Filed: April 9th 2025

Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Overview: Amicus brief explaining that people with disabilities face discrimination in hospitals and other health care settings. People with disabilities should not be denied lifesaving medical care because their lives are deemed less valuable than those without disabilities. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits disability discrimination in medical decision-making.

Excerpt: “The pervasiveness of anti-disability bias in healthcare cannot be overstated. Studies have consistently demonstrated that doctors and other healthcare providers hold negative views of people with disabilities and fail to fully appreciate the value and quality of life with a disability. . . Given this context, it is not an exaggeration to say that disabled patients, and especially Black disabled patients, are at disproportionately high risk of being killed as the result of medical bias and the barriers it creates. . .Section 504 evidences Congress’s recognition that legislation was necessary to ameliorate widespread discrimination, including in healthcare.”

Case Documents:

• Hickson Amicus Brief

Related Media

• DREDF Press Release

Resources

• Hickson Case Explainer