Accessibility is a Voting Rights Issue

Here’s a powerful reminder of what collective action can do.

After three years of legal advocacy, a group of women with disabilities secured a federal settlement that will bring major accessibility changes to the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center and other public buildings in Detroit. These changes aren’t cosmetic. They go to the heart of whether people can access courts, public meetings, jury service, and the ballot.

For too long, people with disabilities were forced to navigate locked restrooms, inaccessible entrances, long detours, and public spaces that were never designed with them in mind. That is not an inconvenience—it is exclusion.

Because of this settlement, Detroit will see:
• ADA-compliant restrooms on multiple floors
• Improved access to City Council meetings and courtrooms
• Updated curb cuts and building entrances
• Accessible voting machines
• Clearer jury accommodation policies and ADA training

Lead plaintiff Jill Babcock, a tireless disability-rights advocate, passed after the settlement was finalized. Her work lives on in these changes—and in every person who will now be able to enter public space with dignity.

Changes defendants agreed upon

At the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, changes include:

• Floors 5, 7, 9 and 12 will have a single-use, lockable and fully ADA-compliant bathroom with an automatic door opener and electronic passkey. Passkeys will be available upon request — in exchange for some type of collateral, such as a driver’s license — at the building entrance, in the courts and at the office outside of the 13th floor auditorium.
• The City Council is to provide monitors in the Committee of the Whole room, closed captioning, wheelchair accessible viewing space, visual and hearing technology assistance, and ensure someone is available to help open doors if needed.
• Accessible voting machines are to be added at the Detroit Department of Elections.
• Renovations to four lower-level restrooms have been completed.
• Signage referencing “handicap” have been replaced with updated ADA signs.
• The building authority remodeled entrances and drop-off area at the Larned Street entrance to be open to the public.
• The city will update curb cuts at Jefferson Avenue leading to the south facing entrance, if the city and plaintiffs’ experts agree it’s needed.
• Procedures will change at the Skywalk entrance to the City-County Building to allow nonemployees with disabilities entry without having to turn back to the Millender Center and head to the ground level to cross Randolph Street. Additional security screenings may apply.
• Updated assisted listening devices in the courtrooms, the 13th floor auditorium and the City Council Committee of the Whole room.
• Making wheelchair-accessible space adjacent to the jury box in the Wayne County Circuit and Probate courts.
• The County agreed to provide ADA training for the court staff; include clear statements on all jury summons regarding ADA accommodations; posting signage in jury assembly areas identifying ADA contacts, and reinforcing during jury orientations that ADA accommodations can be arranged.
• The city will provide communication to 36th District Court staff interacting with potential jury members, reminding them that citizens with disabilities are permitted to participate on juries when called upon
• Curb cuts will be added at the Madison Avenue drop-off at the 36th District Court

• • The Rosa Parks Transit Center, which had one entrance open to the public, will have at least two entrances remaining open during public hours, on at least two different streets, at the transit center.

At Elbert Williams Voting Corner, we know this truth: democracy is only real if everyone can physically access it. Courts. Ballots. Jury boxes. Public buildings. All of it.

This win reminds us that civil rights are protected not just by laws—but by people who insist on being seen, heard, and included.

Legacy in Action: Honoring Jill Babcock

The recent federal settlement improving accessibility at Detroit’s municipal buildings reflects the lifelong advocacy of Jill Babcock, a leader in disability civil rights.

This case resulted in concrete changes—ADA-compliant restrooms, accessible voting machines, improved court and City Council access, and stronger jury accommodation policies—reinforcing a core democratic principle: public institutions must be accessible to the public they serve.

Jill understood that access to courts, civic participation, and public decision-making is foundational to equity. Her work will continue to impact residents, attorneys, jurors, and voters across Detroit for years to come.

At Elbert Williams Voting Corner, we honor her legacy by connecting accessibility, voting rights, and civic responsibility—and by reminding institutions that inclusion is not optional.If you would like to learn more or affect actual real change, comment or check out the Linktree for the Disability Community for Democracy, Inc, where I help to support disability-centered democracy work, amplify accessible civic engagement, strategic communications, and disability justice in public life. [LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/dcdinc12]

Note: The original story was published by the Detroit Free Press. Dana Afana is the Detroit City Hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: [email protected]. Follow her: @DanaAfana.