit names several adult care facilities along with the NYS Department …

MFJ and AARP File Lawsuit against NYS and Adult Homes to Stop Discrimination against People Using Wheelchairs

Mobilization for Justice and the AARP Foundation filed a lawsuit today on behalf of the Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC) and one adult home resident and her representative alleging discrimination against people who use wheelchairs. After receiving complaints from residents, FHJC conducted testing at four adult homes and found that they had blanket policies barring …

MFJ to NYS Legislature: Tie Adult Home Subsidies to Quality Improvements

Legislation introduced in the New York State Legislature would increase subsidies for adult homes that care for people with disabilities and the elderly.  At a recent hearing in Albany, advocates urged lawmakers to tie any increase in subsidies to improvements in the quality of care as well as an increase in residents’ personal needs allowances.  …

Advocates Urge Governor to Declare State of Emergency for Access-A-Ride on Anniversary of ADA

Mobilization for Justice, which has been actively involved in challenging the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s failure to provide reliable and safe paratransit services for people with disabilities, joined the Access-A-Ride Reform Group (AARRG!) on July 26, 2017 in calling on New York Governor Cuomo to declare a state of emergency for Access-A-Ride.  AARRG! Members read from …

MFY Applauds MTA Decision to Not Raise Fares

MFY Legal Services joined disability advocates across the city in applauding the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s decision to keep the base fare on subways and buses at $2.75. MFY and other advocates had urged Governor Cuomo, who controls the MTA, to reject the fare hike, showing how the increase to $3 would have had a big …

New Report: NY Courts Do Not Accommodate People with Disabilities

A report released today by MFY Legal Services shows that New York’s Unified Court System is not effectively administering a program that would enable people with disabilities to access the court system and exercise their right to fully participate in court proceedings to which they are a party.  The report details the specific problems of …

New Reports Call for Changes in Access-A-Ride

MFY Staff Attorney Nahid Sarooshyari commented in an article in AM New York on recommendations in changes to Access-A-Ride to make service easier and more efficient. MFY recently settled a class action lawsuit with New York City Transit requiring the agency to provide the reasons for denying services and to continue services during the appeals …

Judge Approves Final Settlement to Change Unfair Access-A-Ride Policies

A federal judge approved the settlement of a class action lawsuit filed by five New Yorkers with disabilities against New York City Transit (NYCT) yesterday. The suit challenged NYCT’s unconstitutional policies of Access-A-Ride, the City’s paratransit service for people with disabilities. Plaintiffs were represented by MFY Legal Services and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. Under …

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