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”
In January 2011, DRA and Sheppard Mullin filed a class action lawsuit against New York City and the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) on behalf of a coalition of people with disabilities, including Taxis For All Campaign, United Spinal Association, 504 Democratic Club, and Disabled In Action of Metropolitan New York, challenging the … Continue reading “Taxis For All Campaign v. Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC)”
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)”
Leveraging our success in ALDA v. Cinemark, we achieved a similar result with AMC Theaters on behalf of the Association of Late Deafened Adults (ALDA). In 2011, on the heels of our settlement with Cinemark, AMC agreed to offer closed captioning for 127 screens in California by mid-2012, and projects that number to grow to … Continue reading “AMC Theaters Structured Negotiations”
In January 2013, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case. Despite this disappointment, the landmark case raised national awareness of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ serious deficiencies and delays in providing veterans with the mental health care treatment and benefit determination claims they deserve and need. The case furthered awareness of veterans’ mental health … Continue reading “Veterans for Common Sense (VCS), et al. v. Shinseki, et al.”
As technology plays a central role in many facets of our lives from communication to purchasing goods, enrolling in classes and seeking employment, it is important now more than ever to bridge the digital divide between technology and people with disabilities. In 2006, DRA represented the National Federation of the Blind and three blind plaintiffs … Continue reading “National Federation of the Blind (NFB), et al. v. Target Corporation”