Ms. Keysha Powell, a parent of a student with disabilities, filed a lawsuit against the District of Columbia for its failure to accommodate her daughter in afterschool programming. The mother of four is represented by the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and co-counsel Ropes & Gray LLP.
Ms. Powell’s daughter, S.R., is a seven-year-old student with asthma and severe seafood allergies. To manage her disabilities, S.R. needs trained staff to administer her medications, including an inhaler and an EpiPen, so she does not experience an asthma attack or a life-threatening allergic reaction. The lawsuit alleges that the District, through its own afterschool program and programs it runs through partner organizations, failed to accommodate S.R.’s disabilities by failing to have trained staff who could access or administer her medications. S.R. lost educational opportunities, interaction with her peers, and access to extracurricular activities. Without trained staff who could access or administer S.R.’s medications, Ms. Powell had to leave work early or coordinate with family, friends, and community members to pick up her daughter early from the program.
