News & Commentary written by Susan Mizner

Back to News & Commentary ›

Susan Mizner

Director Emeritus

ÌÒ×ÓÊÓÆµDisability Rights Program

Bio

Susan Mizner is Director Emeritus with the ACLU’s Disability Rights Program, after stepping down as Director in 2024. Ms. Mizner founded the Disability Rights Program in 2012, and for more than a decade the program has litigated cases, introduced and supported legislation, and coordinated with national and state ÌÒ×ÓÊÓÆµoffices on disability rights litigation and policy.

Prior to joining the ACLU, Ms. Mizner served for nine years as Director of the San Francisco Mayor’s Office on Disability, directing the City’s ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan and working with the Mayor, Board of Supervisors, community organizations, and local citizens on disability rights issues. Ms. Mizner also worked for seven years as the coordinating attorney for the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Poverty and Disability Rights Project. After law school, Ms. Mizner received an Echoing Green Fellowship to advocate for homeless people with disabilities. She obtained her B.A. in Chemical Engineering and English from Yale University and her J.D. from Stanford University.


Featured work

Apr 28, 2025

Medicaid Work Requirements Don’t Work — They Harm People with Disabilities

Medicaid Work Requirements Don’t Work — They Harm People with Disabilities

Mar 9, 2023

Judy Heumann's Legacy Lives On

Judy Heumann's Legacy Lives On

Jul 8, 2022

Three Ways We're Fighting for Disability Rights in Courtrooms Across the Country

Three Ways We're Fighting for Disability Rights in Courtrooms Across the Country

Oct 29, 2021

CVS Wants the Supreme Court to Gut Non-Discrimination Protections for People with Disabilities. It Could Set Us Back Decades.

CVS Wants the Supreme Court to Gut Non-Discrimination Protections for People with Disabilities. It Could Set Us Back Decades.

Sep 16, 2021

Bans on School Mask Mandates Discriminate Against Disabled Kids

Bans on School Mask Mandates Discriminate Against Disabled Kids

Sep 1, 2021

Seniors and People with Disabilities Want to Live in Our Homes, Not Nursing Homes. Will Congress Let Us?

Seniors and People with Disabilities Want to Live in Our Homes, Not Nursing Homes. Will Congress Let Us?

Jun 23, 2020

COVID-19 Deaths in Nursing Homes are Not Unavoidable — They are the Result of Deadly Discrimination

COVID-19 Deaths in Nursing Homes are Not Unavoidable — They are the Result of Deadly Discrimination

Jan 14, 2020

The Offensive Hypocrisy of Banning Abortion for a Down Syndrome Diagnosis

The Offensive Hypocrisy of Banning Abortion for a Down Syndrome Diagnosis

Aug 13, 2019

Expanding Involuntary Confinement is Not the Answer to Solve Gun Violence

Expanding Involuntary Confinement is Not the Answer to Solve Gun Violence

Nov 2, 2018

Children Cruelly Handcuffed Win Big Settlement Against the Police in Kentucky

Children Cruelly Handcuffed Win Big Settlement Against the Police in Kentucky