Project Director
jgmartin@syr.eduJonathan Martinis serves as Knowledge Translation Director on the Disability Employment Policy Center and as Principal Investigator on the independent contract for legal services to Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities. He also serves as Site Principal Investigator for K-STEP (Kansas Self-determined Transition Employment Partnership).
Jonathan has been with BBI since 2016 and has over 20 years’ experience representing and advocating for people with disabilities. He served as lead counsel in Brinn v. Tidewater Transportation District Commission, the first case to hold that people with disabilities have a right to paratransit transportation on a next-day basis, and in Winborne v. Virginia Lottery, in which the court held that the Lottery must ensure that all private businesses selling Lottery tickets are accessible to people with disabilities. In 2013, he represented Jenny Hatch in the nationally acclaimed “Justice for Jenny” case, the first trial to hold that a person with disabilities has a right to engage in Supported Decision-Making. Since that landmark decision, Jonathan has presented to and trained thousands of individuals, families, advocates, attorneys, professionals, and service providers about the right to make choices and direct their own lives.
Jonathan is a licensed attorney. He received his J.D. from Hofstra University.