In respect of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we welcome you to join us for a webinar on When the Legal System Isn’t Built for You: Procedural barriers facing people with disabilities, as part of our GROW Education Series.
Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2026 – 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST via Zoom
Registration closes on December 1 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Please register early to secure your spot.
Navigating the legal system can be complicated. For people with disabilities, court, tribunal and administrative processes can come with additional barriers and challenges that are not always understood or recognized.
Framed around International Day of Persons with Disabilities, this session will be a practical legal education through a disability lens. It will address where the process trips everyone up, then show where it breaks differently for people with disabilities (examples such as intake by telephone, forms that assume independent completion, accommodation requests that must themselves be made through inaccessible channels, timelines that don’t account for the weeks it takes to arrange an interpreter or captioner).
About the Speaker:
Lorin MacDonald
Lorin MacDonald, CM, OOnt, LSM, JD, is a human rights lawyer whose advocacy for accessibility and disability rights spans more than three decades. Living with profound hearing loss, she brings lived experience to litigation, policy, and education. She designed and has taught Disability Law at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Lincoln Alexander School of Law and Western University’s Faculty of Law, as well as Law and Social Work at Dalhousie University. She serves on Accessibility Standards Canada’s Technical Committee on Accessible Justice. Lorin is a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario, and an inductee of the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame. Visit Lorin’s LinkedIn page here.
You’ll learn:
- The practical realities that self-represented people with disabilities may encounter in courts, tribunals and administrative processes;
- How disability can affect a person’s experience navigating the legal system;
- Additional barriers and complexities that may arise during a person’s legal journey; and
- Considerations for legal professionals who advise, represent or otherwise support clients with disabilities.
Who should attend?
- Individuals with disabilities and family members who are representing themselves: the session will provide a better understanding of the systems and processes they may need to navigate.
- Lawyers and paralegals: the session will explore how disability can add complexity to a client’s legal journey, including considerations that may not always be immediately apparent.
- Other professionals who provide support to people navigating legal matters
- Educators interested in disability, accessibility and the justice system
Whether you are navigating the legal system yourself, supporting someone through it, or working as a legal professional, this webinar offers an opportunity to better understand where barriers can arise and how disability can shape a person’s experience of the justice system.
LSO CPD Accreditation Application
ABLE2 will apply to the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) for accreditation of this webinar for 1 hour of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Accreditation may still be pending at the time of the webinar.
Presented in partnership with the Law Foundation of Ontario
Liability Disclaimer Statement
ABLE2 offers the virtual GROW Education Series Session for educational purposes only. By registering, you acknowledge that you are participating at your own risk. ABLE2 does not moderate chat discussions and is not responsible for participant interactions or actions.
By participating in the virtual GROW Education Series Session, you are agreeing to the following liability statements.
I voluntarily agree to assume all risks and accept sole responsibility for any illness or injury to myself, including, but not limited to, personal injury, disability, death, damage, loss, claim, liability, or expense, of any kind, may experience or incur in connection with my participation in the virtual GROW Education Series Session.
On my behalf (and on behalf of any minors in my care), I hereby release, covenant not to sue, discharge, and hold harmless ABLE2: Support for People with Disabilities, its officers and directors, members, employees, volunteers, agents and representatives, of all liabilities, claims, actions, damages, costs or expenses of any kind (including related to COVID-19) arising out of or relating to my (and any minors in my care) participation in the virtual GROW Education Series Session.
I understand and agree that this release includes any all liabilities, claims, actions, damages, costs or expenses of any kind based on the actions, omissions, or negligence of ABLE2: Support for People with Disabilities, its directors or officers, employees, volunteers, agents and representatives, before, during or after participation in the virtual GROW Education Series Session.
The presentation portion of this session will be recorded and available to registrants only until December 31, 2026.
If you require assistance with registration or have any questions, please contact events@able2.org.
