People with Disabilities need Lawyers too! Practical Strategies to Ensure that a Law School’s Curriculum Trains Students on How to Address Legal Issues Affecting Clients with Disabilities

Visiting Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, Chair, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Twitter: @davidlepofsky

Canada’s legal profession is not sufficiently equipped to meet the legal needs of clients with disabilities. For decades, legal education has focused primarily, if not exclusively, on training law students to serve clients without disabilities, through an understanding of the law as it applies to people without disabilities. A law student can complete their legal education while learning little, if anything, about how to effectively meet the legal needs of clients with disabilities.

Law teachers are troubled by this gap. Law students need to be effectively trained to serve clients with disabilities as well as clients with no disabilities. Law faculties commendably focus increasingly on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Disability needs to be elevated to a consistent, strong, and equal focus in their equity, diversity and inclusion strategies.

How can a law school fix this? This presentation gives a roadmap and points to further resources that equip law deans and law teachers to quickly take action.

Please contact Michelle Burchill at burchill@allard.ubc.ca for the Zoom link.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
 

David Lepofsky is a visiting professor of Disability Rights and Legal Education (part-time) at the Osgoode Hall Law School and a past adjunct member of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He holds volunteer leadership roles in the disability community. He is chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance. He is a member and past chair of the Toronto District School Board’s Special Education Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the Kindergarten-Grade 12 Education Standards Development Committee appointed by the Ontario Government to recommend reforms to tear down barriers impeding students with disabilities.

In 1979, David Lepofsky graduated with honours From Osgoode Hall Law School with a Bachelor of Laws. He obtained a Masters of Law from the Harvard Law School in 1982.