Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing
September 21, 2012
In 2005, DRA reached a settlement with San Francisco Airport (SFO) that resulted in the installation of accessibility features such as visual paging, improved access to TTYs, improved signage, and numerous other features to make travel throughout the airport accessible for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. DRA represented the Deaf Counseling, Advocacy … Continue reading » “Deaf Counseling, Advocacy and Referral Agency (DCARA), et al. v. San Francisco Airport (SFO)”
September 21, 2012
In 2004, the California Youth Authority (CYA), the state’s juvenile prison system, agreed to a major overhaul of the entire CYA system to address the inhumane and illegal conditions of confinement which affect young inmates in the CYA system. The case was brought under state law to stop the CYA from perpetuating illegal conditions within … Continue reading » “Farrell v. Allen”
September 21, 2012
In 2005, DRA reached a landmark statewide class action settlement with the California State Park System. Under the settlement, the state park agency agreed to improve access to its system of over 250 different parks through comprehensive barrier removal. The improvements include making a reasonable portion of the trail system accessible for people in wheelchairs, … Continue reading » “Tucker v. CA State Parks”
September 14, 2012
Leveraging our success in ALDA v. Cinemark, we achieved a similar result with AMC Theaters on behalf of the Association of Late Deafened Adults (ALDA). In 2011, on the heels of our settlement with Cinemark, AMC agreed to offer closed captioning for 127 screens in California by mid-2012, and projects that number to grow to … Continue reading » “AMC Theaters Structured Negotiations”
September 7, 2012
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”
September 6, 2012
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”
August 28, 2012
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”
August 28, 2012
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”
August 7, 2012
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”
July 16, 2012
It is essential that all consumers have the ability to conduct business matters with companies by phone. In order for deaf and hard of hearing consumers to communicate with companies, they must use a relay calling service that involves an interpreter who facilitates communication between the consumer and business representative. In 2009, DRA investigated complaints … Continue reading » “Guzman v. Wells Fargo”
