Hon. John R. Sticht Excellence in Disabilities Accessibility Award

The Committee on Persons with Disabilities in the Legal Profession established this award in 2006. It is awarded to private and/or public legal employers for their efforts to improve access to the Arizona judicial system for persons with disabilities in the legal profession, including lawyers, paralegals and court and law firm staff. The awards are presented at the State Bar Convention, and at a ceremony at the State Capitol in July, the annual anniversary of the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

2012 Recipient

The Arizona Center for Disability Law ("Center") is an independent, non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of individuals with a wide range of physical, mental, psychiatric, sensory and cognitive disabilities. The Center advocates for the legal rights of persons with disabilities to be free from abuse, neglect and discrimination and to have access to education, health care, housing, jobs and other services in order to maximize independence and achieve equality. As part of a nationwide protection and advocacy system, the Center provides information on legal rights; represents individuals in negotiations or in administrative proceedings in court; investigates abuse and neglect; provides outreach and training on legal rights and self-advocacy; brings impact litigation to remedy systemic problems; and provides technical assistance to groups and individuals on disability related legal issues. Since its inception, the Center has assisted over 30,000 individuals with disabilities. The Center has locations in Phoenix and Tucson.

Previous Recipients

The award has been presented to: