FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 18, 2017

Contact: Suzanne Rubinstein, 802-258-7922 or rubisuz@gmail.com

YOUNG SHAKESPEARE PLAYERS EAST, INC. SETTLES NUT ALLERGY DISCRIMINATION

CLAIM WITH DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, RECEIVING NO FINE OR PENALTY

Young Shakespeare Players, East, Inc. (YSPE) has entered into a settlement agreement with the
United States Department of Justice (the DOJ) resolving a claim brought under the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA). DOJ imposed no fine or penalty. YSPE is an all-volunteer, charitable program
that gives young people, age 7-18, the opportunity to learn, rehearse, and perform full-length Shakespeare
plays in Shakespeares original language, learning theater arts and classical literature in a joyful, non-
competitive atmosphere that nurtures teamwork, mutual respect, and responsibility.

The settlement resolves a claim alleging that YSPE failed to make reasonable modifications for a
child with nut allergies and excluded another child for advocating for accommodations. The DOJ
acknowledges that YSPE vigorously contests the allegations and agrees not to sue YSPE. For its part,
YSPE an organization with an unsurpassed record of accommodating young persons with disabilities
agrees to formally adopt policies with which it already complies and to certain short-term reporting
requirements.

YSPE believes strongly in the values and principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act, stated
Suzanne Rubinstein, founder and director of YSPE. I dont know of another organization our size that has
done more than YSPE to embody these values in real-life programs and performances. Inclusion is a
fundamental part of who we are and what we do. Young actors with disabilities from dyslexia, to autism,
from learning disabilities and social anxiety to allergies have participated and performed in YSPE
productions alongside their fellow cast members who do not have disabilities. And with this settlement they
will continue to do so while learning, understanding, and performing some of the greatest works of dramatic
literature in the English language. And so, it is with pleasure and confidence that YSPE agrees to the
common sense actions that the DOJ has requested. I personally look upon the Settlement Agreement as a
public affirmation of our support for the goals of the ADA.

YSPEs lawyer, Frank P. DiPrima, stated: By settling, this tiny organization avoids contesting a
costly DOJ law suit in federal court about principles on which there is no fundamental disagreement. YSPE
willingly entered this settlement because it not only enthusiastically supports, but it lives, the principles
embodied in the Americans with Disabilities Act. Now YSPE and the young actors it serves can continue
their miraculous, life-enriching, work without the distraction of an impending federal law suit.

Chris Palames, a YSPE advisor whose granddaughter is a cast member,1 stated This important
agreement clarifies the means that YSPE volunteer staff will use to carry out their long-held commitment to
the participation of young actors with disabilities. Resolving this complaint has been demanding and at the
same time valuable. It has shed light on how many young people with disabilities have already benefitted
from YSPE programs, and how this exceptional organization can continue to make its productions open and
inclusive.
--End

1
Mr. Palames is co-author of the ADA Title II Action Guide; Executive Director, Independent Living Resources; a
Consultant to Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, Statewide ADA Compliance
Initiative; Chairman, City of Northampton Disability Commission; Member, Massachusetts Advisory Committee on
Disability Rights to the Office of the Attorney General; and a person with a medically complex disability.