[NEW YORK, New York, October, 2020] The National Disabled Law Students Association (NDLSA) has received official confirmation of its status as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization from the Internal Revenue Service. With this official designation, the organization will immediately begin securing tax-deductible donations  to support its mission and operations. 

NDLSA organizes around disability issues impacting law students and early career professionals. Since its inception in May 2020, NDLSA has presented virtual events with the Autism Success Foundation; the American Bar Association; the Coehlo Center for Disability Law, Policy, & Innovation; and the International Bar Association. Additionally, the organization advocates for transparency and full inclusion of disabled graduates in the bar exam process, which includes supporting the diploma privilege movement by amplifying the experiences of disabled graduates taking the bar exam. In August 2020, NDLSA released its first research report on the concerns of those taking an online bar exam this year and presented detailed survey data from bar examinees on the fears created by bar exam organizations.

NDLSA is currently staffed by more than twenty disabled law students and disabled law graduates who support the organization’s work on a volunteer basis. Thus far, twenty groups have joined NDLSA as affiliate organizations at law schools across the country. This number continues to grow rapidly and is anticipated to exceed forty by the new year. The organization offers a “Starter Pack” to students interested in starting a disability advocacy organization at their law school, as well as mentorship, educational resources, and a national advocacy network.

In the coming months, NDLSA will begin substantial fundraising efforts to secure support for its mission of empowering disabled law students and early career professionals. Individuals interested in making tax-deductible contributions to NDLSA can contribute by visiting our website at https://ndlsa.org/ and selecting the PayPal icon. 

NDLSA is a nonprofit advocacy organization created to organize, educate, and empower disabled students and practitioners of the law and their allies, and to promote inclusivity across the legal field.

More information about NDLSA can be found on our website, https://ndlsa.org. To stay up-to-date with NDLSA, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. For more information on this comment, and for other media inquiries, please email Mercedees Rees at info@ndlsa.org.