Our Mission
With offices in California and New York, Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) is one of the leading nonprofit disability rights legal centers in the nation. Its mission is to advance equal rights and opportunity for people with all types of disabilities nationwide.
Contact for Press Inquiries
Email: communications@dralegal.org
Phone: (510) 665-8644
Links
DRA General Information Brochure (PDF)
New York, NY—August 10, 2017—Special Master Robert L. Burgdorf, Jr., one of the nation’s leading experts on disability rights, issued a 285 page report finding that it could take another 20 years or more to bring New York City street corners into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if a proposed class settlement … Continue reading “Court Report Confirms Dismal State of Sidewalks for Disabled New Yorkers”
July 27, 2017 – New York, NY – Disability Rights Advocates (“DRA”), a national nonprofit legal center, brought a class action lawsuit in federal court today on behalf of students with disabilities from the Bronx who are being denied legally-mandated special education services. When the New York City Department of Education (“DOE”) cannot find providers … Continue reading “New York City School System Fails to Provide Necessary Services to Students with Disabilities in the Bronx”
WASHINGTON, July 26, 2017 — The American Bar Association will posthumously honor Laurence (Larry) W. Paradis, the former executive director of Disability Rights Advocates in Berkeley, Calif., with its Paul G. Hearne Award for Disability Rights. Paradis died July 28, 2016. The ABA Commission on Disability Rights selected Paradis for his advocacy and leadership for … Continue reading “ABA to posthumously honor Laurence W. Paradis with Paul G. Hearne Award for Disability Rights”
Seattle, WA—May 16, 2017—Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) today announces an agreement with Northwest Hospital & Medical Center. Over the last several months, Northwest Hospital, DRA, three individual members of Seattle’s Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing (DDBHH) community, and Abused Deaf Women’s Advocacy Services (ADWAS) have worked together to ensure that Northwest Hospital’s outstanding, patient-focused … Continue reading “Northwest Hospital and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community Partners to Ensure Effective Communication during Health Care”
San Francisco, CA – April 28, 2017 – AMC Theaters (AMC) has reached an agreement with several blind individuals, the California Council of the Blind (CCB), and the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco (LightHouse) to ensure blind customers have reliable access to audio description services at AMC movie theaters nationwide. … Continue reading “AMC Theaters Agrees to Improve Services for Blind Movie-Goers”
New York, NY—April 25, 2017—Two class action lawsuits were filed today against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), accusing it of systematically excluding people with disabilities. One suit, filed in New York state court, is the first case to ever challenge the fact that over 350 of New York City’s subway stations are unusable by people … Continue reading “Unprecedented Dual Class Action Suits Filed Today Challenging the New York City Subway System’s Illegal Discrimination Against Wheelchair Users and Others”
Long Beach, CA—April 10, 2017—A class action settlement agreement to make Long Beach’s sidewalks, crosswalks, and other pedestrian pathways safer and more accessible for people with mobility disabilities was preliminarily approved by Judge Dale Fischer yesterday evening. This civil rights victory was negotiated with the City of Long Beach by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), Disability … Continue reading “Landmark Settlement Improves Sidewalk Access for Wheelchair Users Throughout the City of Long Beach”
April 5, 2017—SAN FRANCISCO—A pair of advocacy groups and two people with disabilities filed a lawsuit today against BART alleging that it discriminates against people with mobility disabilities, effectively excluding them from the regional mass transit system. For people with disabilities, problems that may be familiar annoyances to most riders can create absolute barriers to … Continue reading “People with disabilities sue BART for discrimination”
April 3, 2017—Lyft and the National Federation of the Blind today announced a collaborative effort to ensure reliable and equal service to individuals who are blind and use service animals. Lyft’s affirmative and proactive efforts will help ensure its convenient and affordable transportation services are available to riders who are blind and use service animals … Continue reading “Lyft and the National Federation of the Blind Announce Comprehensive Accessibility Improvements for Lyft Riders Who Travel with Service Animals”
March 23, 2017 – New York, NY – Eatsa, a chain of eateries touted as the “restaurant of the future,” has arrived in New York City with two Manhattan locations. Yet its high-tech ordering and food pick-up process has failed to include existing, readily available usability features for blind and low vision people, in violation of … Continue reading “Eatsa, Restaurant of the Future, Excludes Blind Customers”