UNITED STATES

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                  SCHEDULE 13G

                    Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                                (Amendment No. )*

                            Acorda Therapeutics, Inc.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                (Name of Issuer)

                                  Common Stock
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         (Title of Class of Securities)

                                    00484M106
                                    ---------

                                 (CUSIP Number)

                                   May 4, 2006
                                   -----------

             (Date of Event which Requires Filing of this Statement)

Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule
is filed:

                  [ ]      Rule 13d-1(b)

                  [X]      Rule 13d-1(c)

                  [ ]      Rule 13d-1(d)

  *The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's
  initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities,
  and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the
  disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

  The information required on the remainder of this cover page shall not be
  deemed to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange
  Act of 1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of
  the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see
  the Notes).






--------------------------------------------               ---------------------
CUSIP No. 00484M106                               13G      Page  2  of  6  Pages
--------------------------------------------               ---------------------
---------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
        1  NAME OF REPORTING PERSON

           I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON

           Cumberland Associates LLC
---------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
        2  CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP*

                                                                (a) [ ]

                                                                (b) [X]
---------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
        3   SEC USE ONLY
---------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
        4  CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION
---------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------

           New York
-------------------- ------ ----------------------------------------------------
                         5  SOLE VOTING POWER

                            897,992
                     ------ ----------------------------------------------------
                         6  SHARED VOTING POWER
   BENEFICIALLY
     NUMBER OF              206,636
      SHARES
     OWNED BY
       EACH          ------ ----------------------------------------------------
     REPORTING           7  SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER
      PERSON
       WITH                 897,992
                      ------ ---------------------------------------------------
                         8  SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER

                            206,636
---------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
        9  AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON

           1,104,628
---------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
       10  CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES
           [  ]

---------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
       11  PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9)

           5.6%
---------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
       12  TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON*

           OO, IA
---------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
                       *SEE INSTRUCTION BEFORE FILLING OUT

                                       2






Item 1(a)           Name of Issuer:
                    --------------

                    Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (the "Issuer")

Item 1(b)           Address of Issuer's Principal Executive Offices:
                    -----------------------------------------------

                    15 Skyline Drive
                    Hawthorne, New York 10532

Item 2(a)           Name of Person Filing:
                    ----------------------

                    This statement is being filed by Cumberland Associates LLC.
                    Cumberland Associates LLC is a limited liability company
                    organized under the laws of the State of New York, and is
                    engaged in the business of managing, on a discretionary
                    basis, eight securities accounts (the "Accounts"), the
                    principal one of which is Cumberland Partners. Gary G.
                    Tynes, Bruce G. Wilcox, Andrew M. Wallach, Lawrence M.
                    Rifkin, Barry A. Konig, Steven D. Morrow and Bradley H.
                    Gendell are the members (the "Members") of Cumberland
                    Associates LLC.

Item 2(b)           Address of Principal Business Office:
                    -------------------------------------

                    The address of the principal business and office of
                    Cumberland Associates LLC and each of the Members is 1114
                    Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036.

Item 2(c)           Citizenship:
                    ------------

                    Cumberland Associates LLC is a New York limited liability
                    company. Each of the Members is a citizen of the United
                    States.

Item 2(d)           Title of Class of Securities:
                    -----------------------------

                    Common Stock (the "Shares")

Item 2(e)           CUSIP Number:
                    -------------

                    00484M106

Item 3              Not Applicable

                                       3




Item 4.             Ownership:
                    ---------

Item 4(a)           Amount Beneficially Owned:
                    --------------------------

                    As of May 4, 2006, Cumberland Associates LLC may be deemed
                    the beneficial owner of 1,104,628 Shares.

Item 4(b)           Percent of Class:
                    -----------------

                    The number of Shares of which Cumberland Associates LLC may
                    be deemed to be the beneficial owner constitutes
                    approximately 5.6% of the total number of Shares
                    outstanding, based upon 19,622,624 Shares issued and
                    outstanding as of March 9, 2006, as reported in the
                    Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
                    ended December 31, 2005.

Item 4(c)           Number of shares as to which such person has:
                    ---------------------------------------------

                    (i)   Sole power to vote or to direct the vote:

                          897,992

                    (ii)  Shared power to vote or to direct the vote:

                          206,636

                    (iii) Sole power to dispose or to direct the disposition of:

                          897,992

                    (iv)  Shared power to dispose or to direct the disposition
                          of:

                          206,636

Item 5              Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class:
                    --------------------------------------------

                    If this statement is being filed to report the fact that as
                    of the date hereof the reporting person has ceased to be the
                    beneficial owner of more than five percent of the class of
                    securities, check the following. [ ]

                                       4


Item 6              Ownership of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another
                    --------------------------------------------------------
                    Person:
                    -------

                    The beneficial owners of the Accounts have the right to
                    participate in the receipt of dividends from, or proceeds
                    from the sale of, the Shares held for each Account in
                    accordance with their ownership interests in each such
                    Account.

Item 7              Identification and Classification of the
                    ----------------------------------------
                    Subsidiary Which Acquired the Security Being
                    --------------------------------------------
                    Reported on By the Parent Holding Company:
                    ------------------------------------------

                    Not Applicable

Item 8              Identification and Classification of Members
                    ---------------------------------------------
                    of the Group:
                    ------------

                    Not Applicable.

Item 9              Notice of Dissolution of Group:
                    ------------------------------

                    Not Applicable

Item 10             Certification:
                    --------------

                    By signing below the signatory certifies that, to the best
                    of his knowledge and belief, the securities referred to
                    above were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of
                    or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of
                    the Issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are
                    not held in connection with or as a participant in any
                    transaction having that purpose or effect.

                                       5





                                    SIGNATURE
                                    ---------

     After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I
certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and
correct.

Dated:  May 11, 2006



                            CUMBERLAND ASSOCIATES LLC



                            By:   /s/ Gary G. Tynes
                                 -------------------------------------
                                 Name:  Gary G. Tynes
                                 Title: Member