ARCH Disability Law Centre provides specialized legal consultations, continuing education, and practice resources for lawyers and paralegals representing persons with disabilities across Ontario.
Case Consult Service for Lawyers and Paralegals
ARCH provides a free Case Consult Service for lawyers and paralegals across Ontario. Lawyers or paralegals representing persons with disabilities may contact ARCH to discuss disability-related issues that arise in their cases. Contact ARCH to schedule a telephone appointment to speak with an ARCH staff lawyer.
If you require disability-related accommodations to access this service, please contact us and we will provide appropriate accommodations.
Continuing Legal Education
ARCH provides continuing legal education to lawyers and paralegals through seminars, panels, webinars, and publications. In partnership with the Law Society of Ontario, ARCH hosts an annual event featuring a panel discussion on access, equity, and disability law issues.
Resources: Learning Materials for Lawyers & Paralegals | ARCH Blog & Case Analysis
Referral to the Private Bar
ARCH maintains a private bar referral list and makes referrals to lawyers in many areas of law. If you are interested in being part of our Private Bar Referral list, visit our Join Our Private Bar Referral page.
The Association of Human Rights Lawyers (AHRL)
The Association of Human Rights Lawyers (AHRL) is an Ontario network of lawyers, law students, and legal workers engaged in human rights law. Members primarily represent Applicants and Plaintiffs before courts, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, and the Canadian Human Rights Commission. AHRL monitors human rights legal developments, coordinates law reform, and provides professional development opportunities. ARCH Disability Law Centre coordinates and hosts monthly meetings of AHRL members.
Communication Intermediaries & CDAC Resources
Communications Disabilities Access Canada (CDAC) provides training and educational resources for communication intermediaries, police, legal, and justice professionals, and maintains a national communication intermediary database.
Communication Intermediaries assist persons with speech and language disabilities to communicate in legal and justice settings by performing the following functions:
- Explain how a person communicates
- Clarify a person’s level of understanding
- Assist the person to understand questions
- Assist the person to communicate their answers
- Protect the integrity of a person’s communication
To access this resource, please visit www.cdacanada.com/resources/access-to-justice-communication-intermediaries.