Press

  August 1, 2016—Berkeley, CA—Disability Rights Advocate’s (DRA) Co-Founder and Executive Director, Larry Paradis, passed away last week.  DRA’s Co-Founder and Supervising Attorney Sid Wolinsky will continue with Director of Litigation Mary-Lee Smith to direct the work of the nonprofit legal center, started in 1993 to advance equal rights and opportunity for people with all […]

July 28, 2016 – New York, NY – LinkNYC, touted as a “first-of-its-kind communication network,” has been rolled out on New York City’s sidewalks for use by all but the blind.  Each individual “Link” promises residents and visitors in New York City the ability to surf the internet on a touchscreen tablet, to make local […]

July 26, 2016 – Purchase, NY – A class action lawsuit filed today in federal court alleges that the State University of New York at Purchase College violates federal and state disability law by not providing students and visitors with mobility disabilities equal access to its educational and cultural programs.  Specifically, the suit says that […]

Seattle, WA – July 21, 2016 – Northwest Hospital & Medical Center has been called to task for its systemic failure to provide effective communication to patients who are Deaf and hard of hearing.  A class-action lawsuit was filed today in federal court by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) and the Good Law Clinic on behalf of Abused […]

July 19, 2016 – Monterey, CA – A lawsuit filed today challenges a nationwide, antiquated U.S. Army policy that prohibits staff in its Child, Youth and School Services (“CYSS”) programs from administering critical medications and providing vital support to children with diabetes in their care.  As long as the policy is in place, children with […]

New York, NY – June 28, 2016 – A class-action lawsuit filed today in federal court alleges the Metropolitan Transit Authority (“MTA”) and New York City Transit Authority (“NYCTA”) ignored the legal requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act when they completed a $21.85 million rehabilitation to the Middletown Road station in the Bronx, but […]

June 9, 2016 — NEW YORK — Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) today sued the New York State Board of Elections and Department of Motor Vehicles over online voter registration that is inaccessible to people with disabilities. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Center for the Independence […]

May 2, 2016 – Oakland, CA – Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC), and Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) today announced a comprehensive settlement agreement to improve accessibility for people with disabilities who are incarcerated at or visiting Santa Rita Jail (the Jail). The settlement resolves a lawsuit brought by […]

April 30, 2016 – Berkeley, CA – In an unprecedented settlement announced today, Uber has agreed to take affirmative steps to prevent discrimination against blind riders who use guide dogs in its transportation network across the United States. The settlement resolves a lawsuit—National Federation of the Blind of California, et al. v. Uber Technologies, Inc.—brought by the […]

Berkeley, CA – April 14, 2016 – In a first-of-its-kind settlement, advocates for people who are blind have reached an agreement with Netflix to make accessible the movies and videos offered through the Netflix video streaming and DVD rental subscriptions. The settlement provides that Netflix will make its video content accessible by adding a new […]