Abigail Oliver L’26

Abigail (she/her/hers) is proud to join the ranks of Toll Public Interest Scholars to further disability justice through the legal system. She graduated summa cum laude from Mount Holyoke College in 2020 with a BA in History, minoring in Law, Public Policy, and Human Rights and American Sign Language. During her tenure, she interned for the Office of the First Lady of New Jersey, Tammy Murphy, supporting her maternal health initiative. She also interned with the American Bar Association’s Commission on Disability Rights, where she led a study into the impact of conservatorship in state bar associations’ character and fitness requirements. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Abigail returned to her home state of New Jersey and joined the team at Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ), a civil legal services organization in Newark. Through VLJ’s Tenancy Program, she served low-income tenants who were facing eviction during the global crisis. She also worked on the South Ward Promise Neighborhood Program, providing holistic support to underresourced families in Newark, and the Children’s Representation Program, supporting disabled children’s educational rights in public schools. Through her time with VLJ, Abigail saw first-hand how systemic inequities enforced an increasingly unjust legal system, as educational barriers, housing instability, and financial limitations made low-income, BIPOC, and disabled communities particularly vulnerable to the challenges presented by the pandemic.

Abigail aims to create a more just and accessible world for all people, especially for those with visible and invisible disabilities, through legal advocacy.