Read more about our cases below.
Campaigns
Transplant Equity Campaign
Supported Decision-Making
Fair Housing
Rapid gentrification in New York City has created an affordable housing crisis. People with disabilities and immigrants are at particular risk for discrimination.
Medical Access
Nearly 1 million New York City residents have a disability.
Save Our Compost
Renewable Rikers
South Ozone Park Sewage Legal Assistance Project
Special Education
NYLPI’s Disability Justice Program protects and promotes the educational rights of students with disabilities in New York City.
Sports Equity
On average, Black and Latino students in New York City have access to far fewer teams and sports, and the city spends much less per student than for students of other races.
Criminal Justice
Systemic racism and bias against people with disabilities drive fundamental injustices in the criminal legal system.
Healthy Schools
Healthy school environments are critical for our children’s education and well-being.
PhysEd4All
Physical education improves public health, reduces obesity, and improves focus and educational attainment.
Education
More than 1 million students attend New York City’s public schools.
Deaf Justice Coalition
Nearly 700,000 City residents are Deaf or hard of hearing.
Courthouse Accessibility
Few concepts are more fundamental to justice than access to the courts.
Community Integration
The United States has a long and tragic history of segregating and warehousing people with disabilities, particularly developmental disabilities.
Access-a-Ride Reform Group (AARRG!)
With New York City subways largely inaccessible, the City’s accessible van transportation system, Access-A-Ride, is a lifeline for many people with disabilities.
For-Hire Vehicles
As for-hire vehicles such as Uber and Lyft have transformed the market, NYLPI has championed equitable wheelchair accessibility of their cars.
Transforming Mental Health Crisis Response
Each year, the New York Police Department responds to approximately 150,000 calls relating to people experiencing mental health crises.
Health in Immigration Detention
Thousands of immigrant New Yorkers receive abysmal health care in immigrant detention facilities in and around the City.
Coverage4All
As part of the Coverage 4 All Coalition Steering Committee, we pursue health coverage for all New Yorkers regardless of immigration status.
UndocuCare
For the 250,000 immigrant New Yorkers who are undocumented and uninsured, access to healthcare is deeply limited.
Green Space
Usable green space in marginalized neighborhoods is critical for public health, community-centered revitalization, and economic independence.
Healthy Homes
Deteriorating housing for low-income residents, both public and privately owned, poses serious health risks.
Climate and Energy Justice
The impacts of climate change fall hardest on communities that contribute least to the problem.
Transform Don’t Trash NYC
Each year, New York City’s restaurants, offices, and businesses generate 5.5 million tons of solid waste.
Waste Equity
More than three-quarters of trash from all of New York City has been trucked into three low-income communities of color in the South Bronx, North Brooklyn and Southeast Queens.
CASES
Goldenberg v. MTA
Baerga v. City of New York
In the Matter of Astoria Gas Turbine Power LLC
Britt v. MTA
Raritan Baykeeper Inc. v. American Recycling Management LLC
Rivera-Mora v. Corcoran Group Real Estate
Sosa v. Hudson County
Bonilla v. Hudson County
The family of Carlos Bonilla, a father of four who died from internal bleeding in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention, has filed a lawsuit against Hudson County and those responsible for his medical care while he was confined to immigration detention at Hudson County Correctional Center.
NYLPI v. NYPD
NYLPI sued the New York Police Department (NYPD) under New York’s Freedom of Information Law for unredacted body-worn camera footage in the fatal shooting of foreign exchange student Miguel Richards.
O’Toole v. Cuomo
For decades, New York State warehoused people with serious mental illness in adult homes. A landmark settlement on behalf of thousands of state adult homes residents gives them the opportunity to live, with supports, in their own homes.
Jorge v. NYC Transit Authority
For years, the New York City Transit Authority refused to make Access-A-Ride available to people with disabilities who had limited English proficiency.
Filer v. City of New York
Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers have mobility impairments. Robert Filer, who is paralyzed from the chest down and uses a wheelchair, was arrested and placed unsecured in a police van, fell to the van’s floor and was thrown around for the duration of the ride.
Lawton v. Success Academy Charter Schools
On behalf of five former students and their parents, NYLPI’s federal civil rights case against Success Academy Charter School challenges the school’s harsh, zero-tolerance disciplinary policies against young students showing signs of behavioral disabilities.
Brad H. v. City of New York
The Brad H. v. City of New York class action pursues the rights of people with mental illnesses in the City’s jail system at Rikers Island to have discharge planning and services upon release from custody.
Willowbrook
The landmark Willowbrook class action vindicated the civil rights of individuals with disabilities to live in the community, after a series of investigations in the 1970s unearthed deplorable conditions at the Willowbrook State School.
L.J. v. Mattingly
A significant number of children in the foster care system are diagnosed with developmental disabilities.
L.P. v. NYC Dept of Education
In this putative class action, NYLPI represents student-led organization IntegrateNYC and Black and Latino students denied access to NYC public high school sports.
Charles v. United States
Charles v. United States is a federal lawsuit against the United States for failing to provide mental health discharge planning to an individual with diagnosed mental illnesses who was confined to immigration detention.
Charles v. Orange County
Charles v. Orange County is a federal lawsuit challenging Orange County, New York’s unconstitutional “discharge and dump” policy targeted at New Yorkers with mental illness in immigration detention.
Cleanup North Brooklyn v. Brooklyn Transfer
NYLPI represents Cleanup North Brooklyn, a group of residents, families, and business owners, in a lawsuit seeking greater waste equity in North Brooklyn.