Disability in Education: Examining the Systemic Barriers in Education Access Under Federal Law
About the Program
Brooklyn Law School is committed to providing a forum for the discussion of important and sometimes controversial legal and social issues.
This panel will examine the systemic barriers that prevent students with physical, intellectual, developmental, or learning disabilities from fully accessing education, even under the protections of federal law. The conversation will focus on how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are applied in practice—and where inequities persist.
Although these laws mandate access and reasonable academic accommodations, students’ ability to benefit from them is shaped by intersecting factors such as:
- Age, race, gender, cultural background, and socioeconomic status—which influence both access to accommodations and the effectiveness of those supports.
- Access to clinicians and diagnostic resources, which varies widely across communities.
- Social stigma and bias in diagnostic standards, which can reinforce inequities.
Panelists will explore how the process of obtaining academic accommodations—from diagnosis to implementation—can perpetuate inequity, and how applying a disability justice framework can help create pathways to more equitable access in education.
The program will feature:
- Alyssa Galea, Senior Attorney, Disability Rights New York (DRNY)
- Prianka Nair, Associate Clinical Professor of Law; Co-Director, Bet Tzedek Civil Litigation Clinic, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
- Liza Schatzman, Licensed Therapist and Parent
- Sakeena Trice, Senior Staff Attorney, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI)
- Andrew Wong, Special Counsel for Policy & Complex Litigation, Office of the General Counsel at the DOE
Moderated by Kali Blain ’27 and Lexia Rowley ’27, Brooklyn Law School
Individuals with disabilities, legal advocates, family members, community organizations, and government entities are encouraged to attend.
Presented in collaboration with:
Brooklyn Law School’s Disability and Civil Rights Clinic
Important Note
Brooklyn Law School provides space for dialogue and debate but does not endorse the views expressed by speakers, faculty, or participants at its events. The perspectives shared are those of the individuals involved.
About the Speakers
Alyssa Galea is a Senior Attorney at Disability Rights New York, where she advocates for the rights of individuals with disabilities to access education, employment, and community living.
Prianka Nair joined Cardozo in 2025 as Co-Director of the Bet Tzedek Civil Litigation Clinic after serving as Assistant Professor of Clinical Law and the Faculty Director of the Disability and Civil Rights Clinic at Brooklyn Law School. Prior to joining the faculty at Brooklyn Law, Professor Nair worked as a public interest attorney at Disability Rights New York.
Liza Schatzman is a licensed therapist with 24 years of experience addressing mental health and substance use issues. Her work— informed by her personal experience supporting her son, who was diagnosed early with an expressive language delay and hypotonia, and her brother, who was diagnosed later in life on the autism spectrum—focuses on helping children and families navigate the educational system to secure appropriate accommodations.
Sakeena Trice is a Senior Staff Attorney on NYLPI’s Disability Justice team, an initiative aimed at achieving equality of opportunity, self-determination, and independence for people with disabilities. Ms. Trice has a background in family defense, representing parents and families whose children were at risk of being placed in the foster care system, as well as tenant and criminal defense as well. She is an advocate for those with Lupus.
Andrew Wong is a Managing Attorney for the Executive Agency Counsel at the NYC Department of Education. He works on various matters, including those related to civil rights, special education, labor and employment, and general litigation.
Please RSVP by Thursday, Nov. 6.
More Information
General inquiries: events@brooklaw.edu | (718) 780-0321
Requests for reasonable accommodation should be made to accommodations@brooklaw.edu at least 10 days before the event. We will do our best to address requests made after this time.