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)
City’s curb ramps and sidewalks do not meet federal accessibility requirements June 10, 2021 – Baltimore, MD – Three wheelchair users and the IMAGE Center of Maryland have filed a class action lawsuit alleging widespread and ongoing violations of federal accessibility requirements by the City of Baltimore for its failure to properly install and … Continue reading “People With Mobility Disabilities File Class Action Lawsuit Against City of Baltimore”
April 21, 2021– Salem, OR – Yesterday Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a national non-profit legal center, and Lynn S. Walsh, filed a class action lawsuit against the State of Oregon and the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) on behalf of current and former people with disabilities who are incarcerated and who have been charged … Continue reading “Lawsuit Challenges Oregon Department of Corrections’ Policy of Charging People With Disabilities for Their Prostheses and Other Durable Medical Equipment”
To carry forward the critical legacy of fiery, grassroots disability justice advocates in New York and across the Country April 15, 2021—New York, NY—Today Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) announced, with support from the Prentiss family, the establishment of the Edith Prentiss Disability Justice Award, to be bestowed annually on a disability justice advocate who … Continue reading “DRA Establishes Edith Prentiss Disability Justice Award”
Customers Who are Blind Will Notice Many New Features, With More on the Horizon March 26, 2021 – Boston, MA – Advocates for people who are blind applaud WarnerMedia’s first delivery date of significant upgrades in the landmark agreement signed last October by WarnerMedia; the American Council of the Blind (ACB); the Massachusetts-based Bay … Continue reading “HBO Max Rolls Out Audio Described Content”
March 22, 2021 – Pittsburgh, PA – Plaintiffs suing Uber for failing to provide transportation accessible to people with disabilities cannot be forced out of court and into arbitration, a federal court of appeals ruled on Wednesday. Read the Third Circuit Court of Appeals’ opinion here. The plaintiffs are people with disabilities who cannot use Uber’s … Continue reading “Federal Appeals Court: Civil Rights Claims Against Uber Must Be Heard in Court”
Lawsuit Condemns City’s Effort to Banish the Unhoused March 15, 2021 – Pacifica, CA – Today, on behalf of five Pacifica residents who reside in RVs, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, Disability Rights Advocates, and the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County filed a class action lawsuit against the city to strike … Continue reading “Civil Rights Organizations Sue Pacifica Over RV Parking Ban”
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”