ews for Immediate Release  

an. 19, 2021 
 

 

Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Department of Human Services Address Access to Justice for 
Pennsylvanians with Autism  

ARRISBURG — Focused on providing for the needs of Pennsylvanians with an autism 
spectrum disorder (ASD), the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, along with the Pennsylvania 
Department of Human Services (DHS), will hold a virtual forum to address access to justice 
issues in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties.  

he discussion is the first in a five-part regional series aimed at learning about court 
experiences from individuals with an ASD. A statewide virtual kick-off event was held in Nov., 
setting the stage for the regional listening tour. 

pearheaded by Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty on behalf of the Court, the virtual 
event will be held Jan. 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will be available for the public to 
view and submit comments and questions via court social media pages (Twitter @PACourts or 
Facebook @pennsylvaniacourts). 

These regional conversations are so critical, not just to the judiciary but to the people coming 
through the court system every day,” Dougherty said. “Decisions made in our courtrooms 
directly affect someone’s future and we owe it to them and to ourselves to make sure that we 
understand how to best help them.  

We need to do more listening and open ourselves up to new perspectives and when we do, 
I’m confident we’ll learn things about each other that will help us implement positive, lasting 
change for Pennsylvanians living with an ASD.” 

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articipating in the virtual forum are: 

  Aliki Koumenis, Self-advocate living with autism  
  Philadelphia Councilman and family advocate Derek Greene 
  Roz Talley, Philadelphia Police Department and family advocate  
 
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 

Jack Stollsteimer, Delaware County District Attorney 
Judge Kelly Wall, Montgomery County Court of Common Please 
Judge Chris Mallios, Philadelphia Family Court 

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Judge Charlie Ehrlich, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Criminal Division 
Judge Sheila Woods-Skipper, Administrative Judge, Orphans Court, Philadelphia Court of 
Common Pleas 

  Kim Ali, Philadelphia Children’s Human Services System 
 

Jill Bowen, Ph.D., Commissioner, Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual 
Disability Services 

  Laura Deriggi, Sr. Director, Clinical Consultation, Philadelphia Department of Behavioral 

Health  

hrough the discussion, the Court and DHS will hear first-hand about challenges faced in 
Philadelphia and the surrounding counties from providers and individuals with autism alike as 
they seek access to justice. 

ith nearly one in 59 children diagnosed with an ASD*, judges hearing cases in criminal, 

juvenile, orphans’, family court, etc. are sure to have individuals living with autism come before 
them.  

s part of this effort, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the courts have added information and 

resources for families supporting an individual with autism on the Pennsylvania Courts 
frequently asked questions page.  

hose interested in viewing the virtual forum, including media and the public may register here.  

or more information about this joint effort and services and support for individuals with 
autism visit ASERT (Autism Services Education Resources and Training) at 
https://paautism.org/resource/justice/. 
 

Media contact: Stacey Witalec, Pennsylvania Courts -- 717- 877- 2997 
 

  Erin James, Dept. of Human Services – ra-pwdhspressoffice@pa.gov 

 

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Statistic from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental 
Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, 2018   

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