In 2004, the California Youth Authority (CYA), the state’s juvenile prison system, agreed to a major overhaul of the entire CYA system to address the inhumane and illegal conditions of confinement which affect young inmates in the CYA system. The case was brought under state law to stop the CYA from perpetuating illegal conditions within … Continue reading “Farrell v. Allen”
DRA represented the Western Regional Advocacy Project and the Coalition on Homelessness in this lawsuit on behalf of people with psychiatric and mobility disabilities who experienced barriers in San Francisco’s homeless shelter system. DRA reached a settlement with the City that was approved by the court in August of 2010. During the course of the … Continue reading “WRAP v. Newsom”
In July of 2011, DRA reached a settlement with the N.Y. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) that resulted in the installation of an elevator at the Dyckman Street subway station. DRA represented the United Spinal Association, whose members live with physical disabilities due to spinal cord injuries and disorders, in this lawsuit against the MTA. The … Continue reading “United Spinal Association v. N.Y. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)”
This case set a nationwide precedent requiring cities and other public entities to make all public sidewalks accessible to people with mobility and vision disabilities. The court ruled that public entities must address barriers such as missing or unsafe curb cuts throughout the public sidewalk system, as well as barriers that block access along the … Continue reading “Barden v. Sacramento”
In 2005, DRA reached a landmark statewide class action settlement with the California State Park System. Under the settlement, the state park agency agreed to improve access to its system of over 250 different parks through comprehensive barrier removal. The improvements include making a reasonable portion of the trail system accessible for people in wheelchairs, … Continue reading “Tucker v. CA State Parks”
The Law School Admission Council’s (LSAC) website is the gateway for aspiring law students to apply to law schools and to register for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Yet, LSAC operated a website that was not accessible to blind law school applicants who use screen reader software. To challenge LSAC’s inaccessible website, DRA and … Continue reading “National Federation of the Blind (NFB), et al. v. Law School Admissions Council (LSAC)”
In January of 2011, the Ninth Circuit Court granted Stephanie Enyart, a blind law school graduate, the right to use assistive technology to take the Multistate Bar Exam and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam. The court issued a landmark ruling that established that testing entities are required to provide accommodations that best ensure exams measure … Continue reading “Enyart v. National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)”
Nationwide, college students with print disabilities – individuals who cannot read standard print because of vision, physical, developmental, or learning disabilities – face major barriers and disparities to academic success because colleges and universities fail to provide these students with text books, course readers, and library research materials in alternative formats they can read. These … Continue reading “UC Berkeley Accommodations Initiative Structured Negotiations”
Mr. Goodwin is a person of short stature who relies on a customized wheelchair for mobility. In 2011, Mr. Goodwin was travelling on a San Francisco sidewalk to catch a bus home when he fell from his wheelchair. He sustained injuries that required medical attention, and was transported by ambulance to a hospital in San … Continue reading “City and County of San Francisco Structured Negotiations”
In 2010, DRA; Jose Allen, partner at Skadden, Arps, Meagher & Flom LLP; and AARP Foundation Litigation (AFL) achieved a landmark $1.1 billion dollar settlement with Caltrans, the largest architectural access settlement to date for people with disabilities. Under the settlement, Caltrans agreed to improve the surface conditions of thousands of miles of sidewalks and … Continue reading “Californians for Disability Rights, Inc. (CDR), et al. v. California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)”