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 – As the two year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy approaches, disability rights advocacy groups and the City of New York announced the settlement today of a longstanding federal class action that will result in the most comprehensive disaster plan in the country. The historic plan includes City disaster preparedness enhancements aimed at improving the lives and … Continue reading “New York City and Disability Advocates Reach Historic Agreement Providing for Comprehensive Improvements to New York City’s Disaster Planning”
NEW YORK, NY – September 16, 2014 A federal judge today gave final approval to a settlement, the first of its kind nationwide, that will make New York’s yellow taxi fleet the most accessible in the country and one of the most disability-friendly in the world. Judge George Daniels issued the following statement: “We should … Continue reading “Judge Approves Historic Settlement: NYC Taxicab Accessibility to Dramatically Increase”
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – September 9, 2014 The California affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind (“NFB of California”) and Michael Hingson, a member of the NFB of California and a guide dog user, filed suit today in United States District Court for the Northern District of California against Uber Technologies, Inc. (“Uber”) to challenge … Continue reading “Lawsuit Challenges Uber’s Discrimination Against Blind Customers with Service Animals”
Washington D.C. – September 9, 2014 A coalition of disability rights advocates filed a federal class action lawsuit today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The lawsuit challenges the District of Columbia’s poor emergency planning for persons with disabilities, and comes on the heels of similar lawsuits in New York … Continue reading “District of Columbia Sued for Failure to Serve People with Disabilities During Disasters”
BERKELEY, CA – August 4, 2014 San Francisco-based Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually-Impaired, Disability Rights Advocates, and the Law Offices of Jay Koslofsky entered into a settlement agreement with Redbox Automated Retail, LLC (“Redbox”) that is expected to significantly improve access for blind individuals to Redbox’s® self-service, touchscreen video-rental kiosks in California. Redbox has … Continue reading “Redbox and Lighthouse for the Blind: DRA Announces Settlement Agreement”
New York City, NY – July 30, 2014 – Today, Disability Rights Advocates (“DRA”) and Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP, on behalf of the Center for Independence of the Disabled in New York (“CIDNY”), filed a landmark civil rights lawsuit in federal court alleging that New York City violates Federal disability civil rights laws by failing to make its sidewalks … Continue reading “Civil Rights Advocates Challenge New York City’s Failure to Make Its Sidewalks Safe for Wheelchair Users and Blind People”
Burlington, Vermont (July 29, 2014): The National Federation of the Blind, the nation’s leading advocate for equal access by the blind to technology and electronic information, and Heidi Viens, a blind parent from Colchester, Vermont, have filed suit (case number: 2:14-CV-162) against Scribd, Inc. Scribd offers an Internet-based “personal digital library” that allows sighted subscribers … Continue reading “National Federation of the Blind Files Suit Against Scribd”
Long Beach, CA – June 4, 2014 – A class action lawsuit filed today in the United States District Court for the Central District of California alleges that the City of Long Beach discriminates against residents and visitors who have mobility impairments. Read the complaint here. The sidewalks and pedestrian rights-of-way in Long Beach pose significant barriers to individuals who … Continue reading “Wheelchair Users Face Dangerous Barriers When Trying to Use Long Beach Sidewalks”
New York, NY –New Yorkers who use wheelchairs or have visual impairments won a major civil rights victory today. A unanimous panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit found that the Board of Elections in New York City discriminated against voters with disabilities by failing to make its poll sites … Continue reading “Landmark Decision By Federal Appellate Court Vindicates The Rights Of Voters With Disabilities In New York City”
HISTORIC RULE PASSED; NYC TAXICAB ACCESSIBILITY TO DRAMATICALLY INCREASE From 1 in 57 wheelchair-accessible yellow cabs to 1 in 2 by 2020 NEW YORK, NY – The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission approved today a measure to phase in accessible yellow taxicabs so that by 2020, fifty percent (50%) of New York’s yellow … Continue reading “Historic Rule Passed; NYC Taxicab Accessibility to Dramatically Increase”