Enhanced Legal Aid

Raymond Kerim recently surmounted major obstacles to accessing the legal system in his fight to gain shared custody of his daughters.

Kerim has learning disabilities that interfere with processing written and oral information. When his wife left him and then sued for sole custody of their two children, Kerim -- who also has chronic pain from two motorcycle accidents and lives on disability benefits -- sought legal aid.

At first the aid was denied, and Kerim was forced to appeal twice before it was granted. He then found that his learning disability made it difficult for him to understand the legal terms used by his lawyer, who would not take the time to explain in simpler ways.

Kerim finally learned about an "enhanced certificate" which offers more legal aid time to people diagnosed with a psychiatric, cognitive or learning disability, so that terms can be explained to them at a slower or different pace. Kerim was granted this certificate and finally saw his daughters -- "the first time I saw the two most beautiful smiles in two years," he says.

Kerim encourages other people with disabilities who are facing court battles to find out about their eligibility for this enhanced certificate.