Stephanie Duke

The Project

Stephanie will work to remedy discriminatory practices, throughout the preparedness, response, and recovery phases of disasters and emergencies, which unlawfully deny or create unreasonable barriers for individuals with disabilities in accessing and providing an equitable opportunity of benefiting from disaster and emergency services.

Inequities experienced and seen during and after a disaster, are a direct correlation to marginalized and vulnerable populations not accounted for in preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts. All entities providing resources and services to prepare, respond and recover must ensure the needs of individuals with disabilities are accounted for, as well as accommodated to ensure an equitable opportunity to benefit from all programs and activities.

Fellowship Plans

Stephanie will provide direct services and resources to individuals with disabilities across the state who face or experience discriminatory practices in disaster and emergency services. She will educate the legal community about the legal issues specific to individuals with disabilities throughout all phases of disasters and emergencies. Stephanie will also pursue impact litigation based on systemic issues the disability community faces in disaster and emergencies.

Stephanie previously served as an Equal Justice Works Fellow in the Disaster Recovery Legal Corps, where she provided direct legal services for two years and saw first-hand the inequities experienced by individuals with disabilities. Disparities which exist prior to a disaster and emergency, are exacerbated by our failure to ensure equitable opportunities to prepare, survive, and recover from any tragedy.  Stephanie believes equitable opportunities are possible and will work to safeguard nondiscriminatory processes and mechanisms for marginalized and vulnerable populations.