In July 2024, on the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and four years before the Los Angeles Olympics, DRA filed a federal class action lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles for denying people with mobility disabilities full and equal access to the City’s newly constructed and renovated public park facilities, a … Continue reading “Griffin v. City of Los Angeles”
In May 2024, DRA filed a class action lawsuit along with The Legal Aid Society and Winston & Strawn LLP on behalf of incarcerated New Yorkers with disabilities against the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (“DOCCS”) and the New York State Office of Mental Health (“OMH”) for their ongoing violations of … Continue reading “Anthony v. New York State Department of Corrections & Community Supervision (DOCCS)”
In May 2024, DRA and Mental Hygiene Legal Services (MHLS) released a report titled “Denial of Fresh Air Access for Psychiatric Patients: A Report on NYC H+H Hospitals.” This report outlines findings from a months-long investigation into the denial of fresh air and outdoor access to individuals receiving psychiatric treatment in hospitals operated by NYC … Continue reading “Denial of Fresh Air to Patients at NYC City-Run Psychiatric Hospitals”
In March 2024, Disability Rights Advocates and a coalition of disability organizations and California voters with disabilities filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against the California Secretary of State (SOS) to challenge discrimination in the state’s vote-by-mail program. Later in March 2024, DRA filed a motion for … Continue reading “California Council of the Blind v. Weber”
In February 2024, DRA filed a class action lawsuit in the Northern District of California against national car rental company Hertz to end its systemic civil rights violations against people with disabilities who need hand controls to operate a rental car. While there are many configurations, hand controls generally consist of a mechanism that allows … Continue reading “Ho v. The Hertz Corporation”
On September 5, 2023, DRA initiated legal action to prevent the City of Berkeley from conducting evictions of unhoused Berkeley residents who reside on 8th and Harrison Street until there are sufficient provisions of shelter, housing, or alternative accommodations that take into consideration their disability-related needs.
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”
In May 2023, DRA filed a federal class action lawsuit against the City of Oakland on behalf of two people with mobility disabilities for denying them full and equal access to the City’s pedestrian rights of way, a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and California … Continue reading “Curran v. City of Oakland”
In August 2023, DRA filed a lawsuit against the City of Berkeley on behalf of three disabled members of the Berkeley Commission on Disability for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to allow them to attend Commission meetings remotely as an accommodation unless they subject themselves to burdensome, dangerous, and invasive requirements. Read … Continue reading “Fisher v. City of Berkeley”
In May 2023, DRA and DREDF filed a group complaint with the United States Department of Justice on behalf of four law school graduates with disabilities against the State Bar of California for consistently violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide accommodations on the California bar exam. Read the complaint. The State … Continue reading “Complainants v. State Bar of California”