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At the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year, Russell Sage College Sociology majors Zariah Motley and Hannah Voorhaar traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, with support from the Doris Adams Ferguson ’53 Memorial Endowed Student Fellowship for Sociology. Their trip was an opportunity to learn about Cuyahoga County’s Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Court and to explore needs and opportunities in the criminal justice and disabilities advocacy fields.
Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Courts like Cuyahoga County’s provide training to police, probation and parole officers, public defenders, judges, and other court employees to help them better understand the challenges a person with a developmental disability may face in the court system. For example, a person with a disability may not be able to read and understand papers they are asked to sign, or they might be agitated by the crowds and activity of a traditional courtroom.
Individuals are still held accountable for their actions, but the court process is adapted to account for their mental health or disabilities, said Voorhaar.
MHDD courts frequently include liaisons who provide guidance through the court system and assistance accessing community services. Quieter settings for court proceedings and incentives — like the opportunity to reduce court fees by participating in court-required programs — are other common features.
“A documentary I watched in one of my classes, Sociology of Mental Disorders with Elizabeth Harwood, introduced me to the different way that Cleveland approaches people with developmental disabilities and intellectual disabilities,” said Motley. She was interested in the criminal justice aspect, knew of Voorhaar’s interest in disability advocacy, and proposed a joint exploration of how the court system can better serve individuals with developmental disabilities, with a focus on Cuyahoga County’s model.
Cuyahoga County’s MHDD court coordinator Phil Florian helped Motley and Voorhaar arrange four days of meetings and job shadowing with parole and probation officers, judges, and the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities. The pair also enjoyed visits to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, Lake Erie, and multiple stops at Dave’s Cosmic Subs.
“Whenever I bring up my research to people they are always surprised that I got to pursue this opportunity at an undergraduate level. They are always interested in hearing more,” said Motley.
For example, their research intrigued classmate Liza Kerwin, who works for the Rensselaer County District Attorney. After Kerwin shared details about her classmates’ project, the DA invited Voorhaar and Motley to a meeting so she could learn from them.
Voorhaar also presented in Associate Professor of Physical Therapy James Brennan’s Women, Health and the Body class, and on April 30, Voorhaar and Motley presented to faculty, students, alumni, and Ferguson friends and family members at Sage’s Undergraduate Research Day.
Motley graduated in December 2024 and works in crisis stabilization at a human services agency in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Her long term goal is to be a criminal attorney working with young offenders.
“Though every situation may not have been bright, there is a specific system in place that focuses on such an overlooked population in the United States,” she said of Cuyahoga County’s MHDD court, expressing hope that more communities will adopt similar approaches.
Voohaar graduated in May 2025. She is applying for positions in human services and deciding among the many different options for a master’s degree applicable to her career goals.
“I just want to be in the field of advocating and supporting people with developmental disabilities, making the world a more inclusive place,” she said.