Disability Justice and the Americans with Disabilities Act: An Opportunity for Social Work.

This article focuses on the intersection of disability justice, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the involvement of people with disabilities in the criminal justice system, emphasizing implications for social work education and practice. It highlights that over 61 million Americans have disabilities, with disproportionately high incarceration rates among this population, particularly those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The article reviews the history of the disability rights movement (DRM), the impact of the ADA—especially Title II regulations concerning law enforcement and correctional facilities—and introduces disability justice and critical disability theory as frameworks that challenge traditional deficit models of disability. It calls for enhanced integration of disability studies and forensic social work content in social work curricula to better prepare practitioners to advocate for disability justice, particularly for incarcerated individuals facing compounded marginalization.