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)
March 18, 2025—Chicago, IL—Blind and low vision pedestrians in Chicago are one step closer to being able to navigate the City’s streets safely and independently, as a federal court has issued a proposed remedial plan order in the years-long litigation to make Chicago’s signalized intersections accessible. Highlights of the Court’s Proposed Remedial Plan Order Under … Continue reading “Court Proposes Plan for Chicago to Install 1,700+ Accessible Pedestrian Signals Over the Next 10 Years”
March 13, 2025 – New York, NY – The Legal Aid Society, Disability Rights Advocates and Winston & Strawn LLP today secured a court order to compel the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) to make transparent which provisions of the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act (HALT) they have … Continue reading “Legal Aid, Disability Rights Advocates, and Winston & Strawn LLP Secure Court Order to Compel DOCCS to Account for Suspension of HALT Solitary Law in NY State Prisons”
Tennessee Department of Correction Commits to Provide Necessary Technology and Services to Ensure Equal Access March 5, 2025 – Nashville, TN – In a significant achievement for the rights of deaf prisoners, three deaf men and Disability Rights Tennessee reached a settlement with the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) that will provide videophones, sign language … Continue reading “Settlement Reached in Tennessee Deaf Prisoner Case”
Non-profit watchdog group’s historic undercover investigation uncovered systematic and illegal discrimination against families with Housing Choice Vouchers January 20, 2025—Chicago, IL—Following a sweeping undercover investigation by a housing watchdog group, today Housing Rights Initiative (HRI) filed the largest housing discrimination case in Illinois history against 165 real estate agents, brokerage firms, and landlords alleging they … Continue reading “Mass Civil Rights Complaints Filed Against 165 Chicago-Area Real Estate Agents, Brokerage Firms, and Landlords for Rampant Housing Discrimination”
October 15, 2024—San Diego, CA—Disability Rights Advocates, Disability Rights California, Dreher Law Firm, Fish & Richardson, the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, the Law Office of Ann E. Menasche, Manfred APC, and the National Homelessness Law Center have secured a landmark class action settlement that protects San Diego residents who rely on their vehicles as … Continue reading “Landmark Settlement Secured in Class Action Lawsuit Advocating for Unhoused Individuals in San Diego”
September 24, 2024—Berkeley, CA—The City of Berkeley and three members of the City’s Commission on Disability have reached a settlement that provides significant policy changes for people who require remote meeting attendance due to their disabilities. The settlement resolves claims that Berkeley failed to accommodate commissioners who require remote attendance as an accommodation, in violation … Continue reading “Settlement Agreement with City of Berkeley Improves Accessibility for City Commission and Board Members with Disabilities”
To carry forward the critical legacy of fiery, grassroots disability advocates in New York and across the Country September 18, 2024—New York, NY—In September 2021, Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) announced, with support from the Prentiss family, the establishment of the Edith Prentiss Award, to be bestowed annually on a disability justice advocate who demonstrates … Continue reading “DRA Continues to Bestow the Edith Prentiss Award for a Third Year”
September 11, 2024—Nashville, Tennessee—A federal judge in the Middle District of Tennessee has substantially denied the State of Tennessee’s attempt to dismiss claims by multiple plaintiffs against the Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging (DDA) (formerly the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) and the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (DMHSAS). … Continue reading “Federal Court Rules Case Seeking Access to State Services for Deaf People in Tennessee Can Proceed”
September 9, 2024—New York, NY—On Friday August 30, a federal judge in the Southern District of New York denied a motion from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“MTA”) for summary judgment to dismiss claims brought by the disability community in long-running litigation regarding the MTA’s failure to maintain the few elevators that exist in New York City’s subway stations. The case is now … Continue reading “Disability Advocates’ Lawsuit Challenging the MTA’s Failure to Maintain New York City’s Subway Elevators Proceeding to Trial “
A settlement agreement with the California Department of Insurance and PSI Services LLC will ensure access for blind insurance license applicants who use screen reader software. September 5, 2024– Berkeley, CA—In August, three blind individuals and the National Federation of the Blind reached a settlement agreement with the California Department of Insurance (CDI) and their … Continue reading “Settlement Agreement Improves Accessibility for Blind Test-Takers of the California Insurance License Exam”