Welcome to Disability Rights Advocates
Regrettably, stereotypical assumptions and beliefs continue to pervade the American workplace. Statistics show that people with disabilities are much less likely to be employed than people without disabilities. People with disabilities are also much less likely to be promoted when they are employed. Through individual and class action litigation, DRA strives to overcome this discrimination and ensure that people with disabilities are fairly judged on their abilities, and guaranteed equal access to employment opportunities at some of our nation's largest employers.
Our groundbreaking class action suit, Bates v. United Parcel Service, was filed in 1999 on behalf of a nationwide class of UPS employees and applicants who use sign language as a primary means of communication due to a hearing loss or limitation. In 2003, we reached a nationwide settlement with UPS requiring the nation’s 3rd largest employer to provide communication access in the workplace at all of its facilities (including ASL interpreters and TTY machines), as well as equal access to promotional opportunities. Additionally after a 5 month trial, the Court ordered UPS to (1) stop using the DOT hearing standard to screen applicants for package car driving positions and (2), to individually evaluate applicants' abilities to become package drivers (3) and to determine what reasonable accommodations, if any, are necessary to allow them to drive safely and communicate effectively with their co-workers and the public. Read more…
