Disability Rights

Striving for an America free of discrimination against people with disabilities, where they are valued, integrated members of society with full access to education, homes, health care, jobs, voting, and beyond.

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What you need to know

70%

Seventy percent of public school students who are physically restrained or secluded have disabilities.

60%

Sixty percent of people in local jails have some form of mental disability.

$15,000 or less

Forty-eight percent of people with disabilities have a personal income of $15,000 or less.

The ACLU of Maine and its partners are now fighting to ensure that a settlement to protect Maine children with disabilities remains in place and that protections are upheld.

The ACLU of Maine works in courthouses, the legislature, and local communities to defend and advance the rights of people with disabilities.

We are committed to creating a Maine where people with disabilities are valued and fully integrated into their communities, with equal access to education, housing, health care, employment, family life, voting, and civic engagement. We also work to end the segregation and overrepresentation of people with disabilities in institutions such as nursing homes, psychiatric hospitals, jails, and prisons.

Our work includes challenging the “school-to-prison pipeline” by promoting an education system free from school policing and punitive disciplinary practices, which disproportionately affect students with disabilities; reducing the use of jails and prisons to house people with mental and physical disabilities; and dismantling systems of health care, housing, and employment that segregate people with disabilities.

Featured Cases

The Latest


News & Commentary
A wheelchair accessibility sign in front of the Supreme Court.

Maine Lawsuit on Hotel Accessibility Reaches the Supreme Court

When a hotel fails to provide accessibility features on its website, prospective guests with disabilities can’t know if it is safe and usable. This is discrimination.
News & Commentary
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Weekly Highlights December 8 - 12

The latest from the ACLU of Maine: We're going to court to again to protect Maine people's privacy, Rockland votes on a key ordinance, and new public records show how our state is cooperating with federal immigration enforcement.
News & Commentary
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Weekly Highlights December 1 – 5

The latest from the ACLU of Maine: Birthright citizenship case heading to the Supreme Court, a victory for disability rights in Maine, and former federal employees sue over First Amendment violations.
News & Commentary
Purple square with black and white images of a hand, wheelchair, ear, and braille.

Court Preserves Landmark Victory for Disability Rights in Maine

Following our intervention, a federal court has preserved a landmark agreement to reform the children's behavioral health system and uphold youth disability rights in Maine.

Cases, Campaigns & Legislation


Court Case
Feb 27, 2026

United States v. Maine – Youth Disability Rights

The State of Maine has a troubling history of failing to protect children with disabilities. After the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) launched an investigation that found Maine was discriminating against children with disabilities, the DOJ sued the state. The state and DOJ reached a settlement agreement that strengthened protections for Maine’s children under federal disability rights law. The ACLU of Maine and its partners are now fighting to ensure that settlement remains in place and its protections are upheld.
Court Case
Aug 1, 2023

In re Child of Barni A – Disability and Parental Rights

In a victory for parents and children with disabilities, Maine’s highest court reversed a decision that punished a family for the state’s own failure to provide home nursing services for a child.