By Sandi Rosenbaum, Littman Krooks LLP Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died September 18, 2020 and served on the US Supreme Court for 27 years, is best known for her contributions toward dismantling discrimination on the basis of gender, as both an attorney and a jurist.  However, it was her June 1999 majority decision in…

Government officials remind schools and vocational rehabilitation centers of their duty to help students with disabilities transition into adulthood. The realities of the COVID-19 pandemic are still setting in for some families who have teenage children with disabilities. While the transition from childhood to adulthood can be difficult for many youths, those living with a…

By Marion Walsh, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP Every parent in New York State has the right to home school their child and, given the myriad uncertainties presented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, districts are formally offering this opportunity to parents of registered students as an alternative to remote or hybrid instruction. The prospect of…

By Marion M. Walsh, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP The transition to college and young adulthood, while exciting, can be difficult for parents. Parents must not overlook obtaining advance consent from their children so they can have access to important health and educational information—or risk begin left out in an emergency. This is even more important…

By Marion M. Walsh, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP The COVID-19 pandemic has made education more challenging than ever. Schools are re-opening this year in either a hybrid or remote learning plan. In this pandemic, with all the rules on socially distancing and COVID-19 protocols, all involved face unprecedented uncertainty and stress. Yet the pandemic has…

Studies show that approximately 90 percent of a child’s brain development occurs before the age of five. For children with learning disabilities or other special needs, these early years are crucial. Early intervention, sometimes even before a child has a diagnosis, can be extremely effective. As one special education expert explained, “If you miss that…

By Marion M. Walsh, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP This week marks 30 years since the passage of the ADA. The ADA means much more than building ramps and construction compliance.  The law protects the rights not only of those who are born with a disability, but of those who develop a disability, whether a mental…

By Marion Walsh, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP Guidance, plans and recommendations for reopening schools in the fall seems to change daily and every decision is fraught with pitfalls. As of today’s date, formal guidance from the New York State Department of Education (NYSED) for fall reopening is due out this week. NYSED  provided a Framework…

By Sandi Rosenbaum, Special Education Advocate, Littman Krooks LLP Will everyone be free on Independence Day? As COVID-19 cases have dropped and New York has opened up, region by region, people with developmental disabilities have been left out. The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) has not updated its March 24…

By Sandi Rosenbaum, Littman Krooks LLP People with disabilities, particularly mental or developmental disabilities, are often injured and sometimes killed in the course of their interactions with police.  A number of police forces, particularly in Westchester County, have begun to train new recruits in awareness of these disabilities; that the presentation of individuals with these…