Appellate Practice and Procedure: Disability Inclusion in Appellate Practice

Originally presented:  June 20, 2025     |     Course length:  1.0 hour

Co-moderators Judge Jon Schmidt and Katherine Barrett Wiik are joined by MDisBA members Eleanor Frisch and Sierra Grandy to talk about the strengths and challenges of disabilities in appellate practice. In this program, the speakers will explore how disability, accessibility, and neurodiversity intersect with appellate practice. From courtroom attire and oral argument protocols to rules around accommodations and remote proceedings, this mixed presentation and panel will highlight both barriers and solutions. Attendees will gain insights into how appellate courts, especially in Minnesota, can better support disabled advocates and how colleagues and judges alike can foster a more inclusive legal profession.

– Eleanor E. Frisch; Assistant Professor of Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law; Minnesota Disability Bar Association’s Treasurer and Founding Board Member
– Sierra Grandy; Questify Your Life LLC; Minnesota Disability Bar Association’s Education Committee Chair
– Judge Jon Schmidt; Minnesota Court of Appeals (moderator)
– Katherine S. Barrett Wiik; Saul Ewing LLP (moderator)