News
Seeking Justice After a Wheelchair Ramp is Denied
“John” came to Legal Aid Society with a fair housing issue. Because of a medical issue, the only way John’s wife could get inside their home was to have family members or friends carry her up the stairs, or she would slowly crawl up the steps. They desperately needed a wheelchair ramp, but the couple’s landlord denied John’s request to build one for his wife—even though a non-profit organization offered to build the ramp free of charge.
A Legal Aid Society attorney worked closely with a local pro bono attorney and the two became John’s devoted advocates. They contested the legality of the ramp denial. Because of their efforts, and even after John’s wife passed away and the family no longer lived in the apartment, a judge found that the landlord unlawfully discriminated against John and awarded him a $10,000 judgment, based on his harm from watching the mistreatment of his wife and being unable to stop it.