Workshop 3
Practical Application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Providing Useful Recommendations for Reasonable Accommodations in Forensic Mental Health Assessment
3.5 CE hours
8:30 AM – 12 PM
Mary Elizabeth Wood, Ph.D., ABPP
Laura M. Grossi, Ph.D., ABPP
Natalie Armstrong, Ph.D., ABPP
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990) mandates that “no qualified person with a disability may be excluded from participating in, or denied benefits of the programs, services, and activities provided by state and local governments because of a disability” (ADA, 1990; Ref. 1, Section 35.130(a)), which includes participation in criminal legal proceedings, as well as state-funded competence evaluation and restoration efforts. Unfortunately, the promises of ADA (1990) have largely been unmet in the criminal legal system, as its application has been consistently underutilized and/or ineffective (Perlin & Dorfman, 2025; Perlin et al., 2025). The current workshop highlights the relevance of the ADA and the utility of reasonable accommodations to forensic mental health assessment (FMHA), particularly those addressing adjudicative competence. Indeed, individualized, reasonable accommodations mandated by ADA can facilitate the meaningful participation of individuals with disabilities in the legal process, while also safeguarding the individuals’ constitutional rights/protections (State v. Ortiz-Abrego, 2017). This workshop will review the history and applicability of ADA to FMHA and criminal legal systems, and provide practical guidance to forensic mental health professionals who encounter defendants with disabilities requiring reasonable accommodations. Specifically, attendees will be given a decision-making model to utilize in identifying when reasonable accommodations are appropriate, and for testing such accommodations for their effectiveness and feasibility. Participants will have the opportunity to practice implementing this model and approach via vignettes and case examples, as well as in vivo demonstrations and group activities.
Define the concept of reasonable accommodations outlined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Describe three examples of reasonable accommodations that could be recommended for a defendant with a disability as part of a forensic mental health evaluation.
Outline the process of identifying and planning reasonable accommodations as part of a forensic mental health evaluation.