April is Autism Acceptance Month—and this year, there is something worth celebrating inside our courthouses.

 Between 15 and 20 percent of Americans are neurodivergent. That includes people with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and other conditions that shape how we process information and engage with the world—conditions that are present not only among those who come before our courts, but among the attorneys, clerks, and judges who staff them. For a long time, the legal system moved as though this reality did not exist. That is changing.

 I have ADHD. I know the effort that goes into masking—performing neurotypically in rooms that were not built for the way my brain works. I also know that many people who appear before our courts have never had the benefit of a diagnosis, never had the language to name what they experience or ask for what they need. That knowledge shapes how I think about this work as an “Access to Justice” issue.

 The New York State Unified Court System has established a dedicated working group on neurodiversity and access to justice—a signal that this is a core institutional priority, not an afterthought. 

Training is beginning to follow. This month, the Third and Eighth Judicial Districts are hosting neurodiversity trainings for court professionals, building the awareness and practical skills that translate into better outcomes: a judge who understands what a processing difference looks like under stress, a clerk who knows to offer written instructions alongside verbal ones, a courtroom that works for more of the people who walk into it.

 There is more work ahead, but the direction is right, the momentum is real, and in our district, the commitment is showing up where it counts—in calendars, in curricula, and in courtrooms.

 Justice for all minds is not a slogan. It is a standard. This Autism Acceptance Month, we are getting closer.

 Hon. E. Danielle Jose-Decker serves as Administrative Judge for the 3rd Judicial District of New York State and Supervising Judge of Town & Village Courts. She is a member of the Statewide Committee on Neurodivergence and the Courts.