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)
Berkeley, CA – August 8, 2013 – Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall locks young people with disabilities in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day and deprives them of education, according to a federal class action lawsuit filed today by Disability Rights Advocates, Public Counsel and Paul Hastings LLP. Contra Costa County Juvenile … Continue reading “Lawsuit Details Solitary Confinement and Failure to Educate Young People with Disabilities in Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall”
San Francisco, CA – July 25, 2013 – A class action lawsuit filed today in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California alleges that the County of Alameda discriminates against voters who are blind and visually impaired. Voting privately and independently is one of the most fundamental and cherished American rights. … Continue reading “Blind and Visually Impaired Voters Face Barriers to Voting on Election Day”
New York, NY – July 24, 2013 – A federal class action lawsuit filed today in the Southern District of New York alleges that Beth Israel Medical Center, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, discriminate against patients with disabilities. The lawsuit, which is being brought by United Spinal, Inc. … Continue reading “Beth Israel, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt, and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary Provide Substandard Care to New Yorkers with Disabilities”
New York, NY – May 10, 2013 – The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, on behalf of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), filed a statement of interest today that supports Plaintiffs’ position in the federal class action, BCID v. Bloomberg, Case No. 11-cv-6690 (JMF) . Plaintiffs in that matter … Continue reading “United States Department of Justice Supports Plaintiffs Seeking Effective Large Scale Disaster Planning for New Yorkers with Disabilities”
Berkeley, CA – May 7, 2013 – Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) and the University of California, Berkeley announced a settlement agreement today that will significantly improve information access for students with print related disabilities. The settlement puts in place a range of new policies and procedures to ensure that print disabled students have access to … Continue reading “Landmark Agreement Big Step Forward for Students with Print Disabilities”
New York, NY – April 8, 2013 – Late last week, a federal court in New York City cleared the way for a major class action lawsuit brought by New Yorkers who use wheelchairs to challenge the Taxi of Tomorrow. Judge Daniels of the Southern District of New York District Court allowed Plaintiffs to supplement … Continue reading “Federal Judge Rules New Yorkers with Disabilities can Challenge Taxi of Tomorrow in Lawsuit Seeking Accessible Taxis”
New York, NY – March 11, 2013 – A Federal Court trial beginning today at 9:00 a.m. EST, 40 Foley Square, New York, Courtroom 1105, will expose the alleged deficiencies in New York City’s large scale disaster planning and demonstrate that such failures needlessly endanger the health and safety of seniors, women, children, and men … Continue reading “Trial on NYC’s Defective Large Scale Disaster Plans Will Show Unnecessary Harm to New Yorkers with Disabilities and Increased Chance of Greater Harm in Future Disasters”
On February 25, 2013, Judge Marshall issued an order preliminary approving the settlement agreement reached with the County of Los Angeles in Communities Actively Living Independent and Free, et al. v. City of Los Angeles et al. The settlement requires the County to revise its emergency plans to incorporate the needs of people with disabilities. … Continue reading “Communities Actively Living Independent and Free (CALIF), et al. v. City of Los Angeles”
San Francisco, CA – February 15, 2013 – Sid Wolinsky, Shawna Parks, and Mary-Lee Kimber Smith are recipients of the 2013 California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year Award for their remarkable legal achievements, which will require the City and County of L.A. to include the unique needs of people with all types of disabilities in … Continue reading “2013 California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year Award”
Berkeley, CA – December 20, 2012 – Sacramento International Airport serves approximately 7.9 million passengers per year yet has failed to make its facilities and services accessible to travelers with disabilities. A class action lawsuit filed today in the United States District Court alleges that the County of Sacramento discriminates against people with mobility disabilities … Continue reading “Sacramento International Airport Discriminates Against Travelers with Disabilities”