2011 Reports

Disability and First Amendment Rights

Miyares, Nicholas; Smith, Raymond Arthur

The disabled represent a minority group that lacks both cultural cohesiveness and political clout. As a result, many of the disabled have fallen victim to heinous hate crimes, unequal hiring practices, and lack of universal access. While the First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, there is nevertheless the possibility that a minority group's speech be overlooked due to an either hostile or apathetic majority.