NCLEJ Mourns the Loss of Disability Rights Advocate and Board Member Nancy Lieberman 

We are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of former NCLEJ Board Member Nancy Lieberman. A staunch advocate for people with disabilities, she co-founded New Yorkers to Cure Paralysis, and twice succeeded in reinstating state funds for research after budget cuts.  

As a Board Member, she provided inspirational support for NCLEJ staff and allies, would not hesitate to speak truth to power, and hold to account the many ways in which our state continues to fall short of the ADA. She frequently traveled to Albany in her wheelchair to fight for improved policies and funding for programs to benefit the disabled community. And she would repeatedly point out the inadequacy of curb cuts in the business district for people traveling by wheelchair. She was also a longtime partner at Skadden, and became the firm’s youngest partner ever at age 30. 

This is a loss to both the legal community and the NCLEJ family, and we send our condolences to her loved ones during this difficult period. With continued rampant discrimination against disabled people in America, we must honor her legacy by continuing her critical work to make our infrastructure, policies, and programs more accessible and inclusive. Nancy believed that the fight for disability rights would become the next great civil rights struggle in America. NCLEJ will be at the forefront of that fight.