Presenter Biography
James Weisman is President & CEO of United Spinal Association. He joined United Spinal (then called Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association) as an attorney in 1979. Eleven years before the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Weisman sued NYC's transit system and won bus access, key subway and rail station access and the creation of a paratransit program to supplement mass transit for those whose disabilities prevent them from using bus and rail systems. He also sued Philadelphia's transit system yielding similar results by 1988. Weisman was a key negotiator with members of Congress promoting the passage of the ADA, and the Act’s transportation provisions applied the agreements in NYC and Philadelphia to the whole country. He's a founding board member of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). His suit against NYC for curb ramps has resulted in a $300 million expenditure to date, and over 1 billion dollars during the next ten years. United Spinal, led by Weisman, is active in the disability rights movement, and was successful in getting NYC's yellow cabs to be 50% accessible by 2020. He is routinely consulted by advocates, attorneys, employers, real estate developers and others seeking to include people with disabilities in their workforce, programs and customer bases. He is a 1977 graduate of Seton Hall University Law School.
