Probation, parole, and other forms of post-conviction supervision are challenging for anyone, requiring strict adherence to dozens of complex rules under threat of incarceration for any slip-up. For the high number of people on supervision who have disabilities, supervision is even more challenging. Disabled people regularly face barriers to understanding their supervision obligations, physically getting to required meeting locations, keeping track of their myriad obligations, and attending mandated appointments while experiencing serious health issues. People with disabilities therefore regularly need reasonable accommodations to meet their supervision requirements, such as plain-language explanations of their supervision rules, appointment reminders, sign language interpreters, and flexible meeting scheduling.

The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 require agencies administering supervision to assess the accommodation needs of people with disabilities and provide needed accommodations to ensure they have an equal opportunity to succeed on supervision. But supervision systems throughout the United States are failing to fulfill this legal obligation—setting disabled people up for failure.

This Article explores the obstacles to completing supervision for people with disabilities, supervision agencies’ legal obligations to accommodate them, and strategies to ensure access to reasonable accommodations.

Continue reading An Equal Chance to Succeed: Challenging Barriers for Disabled People on Probation and Parole