St. Louis Post Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger recently covered Kennedy Hunt P.C. ‘s human rights case against the Missouri Department of Youth Services.
Our lawsuit alleges our client, who suffers from autism and attention deficit disorder among other diagnoses, did not receive reasonable accommodations for his disabilities while he was in the Department of Youth Services’ custody. The lawsuit argues that the Department of Youth Services should be considered a place of accommodation and, thus, subject to the Missouri Human Rights Act.
Messenger writes:
“Hunt is alleging discrimination under the federal Americans With Disabilities Act as well as the Missouri Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation, like schools. That’s where this lawsuit becomes really important. The state is arguing that DYS facilities are prisons, not schools — directly contradicting the famed ‘Missouri Model.’”
“It goes against everything [DYS says] anywhere else,” managing partner Sarah Jane Hunt told Messenger. “I don’t think that’s what Missourians want. I don’t think that’s what the Legislature intended.”
Messenger also writes:
“If the state’s argument is successful, it could have devastating consequences for young people in the care of DYS. They would have no recourse under the law to force the state to care for their disabilities. According to DYS, more than 50 percent of the young people in its custody have had some mental health issues, and about a third have been diagnosed with learning disabilities.
Hunt told Messenger she believes DYS is already not caring for the disabilities of the young people in their custody. “They’re just not providing services to kids who need it,” Hunt told Messenger.
More details on the case are available here. For more information, contact attorney Sarah Jane Hunt at sarahjane@kennedyhuntlaw.com. If you or someone you know has had their educational and/or disability rights violated, the skilled attorneys at Kennedy Hunt, P.C. may be able to help you. Fill out a questionnaire so we can understand your claim.