Reasonable Accommodations for People with Disabilities in Employment and Housing: Key Disability Laws, ADA, FHA, and Compliance Risks

Jamie Strawbridge | Brown Goldstein & Levy

Jamie Strawbridge represents individuals in cases involving civil rights, disability rights, police misconduct, and housing discrimination. Jamie also represents companies in high-stakes commercial litigation, including ownership disputes and breach-of-contract claims. Since joining Brown, Goldstein & Levy in 2020, Jamie has litigated cases in state and federal court and in arbitrations. He has successfully resolved cases involving discrimination against individuals with disabilities in the healthcare sector, voting, and the criminal justice system. His commercial experience includes representing Maryland-based companies in multi-million-dollar disputes in state court and in arbitration proceedings.

Jamie also has significant appellate experience, including drafting appeals in federal and state court, briefs in opposition to petitions for certiorari before the U.S. Supreme Court, and arguing before the Appellate Court of Maryland. Reflecting that experience, he has been appointed an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law to teach a semester-long seminar on appellate litigation.

Prior to joining the firm, Jamie worked for Covington & Burling in Washington, DC and clerked for the Honorable Diana Gribbon Motz on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and for the Honorable Catherine C. Blake on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

Before law school, Jamie worked for seven years as an investigative reporter in Washington, D.C. He traveled the world and wrote extensively on topics related to public health, labor and environmental rights, and international trade.

Laura M. Fant | Proskauer

Laura Fant is a special employment law counsel in the Labor & Employment Law Department and co-administrative leader of the Counseling, Training & Pay Equity Practice Group. Her practice provides clients with practical solutions to common (and uncommon) employment concerns, with a focus on legal compliance, risk management and mitigation strategies, and workplace culture considerations.

Laura regularly counsels’ clients across numerous industries on a wide variety of employment matters involving recruitment and hiring, employee leave and reasonable accommodation issues, performance management, and termination of employment. She also advises on preparing, implementing and enforcing employment and separation agreements, employee handbooks and company policies, as well as providing training on topics including discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Laura is a frequent contributor to Proskauer’s Law and the Workplace blog and The Proskauer Brief podcast.

J. Courtney Cunningham | J. Courtney Cunningham, PLLC

Courtney Cunningham is a seasoned civil rights attorney based in Miami, Florida, with over 35 years of legal experience advocating for justice and equity under the law. As the President of the Federal Bar Association (FBA) South Florida Chapter, he leads initiatives to support the legal community, promote judicial diversity, and advance civil rights litigation. He is proudly married to an immigrant.

Courtney is the founder and principal attorney of J. Courtney Cunningham PLLC, a firm dedicated to private enforcement of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). His practice focuses on fighting housing discrimination, ensuring accessibility for individuals with disabilities, and challenging systemic injustices in both public and private spaces. He likes taking on big cases that change the status quo. He has created a new law at the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals dealing with standing and the rights of people with disabilities to participate in their governments.

A passionate advocate for fair housing rights, Courtney represents individuals and families who have suffered discrimination based on disability, national origin, or source of income. His litigation experience spans federal courts across Florida, where he has successfully challenged discriminatory policies implemented by homeowners’ associations, landlords, and property management companies. He is currently challenging a Florida law that prohibits people from certain excluded countries from purchasing housing.

Beyond his legal practice, Courtney is committed to mentoring young lawyers and law students, particularly through the FBA South Florida Chapter’s initiatives. Under his leadership, the chapter has expanded outreach to law school communities, championed wellness programs for attorneys and judges, and streamlined committee structures to enhance efficiency and collaboration. An active voice in public policy and community engagement, Courtney regularly speaks on civil rights enforcement, legal ethics, and the evolving landscape of disability law.

Session I – Understanding Key Disability Laws: ADA, FHA, and the Rehabilitation Act | 1:00pm – 2:00pm

• Key legal framework
  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Employment accommodations (Title I), public bodies (Title II) & public accommodations (Title III)
  • Rehabilitation Act (Section 504): Disability rights in federally funded programs
  • Fair Housing Act (FHA): Reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities in housing
• Defining disability under the ADA and FHA
• Key legal distinctions between workplace and housing accommodations
  • Public Bodies (ADA): Ensuring people with disabilities have access to state/local programs
  • Workplace (ADA): Focuses on enabling an individual to perform job functions
  • Housing (FHA): Focuses on ensuring equal enjoyment of housing
  • Public Accommodations (ADA Title III): When ADA applies to businesses and places of public accommodation

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

Session II – Workplace Accommodations Under the ADA (Rights, Responsibilities, Case Law) | 2:10pm – 3:10pm

• Employer obligations under the ADA
• Types of accommodations in the workplace
• Key ADA workplace accommodation cases

Break | 3:10pm – 3:20pm

Session III – Housing Accommodations for People with Disabilities (HOAs, Condos, Fair Housing, Support Animals) | 3:20pm – 3:50pm

• HOA & landlord responsibilities under the FHA
• Common accommodation requests in housing
• Legal risks for HOAs and property owners