Thanks to the generous support of our donors, Disability Rights Advocates is pleased to make available on our website and in our offices the work of artists from the National Institute of Art & Disabilities (NIAD). NIAD provides an art program that promotes creativity, independence, dignity, and community integration for people with developmental and other disabilities.
DRA is a non-profit legal center dedicated to securing the civil rights of people with disabilities. DRA advocates for disability rights through high-impact litigation, as well as research and education. We do not charge our clients for our services. Learn more about DRA.
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There are still profound barriers both physical and attitudinal that limit the opportunities available to people with various types of disabilities throughout the United States. To better address these obstacles, as of July 26, 2010 we have expanded our model to the East Coast and established an office in New York City. We are looking forward to the challenge of securing equal rights and access for people with disabilities in the North Eastern United States. Read More. |
Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) is seeking volunteers to make relay service “test calls” to financial service and telecommunication companies and briefly record their experiences. With your help, we can end discrimination against relay service callers!
Read MoreBERKELEY, CALIF. – Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a leading national non-profit legal center, announced today the appointment of a new Co-Director of Litigation, Shawna Parks. Ms. Parks comments: “I am excited to be returning to an organization where I started my career in disability rights, and where I will now be taking on a leadership role. DRA is at the forefront of disability rights in many areas, and I am honored to be invited back to lead the organization into the future.”
Read the Press ReleaseOakland, CA – January 12, 2012 – Recent technological advances are sweeping the nation, changing the way people buy products and services. Self-service kiosks with automated, touch-screen interfaces now allow people to bank, shop, and conduct a wide range of transactions independently, without the assistance of a clerk. This technology is fast becoming an integral part of our every day lives.
Read the Press ReleaseNew York, NY – December 23, 2011 – In a major victory for wheelchair users, a Federal Court ruled today that the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission’s (TLC) operation of an overwhelmingly inaccessible taxi fleet constitutes discrimination against people with disabilities. The groundbreaking decision is the first of its kind in the country and is the culmination of over a decade of advocacy by persons with disabilities. The ruling is expected to have national implications.
Read the Press ReleaseKansas City, Mo., Dec. 20, 2011 – AMC Theatres® (AMC) today announced it will install personal captioning systems for its guests who are deaf or have significant hearing loss. The captioning systems will be installed in California, and across its national circuit, on a rolling basis, in conjunction with AMC’s national conversion to digital cinema. AMC will offer closed captioning for 127 screens in California by mid-2012, and projects that number to grow to over 500 screens by late 2013.
Read the Press ReleaseLOS ANGELES, CA, November 9, 2011 - A federal judge ordered the City of Los Angeles to hire independent experts to review and revise the City’s emergency plans to address the safety of people with disabilities. The City must complete review and revision of all emergency plans within three years, and provide bi-annual reports on its progress. Although the Court allowed for the three years to complete the process, the Court further ordered that “the City begin this review and revision without delay, and that it proceed as expeditiously as possible in this process.”
Read the Press ReleaseBerkeley, CA, October 26, 2011 - On Monday, October 24, the Honorable Judge Charles R. Breyer ended a two-year legal battle between a blind law school graduate and a national testing corporation over the graduate’s right to use a computer equipped with assistive technology to take the California Bar Exam. Granting Stephanie Enyart’s motion for summary judgment, Judge Breyer found that Ms. Enyart is entitled to take the bar exam on a computer equipped with text-to-speech screen reading and visual screen magnification software, as the method that will best ensure that she is tested on her aptitude rather than her disability.
Read the Press ReleaseNew York, NY, September 26, 2011 - Major disasters in New York City such as the September 11th terrorist attack and more recently Hurricane Irene, have shown that the city is not prepared to meet the needs of people with disabilities during disasters. A lawsuit filed today in Federal District Court in the Southern District of New York alleges that Mayor Bloomberg and the City of New York discriminate against men, women, and children with disabilities by failing to include their unique needs in emergency planning.
Read the Press ReleaseDRA is class counsel in a precedent setting case seeking comprehensive access improvements to the GGNRA park system. We are seeking a comprehensive fix to eliminate access barriers that prevent or limit people with mobility and vision disabilities from enjoying GGNRA’s parks. We achieved an initial victory when the court ruled in our favor on a contested motion for class certification. The case will now proceed on behalf of the entire class of individuals with mobility and vision disabilities who are being denied programmatic access due to barriers at park sites owned or maintained by GGNRA.
Read the Order for Class Certification in Adobe
Read More about the Case
Read the Press Release.
Read the Fact Sheet
Read the Complaint in Word
Read the Complaint in Adobe
Read a New York Times Article dated March 18,2008
On May 13, 2011, California State Parks announced a plan to close up to 70 of its 278 parks due to budget cuts. According to the California State Park announcement, "the closures are necessary to achieve an $11 million reduction in the next fiscal year 2011/12, that amount increasing to $22 million in the following fiscal year 2012/13." The announcement can be found here:http://www.parks.ca.gov .
Read the Public Announcement regarding California State Park Closures in Adobe PDFNew York, NY, July 21, 2011 - It was announced today that the MTA has agreed to the installation of an elevator at the Dyckman Street subway station. The agreement was the product of settlement of litigation between United Spinal Association -- represented by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) -- the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA).
Read the Press ReleaseDRA is investigating complaints concerning cuts in services for students with disabilities in the California Community College system, the California State University system and the University of California system.
Submit an intake formOakland, CA., June 15, 2011 - A class action lawsuit filed today in Alameda County Superior Court alleges that Time Warner Inc., the owner of CNN.com discriminates against people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing by failing to provide any captioning of its on-line videos on its website. The suit is the first of its kind in the country.
How You Can Take Action
If you have encountered access barriers at CNN.com and would like to share your experience, or would like more information about the lawsuit, please contact Disability Rights Advocates at (510) 665-8644 or email eleonard at dralegal dot org.
DRA is proud to announce the publication: Lawyers Lead On: Lawyers with Disabilities Share Their Insights, which features DRA attorneys Larry Paradis and Rebecca Williford as well as DRA's Executive Director Ben Foss. This book is a collection of candid letters from lawyers with various disabilities about their experiences in law school and in the legal profession. This book is recommended for people with disabilities who are interested in pursuing legal careers and for anyone who wants to learn about the experiences of lawyers with disabilities.
Click here to purchase the publication.Richmond, Calif., June 8, 2011 - Through a cooperative effort announced today by Disability Rights Advocates and the City of Richmond, Richmond has adopted a new emergency plan to address the needs of people with all types of disabilities.
Read More about the CaseOn May 10, 2011, the Court of Appeals held that the VA system is systematically failing to provide needed mental health care for disabled veterans in violation of their constitutional rights, with disastrous consequences such as high suicide rates. The Court of Appeals has thus ordered the trial court to develop remedies to fix the system, so that veterans with mental disabilities will no longer have to struggle without treatment or wait years to have their claims for benefits resolved. This is a tremendous victory for veterans throughout the country who DRA and our co-counsel have represented in this hard fought litigation.
Read the OpinionPlano, Texas., April 26, 2011 - Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), one of the world's largest motion picture exhibitors, today announced that it will provide a closed captioning option for people who are deaf or have significant hearing loss in all of its first-run theatres. Cinemark is installing captioning systems on a rolling basis across its circuit in conjunction with the chain's conversion to an all-digital format. Installation started early this year and about half of Cinemark's theaters in California already have captioning capability. Cinemark will be able to offer closed captioning at all of its first-run theaters by mid 2012.
Read the Press ReleaseComments on the 2010 Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Web Accessibility ("Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability; Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities and Public Accommodations"). 28 C.F.R. Parts 35 and 36; CRT Docket No. 110; AG Order No. RIN 1190-AA61
The following comments are filed by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a disability civil rights legal center. DRA is a non-profit legal organization which, for nearly twenty years, has specialized in impact class action litigation on behalf of people with all types of disabilities. DRA litigates nationally and has offices in New York City and Berkeley, California. DRA has particular expertise in representing individuals who are blind or low vision and individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing in seeking equal access to online technologies.
Read MoreNew York, NY, July 29, 2010 - A lawsuit filed in Federal District court in the Southern District of New York alleges that the Board of Elections in the City of New York discriminates against registered voters with mobility and vision disabilities, because it fails to ensure that polling places are accessible on Election Day.
Read MoreIn landmark settlement announced December 22, 2009, two individuals with disabilities, two disability rights organizations, and the California Department of Transportation ("Caltrans") have reached a comprehensive plan that will provide access for persons with mobility and vision disabilities to 2,500 miles of sidewalk and Park and Ride facilities across the State of California that are owned or maintained by Caltrans. Under the settlement agreement, Caltrans will spend $1.1 billion over the next 30 years removing access barriers along existing sidewalks and within Park and Ride facilities. Caltrans has also agreed that when it resurfaces one of its roadways, it will upgrade existing but non-compliant curb ramps and/or install new curb ramps where they are lacking along the sidewalks adjacent to the resurfacing project. In addition, the settlement agreement requires numerous changes in Caltrans' policies and practices.
Read FAQs about the SettlementBellevue, Wash., February 16, 2010 - Expedia.com, the world's leading online travel agency, has launched a unique suite of search tools designed to help disabled travelers find and book accessible accommodations.
Read Expedia.com's Press RelaseOn January 21, 2010, Disability Rights Advocates and the City of Oakland have reached a settlement concerning the inclusion of people with disabilities in disaster planning. Under the settlement, the City of Oakland has committed to implementing a plan that will incorporate the needs of people with all types of disabilities. It is our hope that the foundation of the new plan, known as the Mass Care and Shelter Plan Functional Needs Annex, can serve as a model for municipalities throughout California.
Oakland is reviewing comments it has received on the draft of the Mass Care and Shelter Plan Functional Needs Annex and it may be revised to reflect feedback from the disability community.
Read the current Mass Care and Shelter Plan Functional Needs AnnexTo request a draft of the Mass Care and Shelter Plan Functional Needs Annex in an alternate format, please contact:
Kendra Scalia-Carrow, ADA Program Analyst II
ADA Programs Division
City Administrator's Office
1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 3rd Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
phone: (510) 238-6919
TTY: (510) 238-2007
fax: (510) 238-3304
email: adaprograms@oaklandnet.com
After 10 years of hard fought litigation, including an appeal to the Ninth Circuit, Disability Rights Advocates has reached a settlement with UPS on the remaining issue in this class action case. The settlement resolves the question of whether UPS may use the Department of Transportation hearing standard as a threshold qualification for driving vehicles at the company weighing 10,000 pounds or less. On June 29, 2009, the trial court granted preliminary approval of the settlement. This means that UPS will implement the Hearing Protocol within 30 days, on or before July 29, 2009 Read More.
Read the Preliminary Approval OrderThanks to the generous support of our donors, Disability Rights Advocates is pleased to make available on our website and in our offices the work of artists from the National Institute of Art & Disabilities (NIAD). NIAD provides an art program that promotes creativity, independence, dignity, and community integration for people with developmental and other disabilities.
Go to the Gallery Section.
