Lewis: the time is now to make access a priority.

Dealing with challenges faced by his 21-year-old daughter Lindsay's disability caused by a metabolic disorder, Chief Justice Fred Lewis said his family's motto is: "We do not want your pity. We do not need your pity. Just remove those artificial barriers and watch us perform."

As the new chief justice, Lewis said his family motto will also be the "mantra of the Florida Supreme Court," and he detailed his plan to make the courts more accessible for persons with disabilities.

The audience erupted into applause at The Florida Bar Annual Convention CLE seminar, "Removing Barriers to the Legal Profession for Lawyers with Disabilities," on June 23 in Boca Raton, when Lewis announced a "requirement that in every circuit we will engage in a comprehensive survey of both facilities and programs and services to determine where we fall short."

Lewis said he was surprised that the last survey of courthouses conducted by the Office of the State Courts Administrator was a decade ago.

"It breaks my heart when I pick up these little news clippings and read that someone can't get to the courthouse over in the Panhandle and that individuals seem to be uncaring that people cannot use the facilities of the courthouse," Lewis said.

Noting that courthouse facilities are the properties of 67 counties, and even after the Article V, Revision VII passed and funding has become more uniform in the state's 20 judicial circuits, Lewis said, "characteristics of maintaining local autonomy prevail. So it will take us a while to break down some of those doors."

Alterations to existing structures and new constructions must comply with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards because of the law, he said. But problems with existing structures, he said, "create more formidable obstacles for counties that are resistant."

"We may not have the power to order things to be changed," Lewis said. "We will assure ourselves that this is an exercise of determination. We will be working with courts of appeal, as well as all county offices.... We intend to do it right. We intend to do it cooperatively. And we are committed that this shall be done in a manner that it can be accomplished and we can make some strides."

He described a system with ADA coordinators in every trial and appellate court.

"And if they are not functioning properly, then we certainly need to know why they are not functioning, and make changes so that they do function according to the guidelines and requirements...