Letter to the Editor: Disability Rights Maryland defends equal access for all

To the editor,

Disability Rights Maryland writes in response to Michael Phillips’ October 24 commentary, “Justice cannot be blind to invisible disabilities.”

DRM is a nonprofit law firm and Maryland’s designated Protection & Advocacy agency, formerly known as the Maryland Disability Law Center. As part of a nationwide network created by Congress in 1975, we are federally mandated to advance and protect the civil rights of people with disabilities.

We provide free legal and advocacy services to Marylanders of all ages and with all types of disabilities — developmental, intellectual, psychiatric, physical, sensory, learning, or traumatic brain injury — whether they live in facilities, in the community, or are unhoused. Contrary to Phillips’ assertion, DRM does not prioritize people with “visible” disabilities over those with “invisible” ones. Like nearly all legal services organizations, we receive far more calls for help than we can possibly accept. However, we prioritize based on legal issue, not based on disability.

Each year, DRM develops an Annual Service Plan, informed by community input and our experience serving Marylanders with disabilities. Our current priorities include Mental Health, Housing, Education, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Medicaid, Assistive Technology, Transportation, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Voting Rights. DRM also supports Social Security beneficiaries through a dedicated grant.

Funded by federal and state agencies and the Maryland Legal Services Corporation, DRM envisions a world where people with disabilities are fully included in community life—with dignity, equality, opportunity, and freedom from discrimination and harm.

Luciene Parsley, Litigation Director Disability Rights Maryland.