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)
August 24, 2021—New York, NY—Yesterday, a unanimous panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in favor of a certified class of New Yorkers with mobility disabilities who require elevators to access the New York City subway system. The Appeals Court overturned the District Court’s order in favor of … Continue reading “Decision by Federal Appellate Court Vindicates the Rights of Subway Riders With Disabilities”
The case, Adam X. et al. v. New Jersey Department of Corrections and Department of Education et al., was filed in January 2017 and offers a national example for special education services in prison. August 11, 2021—Newark, NJ—The New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) will drastically improve the provision of special education services for people … Continue reading “Court Preliminarily Approves Landmark Settlement That Improves Special Education Services in New Jersey State Prisons”
July 30, 2021 – New York, NY – A United States District Court approved a settlement with the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) to resolve a 2017 lawsuit brought by Bronx Independent Living Services (BILS) and two students with disabilities in the Bronx, represented by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA). The class action … Continue reading “Judge Approves Settlement Ensuring Improved Access to Critical Services for Bronx Students with Disabilities”
Disponible en español abajo July 29, 2021—Los Angeles, CA—Disability Rights Advocates filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court today on behalf of two participants in Los Angeles County’s federally-funded Master of Social Work Trainee Program, whose internship and employment offers with the County’s Department of Children and Family Services were withdrawn following invasive … Continue reading “Lawsuit Challenges Los Angeles County’s Rejection of Employees Based on Discriminatory and False Assumptions About Mental Health”
July 21, 2021– San Francisco, CA—Yesterday Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) filed a class action lawsuit against the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) on behalf of Deaf Human Resource (HR) professionals who do not have equal access to SHRM’s services because SHRM fails to provide accommodations like sign language interpreters, captioning, and timely transcripts … Continue reading “Lawsuit Challenges World’s Largest Professional Human Resource Membership Association’s Failure to Follow Disability Law”
Lawsuit argues ban is unconstitutional and an attempt to banish unhoused individuals from the City July 14, 2021 – Mountain View, CA – The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California, and Disability Rights Advocates joined with pro bono partners Hewlett Packard Enterprise and King & Spalding to file a … Continue reading “Civil Rights Organizations Sue Mountain View Over RV Parking Ban”
Judge grants preliminary approval for settlement of lawsuit against Chicago Public Schools for excluding students with disabilities from their free breakfast and lunch programs June 29,2021—Chicago, IL—Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students with disabilities will now have access to free breakfast and lunch, thanks to a class action lawsuit filed by Legal Council for Health … Continue reading “Chicago Students With Disabilities No Longer to Be Excluded From Free School Lunches”
June 17, 2021 – Raleigh, NC – On June 15, 2021, Judge Terrence W. Boyle of the federal District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina ordered the North Carolina Board of Elections to take immediate steps to ensure that blind voters will have equal access to the 2021 municipal elections and all … Continue reading “Federal Judge Orders North Carolina To Provide Accessible Absentee Voting”
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”