ADA Matters Because All People Matter

A DISABLED DAD’S ADA MATTERS
Georgia on My Mind
STATE BAR OF GEORGIA • CITY OF BROOKHAVEN • GIRMA, GMA, AND GALLAGHER BASSETT • GEORGIA POST • STATE ADA COORDINATOR’S OFFICE

Questions Still Open

Georgia Bar ADA Compliance Questions That Remain Unanswered

Thirty eight questions about process and access, in two sets. The first fifteen were asked in writing, most of them more than once, and none were answered. Twenty three more were asked in September 2026.

These are process and access questions, not requests for the State Bar of Georgia to decide the merits. Each was asked in writing, most of them more than once, to the General Counsel, the Deputy General Counsel, the Grievance Counsel, and the ADA Coordinator. None were answered.

On June 30, 2026, the State Bar dismissed every grievance, still without answering any of these.

  1. 1. What is the current status of the grievance?
    Case status · first asked May 7, 2026 · Never answered
  2. 2. Does the April 10 dismissal still stand?
    Case status · first asked May 7, 2026 · Never answered
  3. 3. If the dismissal still stands, what is the reconsideration reviewer actually reviewing?
    Case status · first asked May 11, 2026 · Never answered
  4. 4. If the dismissal is being reconsidered, how will it be decided, and what are the rules for that review?
    Reconsideration · first asked May 7, 2026 · Never answered
  5. 5. Will the Bar correct the April 10 dismissal record to state it issued before the February 3 and February 20 submissions were in the file?
    Record correction · first asked May 7, 2026 · Never answered
  6. 6. Where is the Bar’s published procedure for ADA complaints about the grievance process itself?
    ADA route · first asked Apr 30, 2026 · Never answered
  7. 7. Who is the ADA contact for problems with how the grievance process works, and where is that person listed publicly?
    ADA route · first asked Apr 30, 2026 · Never answered
  8. 8. Where can a person with a disability find that contact information on gabar.org?
    ADA route · first asked Apr 30, 2026 · Never answered
  9. 9. Is there a way to file or communicate that does not require a CAPTCHA or a phone call?
    ADA route · first asked May 18, 2026 · Answered June 16, 2026: three filing options without a CAPTCHA
  10. 10. When a disabled person sends something in, does a real person confirm it arrived and was placed in the right file?
    File placement · first asked Apr 30, 2026 · Never answered
  11. 11. Was my request to screen this case for conflicts of interest granted, denied, or left unanswered?
    Conflict screen · first asked Apr 30, 2026 · Never answered
  12. 12. What is the Bar’s policy for checking conflicts when the people connected to a case include Bar staff or former Bar officials?
    Conflict screen · first asked May 11, 2026 · Never answered
  13. 13. Who is responsible for confirming the file is complete, after the Bar admitted my documents were misfiled?
    Process · first asked May 6, 2026 · Never answered
  14. 14. What records were reviewed to determine how the February 3 and February 20 submissions were received but not added to the file?
    Process · first asked May 6, 2026 · Never answered
  15. 15. Who authored or authorized the unsigned policy email limiting future communications?
    Accountability · first asked May 18, 2026 · Attributed to Mr. Willard by Mr. Shiptenko on May 26, 2026; never confirmed by Mr. Willard

September 2026: twenty three more, in their own words

Asked in four letters on September 5, 14, and 15, 2026, quoted from the letters as sent. These are the questions this story turns on. Each letter contains more.

  1. 16. “Did State Bar Human Resources forward my June 8 complaint, or any of my ADA complaints, to Human Resources at the Judicial Council of Georgia and Administrative Office of the Courts, handle them inside State Bar Human Resources, refer them somewhere else, or do nothing with them?”
    Asked of the Director of Human Resources · Sep 5, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 18, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  2. 17. “Who in Human Resources first received the June 8 complaint, and where it went inside the Bar, by person, office, and date.”
    Asked of the Director of Human Resources · Sep 5, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 18, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  3. 18. “The written State Bar policy that governs a complaint by a member of the public against State Bar employees. If there is no written policy, say that.”
    Asked of the Director of Human Resources · Sep 5, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 18, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  4. 19. “The ADA grievance procedure that was available to me on June 8. Not the Judicial Council’s. The State Bar’s own. Name it, date it, and tell me where it is published.”
    Asked of the Director of Human Resources · Sep 5, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 18, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  5. 20. “What written rule governs routing of grievances against lawyers employed in the Office of the General Counsel?”
    Asked of the General Counsel and Executive Director · Sep 14, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 24, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  6. 21. “What written rule governs conflict screening when a grievance concerns the Office’s own conduct?”
    Asked of the General Counsel and Executive Director · Sep 14, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 24, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  7. 22. “If no written rule exists, please state that plainly.”
    Asked of the General Counsel and Executive Director · Sep 14, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 24, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  8. 23. “Was any conflict screen performed before a grievance involving Mr. Westbury, a former State Bar Board of Governors member according to his published biography, was screened and dismissed?”
    Asked of the General Counsel and Executive Director · Sep 14, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 24, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  9. 24. “Who is the State Bar’s current ADA Coordinator or responsible employee for disabled members of the public using the attorney discipline process?”
    Asked of the General Counsel and Executive Director · Sep 14, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 24, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  10. 25. “Your June 2 statement limits correspondence to you to accommodation requests under the ADA. Where does a complaint about the access process itself go? Identify the person and the channel.”
    Asked of the ADA contact · Sep 14, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 24, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  11. 26. “If no ADA contact is currently published on gabar.org, state that plainly.”
    Asked of the ADA contact · Sep 14, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 24, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  12. 27. “Identify, by name and title, the person who determined that the State Bar is not subject to Title II, and identify the rule, bylaw, delegation, or vote that authorized that determination.”
    Asked of the ADA contact · Sep 14, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 24, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  13. 28. “What specific review of the State Bar’s ADA notices and processes did you conduct after your May 7 statement?”
    Asked of the ADA contact · Sep 14, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 24, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  14. 29. “Why does the Spanish language grievance form identify an ADA Coordinator while the current English grievance form and online process do not provide comparable ADA information?”
    Asked of the ADA contact · Sep 14, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 24, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  15. 30. “Which standard did you apply to each matter”
    Asked of the Chair of the State Disciplinary Board · Sep 15, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 24, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  16. 31. “Did the full State Disciplinary Board review and approve each of your four dismissals as Rule 4-203(4) provides?”
    Asked of the Chair of the State Disciplinary Board · Sep 15, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 24, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  17. 32. “What did you receive in each matter?”
    Asked of the Chair of the State Disciplinary Board · Sep 15, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 24, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  18. 33. “Who drafted each June 30 letter, and who transmitted each letter?”
    Asked of the Chair of the State Disciplinary Board · Sep 15, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 24, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  19. 34. “Please identify any written rule, policy, delegation, conflict procedure, internal protocol, or other authority that governed how grievances against lawyers employed by OGC were to be received, screened, routed, assigned, and decided. If no such written procedure governed these matters, please state that directly.”
    Asked of the Chair of the State Disciplinary Board · Sep 15, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 24, 2026. No answer as of September 16, 2026.
  20. 35. “State whether the State Bar maintains its May 29 denial of Title II coverage. Answer yes or no, and state expressly whether that answer includes its grievance process.”
    Asked of the General Counsel · Sep 22, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 25, 2026. No answer as of September 22, 2026.
  21. 36. “If the Bar acknowledges that Title II applies: adopt and publish a written Title II policy. Designate the responsible employee required by 28 C.F.R. § 35.107(a) and publish the grievance procedure required by 28 C.F.R. § 35.107(b).”
    Asked of the General Counsel · Sep 22, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 25, 2026. No answer as of September 22, 2026.
  22. 37. “State whether your office maintains the representations about state control in Documents 46 and 52. If any of them requires correction, identify the correction and state whether your office will notify the court.”
    Asked of the General Counsel · Sep 22, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 25, 2026. No answer as of September 22, 2026.
  23. 38. “If your office maintains both its denial of Title II coverage and its representations of state control, identify the facts and the legal authority that reconcile them.”
    Asked of the General Counsel · Sep 22, 2026 · the letter · Due Sep 25, 2026. No answer as of September 22, 2026.

These are the questions. Here are the documents.

See the Receipts