A Conversation with Meredith Weaver

Meredith J. Weaver joined Disability Rights Advocates in 2015 as a Fellowship Attorney and after 10 years achieved the role of Senior Counsel in 2025.

Ms. Weaver has represented the American Council of the Blind and its state affiliates, the California Association of the Deaf, the Center for Independent Living, and individuals around the country in litigation and non-litigated negotiations to ensure accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Ms. Weaver’s experience includes advocacy in the areas of health care, technology, entertainment, and architectural accessibility. Ms. Weaver was the 2025 Chair of the Oregon State Bar Disability Law Section.

You’ve been with DRA for over a decade. What originally drew you to this work, and what has kept you here over the years?

Disability advocacy has really been a part of my life as far back as I can remember – my younger brother was born with severe developmental and physical disabilities on my second birthday, and I grew up learning from my parents as they navigated the special education system. I first learned of DRA when co-founder Larry Paradis came to speak at the organization where I was working as a fellow after law school and the stars aligned when DRA was hiring as my fellowship concluded! Ten years later, I’m still here because of great people (DRA hires exceptional people who are also fantastic advocates and colleagues) and great cases that break new ground and have a big impact in people’s lives.

Can you share a case, client, or moment that had a lasting impact on you or reaffirmed why disability rights advocacy matters?

As we prepared for trial in our case against the Tennessee Department of Correction to address its failure to provide deaf prisoners with effective communication, one of our clients who had already been released and moved out of state drove hours through a snowstorm, missing work and leaving his wife alone with his infant child, to show up for trial. I’ll never forget his comments as we prepped his direct examination: “I want to make sure that no one has to experience what I did – getting penalized just because I couldn’t understand the orientation.” Undertaking these cases is a major investment not only for DRA, but also for our clients. What we achieve though, is priceless.

How have you seen disability rights law change during your time at DRA?

The statutes themselves have not changed but we have seen some changes to relevant implementing regulations. For instance, in 2024 the regulations implementing Title II of the ADA (which applies to state and local governments) were modified to include new rules about accessible medical diagnostic equipment and web and mobile accessibility and in 2016 the regulations implementing Title III of the ADA (which applies to public accommodations) were modified to include new rules about movie captioning and audio description.

What does effective disability rights advocacy look like in practice?

That depends on the type of advocacy! With respect to the specific type of advocacy that we do at DRA – high impact litigation – we are effective when we achieve greater access by enforcing peoples’ rights in court. Most of the time, that comes in the form of reaching a negotiated settlement to a lawsuit that we filed. When we enter settlements, we are able to craft (albeit through negotiation) the specific relief that will be implemented. Sometimes, we achieve greater access by winning a case at the summary judgment phase (where a judge can say that one side wins on the law because there is no question about the facts) or at trial. When this happens, usually the judge is the one who sets out what relief will be required to address the problem and we may not get to have much say in it.

What’s something about disability rights law that you wish more people understood?

Outside of the employment context, the ADA does not provide for monetary damages in lawsuits against private companies.

What advice would you give to someone interested in disability rights or public-interest law today?

(1) Explore the DRA website! We have pages on tons of the cases that DRA has brought over the last three decades where you can find information about the types of discrimination our clients experience and the results that we have achieved. (2) Come to a DRA event where you can learn more and talk to our staff members! DRA’s 2026 Gala will be held in New York on November 17.