Donna Drumm: The ADA Accommodations Hiding in Every Courtroom

Picture the clerk's office in your local courthouse. Somewhere in it is a person whose job is to arrange accommodations for people with disabilities, under the same federal law that put ramps on public buildings. Donna Drumm says almost no one going through a divorce knows to ask for them, which is why she calls it the secret shield.Donna Drumm is a New York attorney and an ADAAA-certified disability advocate. She is also the program director for the legal studies program at Mercy University, where she teaches non-lawyers how to read the law, write legal documents, and advocate for themselves. Her focus on courtroom accommodations began after she watched a highly capable woman with PTSD get worn down by a lawsuit, and saw how the right supports could have changed that whole experience.Across this conversation, Donna explains what the Americans with Disabilities Act entitles you to once you are in a case. That can mean an extension when anxiety makes a filing deadline impossible, a judge instructed to keep proceedings civil so an aggressive opposing counsel cannot rattle you, scheduled breaks, help reading a document, or a virtual appearance. She lays out how broad the definition of disability actually is, why the request is private and never sent to the other side to argue against, and what a medical provider needs to write to support it.She and Lisa also take on the worry clients raise most, whether disclosing a disability can be turned against them in a custody fight, and how to think it through case by case. Donna talks about recognizing PTSD you did not know you were carrying, the difference between your intellect and your executive function, and what to do when your own attorney has never encountered any of this.As always, this is strategic education, not legal or mental-health advice for your specific situation.🎓 What you'll learnThe accommodation most people never think to ask for, and who to ask (the ADA liaison in the clerk's office)What the ADA can get you inside a courtroom: filing extensions, mandated civility, breaks, help on the standHow wide the legal definition of disability is, from PTSD and anxiety to remission and pregnancyWhy an accommodation request stays private and doesn't go to the opposing partyHow to weigh whether to disclose a diagnosis when custody is at issueHow to talk to a lawyer who has never heard of ADA accommodations in courtThe early signs of PTSD people miss in themselves, and why to listen to the people around you⏱️ Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:00 The "secret shield": accommodations in every courtroom 5:00 The ADA liaison, and how to request accommodations 7:00 Who can ask, even if you're self-represented 9:00 Real examples, from filing extensions to a civil courtroom 15:00 What the court won't do for you 16:00 How wide the definition of disability really is 19:00 Can a disability be used against you in custody? 23:00 False "mentally ill" allegations, and "regarded as" discrimination 27:00 Recognizing PTSD you didn't know you had 31:00 Executive function vs. intellect, and where to find DonnaKeep going 💜 Book a free 30-minute discovery call and we'll help you map your next steps: https://beentheregotout.com/call 📘 Been There Got Out: Toxic Relationships, High-Conflict Divorce, and How to Stay Sane Under Insane Circumstances — https://www.amazon.com/dp/194627495X 📘 Been There Got Out: When Your Ex Turns the Kids Against You (our parental-alienation book) — https://www.amazon.com/dp/1967674183 🔗 Donna Drumm at Drumm Advocacy: https://drummadvocacy.com/ 🔗 Donna Drumm on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drummadvocacy/About Been There Got Out Chris Barry and Lisa Johnson are high-conflict divorce, custody, and co-parenting strategists, and the founders of Been There Got Out. They know these cases from the inside: both have successfully represented themselves in family court. Few attorneys have a playbook for a case like this — Chris and Lisa write yours with you, so you and your kids can get through it as unscathed as possible.