JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville mother says it took a federal lawsuit for her two disabled daughters to finally gain access to their own apartment.
Makeeda Ismael says she spent months pleading with the Jacksonville Housing Authority to build a wheelchair-accessible ramp at her Southwind Villas apartment. Her daughters, both of whom have cerebral palsy and use wheelchairs, had to be carried up and down stairs to leave their home.
“As you can see, there’s two of them, they’re almost adult size — them, their wheelchairs — and it’s a lot of work as it is,” Ismael said. “My back was not only hurting, I just felt so exhausted. I was honestly just ready to give up.”
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Ismael filed a 15-page federal lawsuit last Friday, accusing JHA of disability discrimination and failing to provide equal housing access under the Americans with Disabilities Act. By Monday, a concrete ramp was under construction at her doorstep. It was completed earlier this week.
“I didn’t want it to go this far, to be honest,” Ismael said. “I debated many days — did I even want the headache of fighting? Because I felt like every day is already a fight.”
One of her daughters, Laylah, uses a heavy motorized wheelchair weighing over 1,200 pounds. Because there was no ramp, it had to remain at school until the family could safely bring it inside their home.
The lawsuit raises broader questions about whether other Jacksonville Housing Authority properties comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act, which requires accessibility in multifamily housing built after 1991 — or modifications upon request.
“To my back... it’ll mean — I mean just the whole thought of the ramp — it’s one thing that seems small to the outside world,” Ismael said. “But it’s a weight lifted off my shoulders, to be honest.”
Ismael says the lawsuit is no longer just about her family — it’s about pushing for long-overdue disability inclusion.
“Disability inclusion is so overlooked and downplayed tremendously,” she said. “One of my biggest things now is being an advocate, helping create a space for my girls to feel included in this world.”
Action News Jax reached out to the Jacksonville Housing Authority to ask about its ADA compliance efforts — and whether this lawsuit prompted the sudden construction of the ramp. The agency responded by saying it does not comment on pending litigation.
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