Letter to the United States Supreme Court In Support of Americans with Disabilities

To the Honorary Justices of the United States Supreme Court,

Fairness is part of the fabric of our American society. The founding fathers of this great nation set precedence by creating a document, The United States Constitution, by which fairness is interpreted.

The decisions handed down by the United States Supreme Court influence American lives and set the legal standards by which we live.

There exists today a case involving a woman, who can not speak for herself, she has  a communication disability called aphasia. The defendants asked the court to deny a request for a reasonable accommodation citing that the Americans with Disabilities Act does not apply to the Federal Courts. Without appropriate measures that would support and assist a person with a disability, the court commented on capacity of plaintiff and denied the reasonable request.

This may be one case, but it has significant impact since it involves a review of the fundamental rights which affects a large vulnerable segment of the population. Denying the allowance of a reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities affects the lives of currently disabled Americans as well as the rights of Americans who may become disabled in the future.  Denying reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities violates their due process rights. 

Aphasia is a disability that affects over One Million Americans, or 1 in 250 people.

More than 100,000 people each year acquire this disorder and future predictions show that number will continue to increase as more people are reaching stroke prone age.

Aphasia is an acquired disorder caused by a stroke, head injury, brain tumors, or other neurological causes.

It impairs a person’s ability to communicate but does not affect intelligence.

Aphasia can occur in people of all ages, genders, races, and nationalities. We are all vulnerable.

Everyone deserves a voice; people with aphasia need our assistance to be heard.

We believe the Federal Court system should follow the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act and provide appropriate measures that support and assist people with a disability. These guidelines assist in avoiding discrimination and violating a persons fundamental civil rights.

We, the people of the United States of America, speak in support of the request to grant review in this case. We respectfully ask for your review and support of the rights of disabled people protected under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Sincerely,

Karen Kelly, on Behalf of, Joanne Coggins

And the Following Supporters

 www.justice4aphasia.com

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