New Report by Human Rights First on Disability Access at USCIS

Human Rights First has released a new report, "I Felt Not Seen, Not Heard" Gaps in Disability Access at USCIS for People Seeking Protection (September 2023).

A copy of the report is available here.

The report recommends taking immediate access to improve disability access, including the following:

• Designate disability access coordinators in each asylum office and make their contact information publicly available and easily accessible;
• Provide increased and regular disability training for USCIS asylum officers and other staff;
• Clarify and expand existing USCIS guidance on disability access including strengthening the process for requesting reasonable accommodations and appealing denials; and
• Create policy requiring asylum officers to affirmatively inquire into whether an applicant has a disability during both asylum adjudication and credible fear interviews, engage in an informal, interactive process to provide accommodations, and ensure that people with disabilities are taken out of the expedited removal process and given an opportunity to apply for asylum.

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