Welcome to Disability Rights Advocates
People with disabilities rely on many telecommunications services to function. Due to barriers that limit many people's opportunity to perform activities of daily living, from participation in social events, to commerce, to employment opportunities, people with disabilities have much to gain from increased access to telecommunications service. Such services include basic phone service which is needed to form a reliable link to friends, family, and emergency services, as well as high-speed internet connections that allow greater opportunity, and many other telecom services. All of these matters fall under the jurisdiction of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and all are facing major changes. Disability Rights Advocates , through the telecommunications project, is working to protect people with disabilities and to close the "digital divide" separating those who have access to modern telecommunications services from those who do not.
In 2004, DRA initiated a telecommunications project focused on representing the needs of people with disabilities before the CPUC. Major changes in telecommunications are affecting people with disabilities; however until DRA initiated this project, there was no entity regularly representing their interests before one of California's most powerful regulatory agencies.
DRA's Technology Project is funded in part by the Community Technology Foundation of California (CTFC). The Community Technology Foundation of California helps underserved communities secure social justice, access, and equity through the application of information and communications technologies.
