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)
Citing a “history of noncompliance,” a federal judge orders a special master to monitor and oversee custody reviews and releases for people at heightened risk of COVID-19 March 12, 2021 – Riverside, CA – A federal court last night granted civil rights organizations’ motion to appoint a special master, or independent third party, that … Continue reading “Advocates Win Federal Court Appointment of Special Master to Oversee ICE Custody Releases”
March 10, 2021 – New York, NY – Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a national non-profit legal center, filed a federal lawsuit today against the largest public school district in the nation, the New York City Department of Education (DOE). The lawsuit challenges the DOE’s failure to provide a Bronx middle-school teacher with necessary and … Continue reading “Federal Lawsuit Challenges NYC Department of Education’s Failure to Provide Accessible Restrooms and Other Accommodations for Public School Teacher”
March 1, 2021—Berkeley, CA—Kathy Martinez, internationally recognized disability rights leader, joins Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) today as the nonprofit legal center’s new President and CEO. “For the last three decades my focus has been to improve social and economic justice for people with disabilities, especially concerning women and people of color. We believe this will … Continue reading “Disability Rights Advocates Announces New President and CEO”
February 23, 2021—New York, NY—Yesterday the New York Supreme Court certified a class of all people with disabilities for whom the use of stairs is difficult or impossible and who are therefore unable to access over 75% of the New York City subway. Fewer than 25% of the New York City subway’s 472 stations … Continue reading “Court Certifies Class of People With Disabilities Excluded From NYC Subway System Due To Lack of Stair-Free Access In Violation of NYC Human Rights Law”
January 26, 2021 – Staten Island, NY – Today attorneys filed a major class action lawsuit challenging New York City’s segregated school system for students with disabilities on Staten Island. The lawsuit alleges that New York City’s separate school district for children with disabilities, known as District 75, denies these students an equal … Continue reading “Lawsuit Challenges New York City’s Segregation of Staten Island Students with Disabilities”
December 3, 2020 – Indianapolis, IN – The ability to vote privately and independently is a fundamental right and an essential component of democracy in the United States. However, in Indiana, these rights are not guaranteed to all voters. In fact, Indiana has one of the most restrictive absentee voting systems in the country … Continue reading “Blind Hoosiers File Lawsuit Against the Indiana Election Commission and the Secretary of State”
Click here to view press release in ASL San Francisco, CA – A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit challenging discrimination against deaf Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities (“I/DD”) can go forward. The California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) had asked the court to dismiss the case. Click here to read the court’s … Continue reading “Federal Court Rules that Lawsuit by Deaf Californians with Developmental Disabilities Can Move Forward”
Court Decision will Dramatically Remake NYC’s Streetscape by Making Pedestrian Safety Accessible to People with Disabilities Read the decision here New York, NY – In a decision that will remake the streetscape of New York City and improve safety and accessibility for all New Yorkers, a federal court ruled today that New York City’s failure … Continue reading “Federal Court Rules NYC Discriminates Against Blind and Low Vision Pedestrians by Failing to Make Crosswalk Signals Accessible”
In a landmark agreement, advocates for people who are blind have obtained WarnerMedia’s pledge to increase the accessibility of HBO Max—the much-anticipated online streaming platform that was launched earlier this year. Among other commitments, the agreement provides that WarnerMedia will provide audio description on at least 1,500 hours of new and existing programming on … Continue reading “Accessibility Enhancements on the Horizon for HBO Max Customers Who are Blind”
October 15, 2020 – Westchester County, NY – Westchester Disabled on the Move, Inc., Disability Rights Advocates, and Westchester County have reached a settlement agreement that will result in significant improvements to the County’s emergency preparedness and response programs for people with disabilities who live in, work in, or travel to the County. The agreement was … Continue reading “Disability Advocates and Westchester County Reach Landmark Settlement to Protect the Lives of People with Disabilities When Disasters Strike”