Contract Attorney
Legal Services
Ron Hager retired from NDRN in June 2022 but continues his affiliation on a contract basis. He provides training and technical assistance to the P&As on special education and assistive technology, and assists in overseeing training and technical assistance to CAP. He has specialized in disability law, particularly special education, since 1979, when he started his legal career in Buffalo as a VISTA attorney. After that, he was a Clinical Professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School for nine years, supervising the Education Law Clinic. In 1991, Ron moved to Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS) where he represented clients in a wide variety of disability-related cases. As part of NLS’s National AT Advocacy Project, Ron also was a frequent author on disability-law-related issues. He was co-chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on the Rights of People with Disabilities for four years, and was the President of the Board of Directors of Autistic Services, Inc., in Western New York, for ten years. Ron earned a B.A. in Psychology from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School.
Ron’s passion for disability rights advocacy is driven by his faith. In particular, a passage from the book of Proverbs has inspired him throughout his career: “Open your mouth for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the right of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
