In January of 2011, the Ninth Circuit Court granted Stephanie Enyart, a blind law school graduate, the right to use assistive technology to take the Multistate Bar Exam and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam. The court issued a landmark ruling that established that testing entities are required to provide accommodations that best ensure exams measure … Continue reading “Enyart v. National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)”
Nationwide, college students with print disabilities – individuals who cannot read standard print because of vision, physical, developmental, or learning disabilities – face major barriers and disparities to academic success because colleges and universities fail to provide these students with text books, course readers, and library research materials in alternative formats they can read. These … Continue reading “UC Berkeley Accommodations Initiative Structured Negotiations”
In 2010, DRA; Jose Allen, partner at Skadden, Arps, Meagher & Flom LLP; and AARP Foundation Litigation (AFL) achieved a landmark $1.1 billion dollar settlement with Caltrans, the largest architectural access settlement to date for people with disabilities. Under the settlement, Caltrans agreed to improve the surface conditions of thousands of miles of sidewalks and … Continue reading “Californians for Disability Rights, Inc. (CDR), et al. v. California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)”
As technology plays a central role in many facets of our lives from communication to purchasing goods, enrolling in classes and seeking employment, it is important now more than ever to bridge the digital divide between technology and people with disabilities. In 2006, DRA represented the National Federation of the Blind and three blind plaintiffs … Continue reading “National Federation of the Blind (NFB), et al. v. Target Corporation”
In 2009, DRA reached a landmark settlement with two major travel websites – Hotels.com and Expedia.com. Under the settlement, the major online travel service companies agreed to improve reservation services for travelers with disabilities. Both companies added new features to their travel websites to improve the ability for people with disabilities to search and reserve … Continue reading “Smith, et al. v. Hotels.com”
The City and County of Los Angeles have experienced multiple natural disasters ranging from earthquakes, fires, and landslides; the County of L.A. has declared a state of emergency over twenty-four times since 1980. L.A.’s vulnerability to disasters highlighted the critical need to ensure that the City and County of L.A. include the safety of people … Continue reading “Communities Actively Living Independent and Free (CALIF), et al. v. City of Los Angeles”
DRA reached a settlement through structured negotiations with Amazon.com on behalf of the National Federation of the Blind. Under the settlement, Amazon.com agreed to make its website, as well as several affiliated websites, fully accessible to people with disabilities who use assistive technology to read and navigate internet websites. This was a monumental achievement for … Continue reading “Amazon.com Structured Negotiations”
In December 2006, DRA filed a class action lawsuit against Sutter in California state court on behalf of individuals with mobility and sensory disabilities alleging that Sutter maintained barriers to access in three areas: (1) architectural barriers at Sutter facilities; (2) policies, practices, and procedures that did not accommodate individuals with physical disabilities at Sutter … Continue reading “Thompson v. Sutter Health”
In 2008, DRA and Co-counsel Greater Boston Legal Services reached a settlement through structured negotiations with Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. The hospitals agreed to make the following improvements to health care access for patients with mobility, vision, and hearing disabilities: Remove physical and programmatic barriers Provide accessible medical equipment … Continue reading “Massachusetts General Hospital Structured Negotiations”
In March of 2001, DRA and Co-counsel John Burris reached a landmark settlement with Kaiser Permanente, to improve access to health care for people with disabilities. The settlement plan has been used as a model for the health care industry on how to deliver medical care for men, women, and children with mobility, vision, and … Continue reading “Metzler v. Kaiser”