Championing Families: A Law Student’s Mission to Right Systemic Wrongs
EZRA LITTLEWOOD ’25 Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
E zra Littlewood ’25C didn’t plan to become a lawyer. But some- where between his father’s de- cades-long career as a special education teacher and his own experience working alongside adults with develop- mental disabilities, the pieces began to fall into place. “That job opened my eyes,” he said, re- calling his early post-college work at a greenhouse staed by adults with disabili- ties. “I saw how many of the same systems that are supposed to help people with dis- abilities can also create barriers.” Now in his third year at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Littlewood is turn- ing that awareness into action. Through Cardozo’s Bet Tzedek Civil Litigation Clin- ic, which provides pro bono representation in civil cases, he advocates for low-income families seeking services for children with disabilities. His work in disability rights earned him a Sacks Impact Scholars fellowship, a pres- tigious program within The Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Val- ues and Leadership. Each year, a select group of Yeshiva University graduate stu- dents across disciplines is awarded fellow- ships to develop projects addressing criti- cal social issues. As part of his project, Littlewood is working with his program-assigned men- tor at the Bet Tzedek Clinic to create a plain-language, step-by-step toolkit to help parents navigate the legal and bureaucratic maze of Medicaid waivers without needing a lawyer. The goal is to ensure that more families can access Home and Community- Based Services (HCBS), a Medicaid pro- gram designed to keep children with dis- abilities out of institutions and in their family homes. “Historically, people with disabilities were placed in institutions, isolated from
his approach at Bet Tzedek, where hands- on experience has given him insight into the legal system from multiple angles. “I’ve worked on guardianship reform, parole ad- vocacy and disability rights—each oering a dierent perspective on the law.” His time as a Sacks Impact Scholar has expanded that perspective. “The program connects students from dierent fields— law, psychology, education—all working on public-interest projects,” he said. “It’s in- spiring to see how dierent disciplines approach the same fundamental issues of access and justice.” With graduation approaching, Little- wood is keeping his options open. He hopes to clerk for a judge, then continue his work in public interest law. “I don’t know exactly what shape my career will take, but I know I want to make an impact,” he said. “Individual cases are deeply rewarding, but the real challenge— the real need—is for structural change.”
their families and communities,” he ex- plained. “We’ve moved away from that, but in the process, access to critical services hasn’t kept up. Some families are still fall- ing through the cracks.” Littlewood has seen firsthand how those cracks can become chasms. One of his cases involves a young girl repeatedly denied enrollment in the HCBS waiver program despite meeting eligibility re- quirements. He has appealed her case mul- tiple times. Along the way, he has consulted with families facing the same denials— families left to navigate a system so dense with rules and requirements that even legal experts struggle to untangle it. “After working with enough families, I realized the problem wasn’t just individual cases—it was structural,” he said. “There are great organizations providing legal as- sistance, but they can only take on so many cases. The goal is to empower families to advocate for themselves so they don’t have to wait for help that might never come.” That broader perspective has shaped
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YU Today | Leadership with Purpose
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