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DRA Ends 2013 with Another Triumph in NYC

DRA in the News

Fellow Spotlight: Zoe Chernicoff

Tips for Year-End Giving

DRA Ends 2013 with Another Triumph in NYC

Dear Friends,

2013 is winding to a dramatic close at DRA.  In November we won our New York emergency preparedness suit and this month we achieved a major settlement ensuring that 50% of New York’s taxi fleet will be accessible by 2020.  These two precedent-setting cases are each game-changers that will improve the lives of New Yorkers and the country in fundamental ways.  People with disabilities, mothers with strollers, and the elderly will be able to attend doctors’ appointments, school, transport groceries, and visit family with greater ease.  New York will have a plan for evacuating, transporting, and sheltering disabled residents when the next disaster strikes.   New York City will provide a model for other cities around the country and world to emulate.

We are thrilled by our recent success, yet there remains much work to do to protect the civil rights of people with disabilities as we enter the New Year.  To give our hardworking staff a breather, DRA’s offices on both coasts will close between December 23rd and January 1st.  When we return on January 2nd, we will embark on important projects including: implementing emergency preparedness plans in New York City, ensuring colleges and universities across the country offer curriculum in accessible formats for students with print disabilities, and fighting to ensure that incarcerated youth with disabilities’ get the education they need to succeed.

Thanks to each of you for the gifts you bring to make DRA’s important work possible.  From the DRA family to yours, we wish you a joyous holiday season.

Sincerely,

Larry Paradis
Executive Director & Co-Director of Litigation

DRA In the News!

 DRA’s recent victories are BIG NEWS for New Yorkers.

Visit our Press Room to read the full articles that appeared in the
New York Times, WNYC News, the New York Post, and more!

Fellow Spotlight: Zoe Chernicoff

Zoe Chernicoff joined Disability Rights Advocates in 2013 as the John W. Carson Fellowship Attorney. Zoe received her J.D. from Columbia University Law School in 2010 and her B.A. from Yale University in 2006. Through her work with DRA, Zoe will focus on removing access barriers in a range of programs and services in Southern California. Her first case will seek to ensure access to sidewalks and crosswalks for those with vision and mobility disabilities. “The community of lawyers and staff at DRA has already wowed me with their warm welcome and their dedication to pursuing cutting-edge civil rights cases for folks living with disabilities,” says Zoe. “It’s been such a great first two months that I can’t wait to see what the rest of my fellowship year has to offer.”

Tips for Year-End Giving

•  Are you 70 ½ or older?  If you make a gift to DRA directly from your IRA, the dollars that originally went in tax free, go out tax free.  This “charitable IRA rollover” is only available through December 31st of this year under the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

• The stock market is up!  Think about making a gift of appreciated securities to DRA. Take advantage of applicable tax incentives.

• Doing your last-minute holiday shopping on Amazon.com?  Use the Amazon Smile program to ensure a percentage of your purchase goes to DRA.

For more information on giving opportunities, contact
DRA’s Development Director Kate Hamilton at khamilton@dralegal.org.
To make a year-end gift to DRA online click HERE with your credit card information ready.

Mark Your 2014 Calendars:

Wednesday,May 21st in New York- DRA and Sheppard Mullin will host an event in New York City to celebrate our success and chart our plans for the future.

Fall in California– DRA is pleased to announce the return of our famed Eagle & Turkey Awards in November of 2014. Don’t miss this fun-filled event that highlights the nation’s disability heroes! Date and time TBD.