Committee post: BRIDGES - Legal Community Outreach Committee (LCOC), Kendra Muller, Alexis Page, and Sophia Wagener

As part of our mission to advance the status of women in the law and society, Lawyers Club of San Diego seeks to elevate diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, and our collaboration with fellow diversity bar organizations is very important to us. In this blog series, Lawyers Club of San Diego’s Legal Community Outreach Committee aims to illustrate the bridges between Lawyers Club and the broader legal community. Please join us as we get to know more about the legal organizations of San Diego!

The San Diego County Bar Association’s Disability Justice Group (“DJG” or “Group”) brings together members who are interested in disability issues and the intersection of disability and the intersection of societally marginalized groups. DJG participants are passionate about raising awareness, fostering collaboration, and creating community. As a term of art used by the Group, “disability” broadly encompasses non-visible and visible disabilities, including mental health, physical, sensory, intellectual, temporary, developmental disabilities, chronic illness, and any other body diversity that has been historically stigmatized. For an example of the broad nature of DJG’s work, DJG was honored to work with SDCBA’s Wellness Group to collaborate on a training regarding suicide and mental health for attorneys. The Group meets monthly to discuss current projects and any research issues that participants bring to the table. 

The Group’s 2024 mission focuses on disability justice in the legal field. This justice mission is twofold: (1) ensuring individuals with disabilities have improved access to the legal field, with a center on ensuring communities who are marginalized and have intersecting identities receive access; and, (2) educating law firms, organizations, and individuals on disability justice and rights. The Group hopes to create a safe community place to express ideas to ensure equal access and collaboration with other social justice committees. 

As the theory of disability justice centers intersectional and cross-sectional identities, we seek to ensure inclusion for individuals previously excluded from the legal system. Women are more likely to experience disability and health conditions because of unequal access to health services, discrimination in healthcare, and physician dismissal of health issues in women. Additionally, individuals who hold identities of being a woman and having a disability face additional barriers, such as earning 55% less than their disabled male counterparts. Racism, ableism, and social inequity create further disparities that compound upon one another. Disabled women of color have increased barriers than disabled white women in transportation, healthcare, housing, employment and education. These statistics demonstrate that there is great need to continue work on listening to the voices of disabled individuals and finding solutions for equity. To increase awareness of barriers pertaining to race and disability, SDCBA’s Anti-Racism Group and DJG collaborated to provide an interactive training: The Intersection of Race and Disability Roundtable. Like Lawyers Club of San Diego, DJG seeks to break down barriers limiting access to the legal community and to justice.

The Group has often taken on various big picture issues to provide access to the legal system, including transportation and the courts, and employment of disabled individuals in the profession. The Group provided a public proposal for feasible solutions to San Diego’s public transit system to ensure community members with disabilities have transportation to get to court or an legal office, and legal professionals with disabilities were able to get to their places of employment. The Group also worked on improving accessibility within the physical courthouses themselves in San Diego. DJG provided a dedicated report, detailing appropriations language for Senator Feinstein’s office regarding equal opportunity and regulations on transportation of mobility devices on airplanes. The Group continued their work on equal access to transportation, submitting public comment to the Federal Department of Transportation on the need for accessible air travel for many attorneys who fly for employment and socioeconomic purposes. The Group is currently working to pursue solutions to the court reporter shortage by advocating for Voice Writers, where disabled individuals can pursue the career. DJG welcomes all ideas from community members on improving access to the legal system.

To learn more about Disability Justice, please watch the Dialogue on Diversity: Disability Justice 101 recorded on October 30, 2024.

DJG meetings are open to all in the legal profession, (attorneys, paralegals, support, and all other employees in the legal field), as well as guests impacted by the legal system.

EDITOR’S NOTE: On October 23, 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced a $50 million penalty against American Airlines for its treatment of airline passengers with disabilities between 2019 and 2023.

Lawyers Club of San Diego’s Legal Community Outreach Committee (LCOC) seeks to build membership, engagement, sponsorship, and collaboration with San Diego law firms, public agencies, and fellow diversity bar organizations advancing women in law and society. To help us understand ways to bridge Lawyers Club of San Diego with your organization, please email LCOC Co-Chair Corrin Phillip.

Kendra J. Muller is a civil rights attorney specializing in disability rights and is the current DJG Chair.

Alexis Page and Sophia “Sophie” Wagener contributed to the authorship of this post when they were actively involved in SDCBA’s DJG.