It’s been about two years since Florida and Disability Rights Florida, a statewide advocacy group, reached a settlement that was meant to improve conditions for inmates with disabilities.
But the group says the state has failed to comply with the 2017 agreement by not providing interpreters for inmates who are deaf or hard of hearing, confiscating mobility devices from inmates who need them to get around and not providing white canes for inmates who are blind, among other issues.
“Despite our years-long monitoring efforts, people with physical disabilities who are incarcerated in Florida prisons are still not receiving the accommodations, aids, and services they are entitled to,” said Dante P. Trevisani, executive director of the Florida Justice Institute in a statement. “It’s time for the Department of Corrections to follow through on its promises made in the settlement agreement.”
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