The two main civil rights organisations in the United States, Disability Rights Advocates and the Brooklyn Centre for Independence of the Disabled, are suing the City of New York and Mayor Michael Bloomberg on the grounds that they do not fully consider the "unique needs" of disabled people when implementing emergency and disaster situations.
The organisations maintain that disasters that occurred in New York such as September 11 and Hurricane Irene have shown that the city did not properly consider the needs of its disabled citizens during these periods. They say the city has violated anti-discrimination federal and state law as they did not sufficiently cater for the needs of their disabled population.
This particular type of action is not unusual in the United States. Similar action was taken following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, where loss of life occurred due to improper provision being made for people with disabilities. The expected outcome of the lawsuit is that the needs of disabled persons will be fully considered when planning emergencies in the city and in the US itself.
Click here to view a piece by Human Rights in Ireland on this case.