In August 2023, Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) and Disability Rights California (DRC) released a report, “Youth in Crisis: How Kings County Locks Up Youth With Disabilities.” This report outlines findings from a multi-year investigation of the conditions at the Kings County Juvenile Center. Read the full report with recommendations and images of the facility. DRA … Continue reading “Kings County Juvenile Center”
On June 10, 2021, three wheelchair users and the IMAGE Center of Maryland filed a class action lawsuit alleging widespread and ongoing violations of federal accessibility requirements by the City of Baltimore for its failure to properly install and maintain of curb ramps and sidewalks. These violations severely impact the ability of people with mobility … Continue reading “Goodlaxson v. Baltimore”
Dayniah Manderson, a tenured English teacher with over 15 years of teaching experience in New York City public schools, uses an electric wheelchair and has been unable to use a restroom at her middle school building in the Bronx for the past 13 years due to the New York City Department of Education (DOE)’s failure … Continue reading “Manderson v. New York City Department of Education”
On April 30, 2020, the Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of students with disabilities seeking access to West Los Angeles College (WLAC). The Ninth Circuit found that requiring students with disabilities to access their education in ways that remained after the shuttle was stopped was an unfair burden on them because of their disabilities. As … Continue reading “Guerra v. West LA College”
On November 26, 2019, Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) filed a class action lawsuit against Queens Borough Public Library, The Board of Trustees of the Queens Borough Public Library, and the City of New York, challenging the inaccessibility of Queens’ newest library branch, Hunters Point Library. Plaintiffs Tanya Jackson and Center for Independence of the Disabled … Continue reading “Jackson v. Queens Borough Public Library”
In September 2019, DRA and Proskauer Rose LLP, on behalf of the American Council of the Blind of Metropolitan Chicago and three individual plaintiffs, filed a landmark class action lawsuit against the Chicago Department of Transportation. The lawsuit alleges that Chicago ignores blind pedestrians in its pedestrian planning, sometimes ignoring their safety needs and sometimes … Continue reading “American Council of the Blind of Metropolitan Chicago vs. City of Chicago”
In August 2019, DRA filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, alleging that the City of Philadelphia discriminates against residents and visitors with disabilities that affect their mobility by failing to make its sidewalks and pedestrian routes accessible. When the lawsuit was filed, some corners … Continue reading “Liberty Resources, Inc v. the City of Philadelphia”
Click here for community resources (English and Spanish) including information explaining the consequences of the court’s order, who it applies to, and aspects of the decision that may be useful in your advocacy. According to the April 20, 2020 emergency order, ICE must conduct custody redeterminations for all subclass members. Click here for information on … Continue reading “Fraihat v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement”
The New York City subway system, the lifeblood of the city, is the most convenient way for nearly all New Yorkers to get around town. However, the MTA wholly excludes hundreds of thousands of NYC residents and visitors who have a mobility disability that limits their use of stairs from the 75% of stations that … Continue reading “The History of DRA’s Lawsuits Against the NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority”
In May 2019, DRA filed a civil rights class action lawsuit in New York against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), challenging its prevalent, discriminatory practice of renovating New York City subway stations without installing elevators or other stair-free routes in blatant violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This illegal conduct harmed hundreds of … Continue reading “De La Rosa v. MTA (Federal case)”