Washington Courts: News and Information

Washington Disability Justice Task Force Hosts Symposium Sept. 10 on Results of State’s First Disability Justice Study

The Washington Supreme Court Disability Justice Task Force (DJTF) will host a symposium Sept. 10, 2025 at the Temple of Justice in Olympia to present findings of its Disability Justice Study, the first of its kind in Washington. The study identifies deficiencies in physical and programmatic access to state court services and programs for people with disabilities, with a goal of developing solutions to address lack of meaningful access.

Though space for in-person attendance at the symposium is extremely limited, participation is available through livestream by TVW. The symposium will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with an hour break at noon.

American Sign Language interpretation will be available on the live TVW broadcast. CART captioning for the symposium is available. To learn more about participating in the symposium, including receiving professional credits for attorneys and judicial officers, visit the symposium web page.

“This gathering and presenting these findings are long overdue, but important first steps in developing solutions to ensure people with disabilities have full access to our nation’s legal system,” said Washington Supreme Court Justice G. Helen Whitener, Task Force Co-Chair.

The symposium will include a keynote speech by Dr. Katherine A. Perez, JD., director of the Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy and Innovation at Loyola Law School. Results of the study will be presented by the research staff of KMG Consulting, which specializes in disability training and consultation, and conducted the study. In addition, experts from Microsoft will speak about assistive technologies for disabled legal professionals.

The symposium web page includes a full agenda, speaker biographies, artwork, goals of the presentation, and will be updated with more materials and videos following the event.

“We appreciate the opportunity to share this important information with the public and lawmakers,” said Court of Appeals Division II Judge Meng Li Che, co-chair of the DJTF Symposium Subcommittee. “We hope it will drive solutions that have long been needed.” 

The Supreme Court established the Disability Justice Task Force in 2022 with funding support from the state Legislature. Justice Whitener and King County Superior Court Judge David Whedbee serve as co-chairs. The Task Force’s mission is to help ensure a statewide court system where people with disabilities have access to justice that not only meets legal compliance, but also ensures dignity, equity, and full participation in the legal system and the legal profession.

The Task Force web page includes such resources as the Adapted Disability Justice Principles, the Guide for Disability Inclusive Language, Supporting Individuals with Autism in Court, and a webinar series that explores the criminalization of disability.

CONTACT:  Lorrie Thompson, Senior Communications Officer, Administrative Office of the Courts, (360) 705-5347, Lorrie.Thompson@courts.wa.gov.