Cliff Zucker, Esq.
General Counsel

Cliff Zucker is the General Counsel for Disability Rights New York (DRNY). From 1989 through March 2013 he was the founding Executive Director of Disability Advocates, Inc. (DAI).

He has played an important role in the litigation of several landmark disability rights cases. T.D. v. New York State Office of Mental Health invalidated the regulations of the New York State Office of Mental Health which had authorized risky, non-therapeutic medical experiments on adults and children who lacked the capacity to give informed consent. Matter of St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center, Marie H. established the right to counsel at public expense for indigent subjects of guardianship proceedings.

He was a lead counsel in two lawsuits against New York State to enforce the integration mandate of the Americans with Disabilities Act on behalf of thousands of persons with mental illness in nursing homes and adult homes which resulted in settlements that will give thousands of people the opportunity to live and receive services in supported housing and other integrated setting in the community. He represented DAI in litigation against the State of New York which resulted in greatly expanded mental health treatment for state prisoners with serious mental illness and created humane and secure treatment settings for many prisoners with serious mental illness who had suffered in Special Housing Units (solitary confinement). Mr. Zucker received a B.A. from Evergreen State College and a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law.