Mental Disability
July 27, 2017
On June 22, 2021, 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 lawsuit challenged the DOE’s denial … Continue reading » “M.G., et al. v. New York City Department of Education, et al.”
January 11, 2017
Please see the notice to individuals who may be impacted by the class action settlement agreement at the following link: https://bit.ly/3H8v9Ln . The New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) will drastically improve the provision of special education services for people in its prisons, according to a settlement preliminarily approved by the federal District Court for … Continue reading » “Adam X. v. New Jersey Department of Corrections”
July 27, 2016
On September 9, 2014, DRA filed a class action lawsuit together with co-counsel from Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP and the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs against the District of Columbia for its failure to meaningfully include persons with disabilities in its emergency planning. People with disabilities have traditionally faced exceptionally … Continue reading » “D.C. Center for Independent Living, et al. v. District of Columbia”
May 19, 2015
Disability Rights Advocates in partnership with Public Counsel filed this lawsuit because Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall had a policy and practice of locking young people with disabilities in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day and depriving them of education. In a video, parents of young people held at Juvenile Hall say … Continue reading » “G.F. et al. v. Contra Costa County et al.”
March 24, 2015
Disabled employees of the Social Security Administration (SSA) challenged SSA’s discriminatory practice of limited job promotions and other career advancement opportunities for people with disabilities. On August 25, 2010, the EEOC Office of Federal Operations affirmed the October 8, 2008 decision of the Administrative Judge to certify the case as a class action. SSA filed … Continue reading » “Jantz, et al. v. Barnhart”
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
DRA represented the Western Regional Advocacy Project and the Coalition on Homelessness in this lawsuit on behalf of people with psychiatric and mobility disabilities who experienced barriers in San Francisco’s homeless shelter system. DRA reached a settlement with the City that was approved by the court in August of 2010. During the course of the … Continue reading » “WRAP v. Newsom”
September 14, 2012
In January 2013, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case. Despite this disappointment, the landmark case raised national awareness of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ serious deficiencies and delays in providing veterans with the mental health care treatment and benefit determination claims they deserve and need. The case furthered awareness of veterans’ mental health … Continue reading » “Veterans for Common Sense (VCS), et al. v. Shinseki, et al.”
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”
May 11, 2012
This federal class action lawsuit was filed in September of 2011. More than a decade after 9/11, New Yorkers with disabilities continued to face disproportionate risks of catastrophic harm and death during disasters – as Hurricanes Irene had shown, and as Sandy soon demonstrated. The class of 900,000 New York residents with disabilities included people with vision, … Continue reading » “Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID), et al. v. Mayor Bloomberg, et al.”
