Religious accommodations are a right, not a favor

Every morning, like so many other Americans, I kiss my son and husband goodbye and leave for work. But unlike many Americans, that ordinary routine depends on accommodations.

My ability to practice law was contingent on the bar exam being presented to me in a format a blind applicant could use. Without accommodations, I would not have my job as an appellate lawyer. I would not have clerked at the U.S. Supreme Court and might not even be raising a family.

The accommodations that have allowed me to fully pursue my education and to participate in civic life have made all the difference. 

The Supreme Court is now facing a similar issue in a case that will be argued this morning, St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy. The case, brought by my law firm, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, is about whether Colorado may legally exclude Catholic preschools from a tuition assistance program worth around $6,300 per year for children in pre-K.

Although the case is about religious-freedom protections, there is a connection to the law of disability accommodations. Colorado allows schools to participate in its preschool funding program if they prioritize and accommodate children with particular disabilities (like blindness or deafness). But schools that similarly prioritize and accommodate children with certain religious beliefs — like Catholic or Evangelical preschools — are excluded. Disability,........

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