Liberty Resources v. City of Philadelphia
Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) is a national nonprofit that leverages local partnerships and high-impact litigation to protect and advance the rights of people with disabilities. On behalf of several residents with limited mobility and in partnership with Liberty Resources, Inc. (LRI) of Philadelphia, DRA filed a class-action lawsuit against the City, alleging that its failure to install, remediate, and maintain curb ramps violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. DRA and LRI then enlisted KMA’s expertise to help build the case.
Over the course of several months, KMA’s team conducted detailed surveys of 179 curb ramps and their associated pedestrian elements at 51 intersections throughout the city. They then compiled a detailed report highlighting accessibility concerns at these intersections, finding an astounding 97% of those curb ramps to be non-compliant in at least one aspect, and 75% in multiple aspects. KMA’s report also included impact statements, developed to help the court qualitatively understand the barriers to mobility that these curb ramps presented to people with disabilities.
In October of 2022, DRA, LRI, and the City of Philadelphia settled the case after the City committed to installing or updating 10,000 curb ramps over the next 15 years. After the settlement agreement was announced, one of the Plaintiffs noted, “Activists and advocates fighting for disability rights in Philadelphia, like myself, now have a victory here in our city that we’ve wanted for a long time. I’m very happy that, with this settlement, we’re going to have safer and more accessible sidewalks.”
Photo Credits
701 Christian Street
Morris Levin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Philly – Panoramio
Ralph van Roosmalen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia
Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons