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Newsday Features Disability Rights Advocate Maggie Abcug

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Standing with Courage: Newsday Features Disability Rights Advocate Maggie Abcug

Abrams Fensterman is proud to stand beside Maggie Abcug in her fight for dignity, accessibility, and equal rights.

Attorney John C. Luke Jr., Maggie Abcug, her medical alert dog Sonnet, and Maggie’s mother at Abrams Fensterman following Maggie’s Newsday interview.
Disability rights advocate Maggie Abcug with her medical alert dog Sonnet, attorney John C. Luke Jr., and Maggie's mother at Abrams Fensterman following Maggie's Newsday interview.

At Abrams Fensterman, we have the privilege of representing extraordinary people. Every so often, however, we meet someone whose courage, resilience, and commitment to helping others leaves a lasting impression on everyone they encounter.

 

Maggie Abcug is one of those people.

 

A recent high school graduate from Longwood, Maggie has spent years navigating life with Tourette syndrome while facing challenges no student should have to endure. Rather than allowing those experiences to define her, she has chosen to transform them into a mission of advocacy, awareness, and meaningful change for others living with disabilities.

 

Maggie recently visited our Lake Success office alongside her mother and her medical alert dog, Sonnet, a two-year-old companion trained to assist with her condition, for an in-depth interview with Newsday about her ongoing federal lawsuit and her broader commitment to disability rights and accessibility.

Access is a basic human right — not a privilege.

Throughout the conversation, Maggie spoke not only about her own experiences, but about something much larger than herself: the belief that access is a basic human right—not a privilege. Her perspective reflects a deep commitment to ensuring that others do not face the same barriers she has encountered.

 

Her determination to improve the lives of others was evident throughout the interview, and everyone present left inspired by her maturity, compassion, and unwavering sense of purpose.

 

Abrams Fensterman is proud to represent Maggie in her federal civil rights action, led by Partner John C. Luke Jr., whose practice focuses on discrimination, civil rights, workplace misconduct, and institutional accountability.

 

Advocating for clients like Maggie is a reminder of why this work matters. While litigation seeks accountability under the law, stories like Maggie’s also have the power to educate, inspire, and help create lasting change.

Maggie’s Story in Newsday

Learn more about Maggie’s advocacy, her journey, and her ongoing fight for disability rights and accessibility.

View Newsday Feature

About John C. Luke Jr.

John C. Luke Jr. is a Partner at Abrams Fensterman whose practice focuses on civil rights, discrimination, workplace misconduct, and institutional accountability. Maggie’s representation came through a referral from an attorney who had previously opposed him in litigation—a testament to the professional respect he has earned throughout the legal community.

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