DRA prevailed after many years of hard-fought litigation against United of Omaha Life Insurance Company. This case has positively altered the landscape of insurance coverage for people with disabilities in California. A U.S. District Court judge found that United discriminated against Howard Chabner, a man with muscular dystrophy, by charging him a life insurance premium … Continue reading “Chabner v. United of Omaha”
The Sutter Health network of hospitals, medical foundations and other health care service providers has agreed to improve health care access for its patients with mobility, vision, hearing, and speech disabilities. Under the terms of the Agreement reached in 2008, Sutter has been removing architectural barriers, acquiring and installing accessible medical equipment, and reviewing and … Continue reading “Thompson v. Sutter Health”
DRA’s client – an individual who used a wheelchair – was denied service at a Sterling VisionCare Center because he was unable to walk from his wheelchair to the examination chair. To avoid litigation, Sterling VisionCare committed to ensure that accessible examination chairs are made available to patrons with disabilities at all of its facilities, … Continue reading “Sterling VisionCare”
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”
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.”
On January 21, 2010, in a settlement announced by DRA and the City of Oakland, Oakland agreed to adopt an emergency plan which includes the needs of people with all types of disabilities during emergency disasters. Oakland is particularly vulnerable to emergency disasters. Since 1983, it has experienced eight Presidential-declared disasters, including the 1989 Loma … Continue reading “California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC), et al. v. City of Oakland, et al.”