Legal and Disability Rights Advocate on COVID Vaccine Restrictions

Recent changes to COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, including HHS-imposed age and medical condition requirements, may jeopardize the ability of those who are most vulnerable to COVID to access the vaccine. Syracuse College of Law Professor Katherine Macfarlane, an expert in disability law and civil rights, is available to comment about the impact the HHS requirements will have on vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities. Here in New York, despite Gov. Hochul eliminating prescription requirements, there is still confusion over how to obtain the vaccine from major retailers.

Professor Macfarlane’s landmark article Disability Without Documentation described how prescription and other forms of medical documentation requirements impede disabled peoples’ access to benefits they are legally eligible for. She also teaches Disability Law, Constitutional Law, and Civil Rights Litigation at the College of Law, where she also directs the Disability Law & Policy Program.

Please contact Ellen James Mbuqe, executive director of media relations at ejmbuqe@syr.edu, to arrange an interview with Professor Macfarlane.