On June 4, 2024, Director Rachel Rossi addressed the attendees of the National Association of ADA Coordinators Southeast Regional Conference. In her remarks, she expressed gratitude to Stacey for the introduction and acknowledged the efforts of Georgia’s ADA Coordinator’s Office and the virtual conference support team.
Rossi thanked several key contributors including John Wodatch, President of the National Association of ADA Coordinators; the Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation at Georgia Institute of Technology; ASL interpreters; live captioning service providers; and all presenters. She emphasized the importance of their work in various sectors such as legal systems, state agencies, human resources, and higher education.
Rossi serves as Director of the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) within the U.S. Department of Justice. She outlined ATJ's mission to ensure access to civil and criminal legal systems for all communities, highlighting that justice must be accessible regardless of identity or socioeconomic status.
She pointed out that people with disabilities face unique barriers in accessing justice. According to studies from the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, 38% of individuals in federal and state prisons report having one or more disabilities compared to 26% of the overall U.S. population. Additionally, people with disabilities are nearly four times more likely to be victims of violent crime.
Rossi described how these barriers manifest in practical scenarios—from inaccessible virtual court platforms to inadequate sign language interpretation services—and discussed stigma faced by people with disabilities within legal systems.
Drawing from her experience as a public defender, Rossi recounted challenges faced by clients with disabilities who also suffered from poverty and lack of essential resources. She stressed that neither she nor the courts always had adequate training to address these needs effectively.
Rossi underscored two broad principles guiding ATJ's work: adopting people-centered justice approaches and fostering broad partnerships across disciplines and sectors. She cited reentry simulations as an example where participants experience challenges similar to those faced by formerly incarcerated individuals.
Highlighting collaboration, Rossi mentioned ATJ's involvement with the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable (LAIR), which coordinates efforts among 28 federal agencies. LAIR recently launched an online hub for funding opportunities supporting access to legal assistance.
Additionally, Rossi discussed a pilot initiative involving Texas A&M School of Law and Texas A&M Institute for Healthcare Access aimed at providing civil legal services to incarcerated individuals in Bryan, Texas. This effort includes developing a medical-legal partnership within a federal prison targeting social security disability relief applications.
In conclusion, Rossi quoted Judy Heumann on society's role in preventing disability from becoming a tragedy through provision of necessary resources. She emphasized that equitable access strengthens communities and improves systems for everyone involved.
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