People with disabilities and Deaf people are arrested and incarcerated at vastly higher rates than people without disabilities. In fact, the majority of people behind bars have at least one disability. Although psychiatric disabilities (mental illnesses) are often centered in discussions about mass incarceration and criminal legal reforms, other types of disabilities - such as sensory, cognitive, and physical disabilities - have been overlooked. In this interactive session, Kaitlin Kall of Activating Change will provide context to the mass incarceration of Deaf people and people with disabilities, highlighting key societal and system-based drivers of these disparities. With attendees, she will unpack some of the logistical and attitudinal barriers these communities face when they interact with the criminal legal system; challenges attorneys face in identifying and securing accommodations; and adjustments attorneys can make to better support and communicate with Deaf clients and those with disabilities. This session will conclude with some practical tools and strategies for enhancing the representation of clients who have disabilities and those who are Deaf.

• Broaden understanding of disability and Deaf communities
• Contextualize the mass incarceration of diability and Deaf communities, including community- and sytem-based drivers of disability disparities
• Unpack, name, and strategize around systemic inequities throught the criminal legal process that drive disability disparities in the criminal legal system