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A.S.K. v. Oregon
As a result of a lawsuit filed by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), Oregon undertook extensive steps to modify its high stakes testing system to ensure that the tests do not discriminate against students with learning disabilities. The settlement is based on the findings of an expert panel that...
Amazon.com Structured Negotiations
DRA reached a settlement through structured negotiations with Amazon.com on behalf of the National Federation of the Blind. Under the settlement, Amazon.com agreed to make its website, as well as several affiliated websites, fully accessible to people with disabilities who use assistive technology...
AMC Theaters Structured Negotiations
Leveraging our success in ALDA v. Cinemark, we achieved a similar result with AMC Theaters on behalf of the Association of Late Deafened Adults (ALDA). In 2011, on the heels of our settlement with Cinemark, AMC agreed to offer closed captioning for 127 screens in California by mid-2012, and...
Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA), et al. v. Cinemark
Going to the movies is a central part of American life, which the deaf and hard of hearing community has been largely excluded from up until DRA’s recent settlement with Cinemark Theaters, the third largest movie chain in the country. In November of 2010, DRA and Co-counsel John Waldo filed a...
Barden v. Sacramento
This case set a nationwide precedent requiring cities and other public entities to make all public sidewalks accessible to people with mobility and vision disabilities. The court ruled that public entities must address barriers such as missing or unsafe curb cuts throughout the public sidewalk...
Bates v. UPS
After 10 years of hard fought litigation, including an appeal to the Ninth Circuit, DRA and Co-counsel Schneider Wallace Cottrell Brayton Konecky LLP reached a settlement with UPS on the remaining issue in this class action case. The settlement resolves the question of whether UPS may use the...
Breimhorst v. ETS
This case received major national attention as it challenged the practice of “flagging” test scores for students with disabilities who ask for accommodations. Flagging is the practice by which administrators of standardized tests place notations on the score reports of people with disabilities who...
Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID), et al. v. Mayor Bloomberg, et al.
More than a decade after 9/11, New Yorkers with disabilities continue to face disproportionate risks of catastrophic harm and death when disasters strike, like Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy.People with disabilities impacted by Sandy reported a lack of evacuation, wheelchair accessible...
California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC), et al. v. City of Oakland, 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...
California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC), et al. v. County of Sacramento
Sacramento International Airport serves approximately 7.9 million passengers per year yet has failed to make its facilities and services accessible to travelers with disabilities. The class action lawsuit filed in December of 2012, alleges that the County of Sacramento discriminates against...
Californians for Disability Rights, Inc. (CDR), et al. v. California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
In 2010, DRA; Jose Allen, partner at Skadden, Arps, Meagher & Flom LLP; and AARP Foundation Litigation (AFL) achieved a landmark $1.1 billion dollar settlement with Caltrans, the largest architectural access settlement to date for people with disabilities. Under the settlement, Caltrans agreed...
Celano v. Marriott
In 2008, the Court ordered Marriott International, Inc. to provide accessible golf carts at all of its golf facilities nationwide. Accessible golf carts, also known as single-rider carts, are used by individuals with mobility impairments. The carts are operated with hand controls and have seats...
Center for Independent Living, Inc. (CIL), et al. v. Wal-Mart
In today’s challenging economy, many Americans are shopping at stores that offer low prices, convenience and affordability. These stores such as Wal-Mart, are thus central to activities of daily living for millions of people. Yet, Wal-Mart the leading national retailer, knowingly places its...
Chabner v. United of Omaha
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...
City and County of San Francisco Structured Negotiations
Mr. Goodwin is a person of short stature who relies on a customized wheelchair for mobility. In 2011, Mr. Goodwin was travelling on a San Francisco sidewalk to catch a bus home when he fell from his wheelchair. He sustained injuries that required medical attention, and was transported by ambulance...
Communities Actively Living Independent and Free (CALIF), et al. v. City of Los Angeles
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...
Deaf Counseling, Advocacy and Referral Agency (DCARA), et al. v. San Francisco Airport (SFO)
In 2005, DRA reached a settlement with San Francisco Airport (SFO) that resulted in the installation of accessibility features such as visual paging, improved access to TTYs, improved signage, and numerous other features to make travel throughout the airport accessible for people who are deaf or...
Enyart v. National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)
In January of 2011, the Ninth Circuit Court granted Stephanie Enyart, a blind law school graduate, the right to use assistive technology to take the Multistate Bar Exam and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam. The court issued a landmark ruling that established that testing entities are...
Farrell v. Allen
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...
Gray, et. al v. Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), et al.
DRA represents a class of people with mobility and vision disabilities who cannot fully participate in GGNRA’s park system due to pervasive access barriers at its parks, facilities, and programs. The lawsuit, which was filed in 2008, seeks to resolve GGNRA’s discriminatory practices and conditions...
Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness (GLAD), et al. v. Time Warner, Inc.
The internet has revolutionized the speed of reporting and the ability to access news information. Within hours of a breaking story, videos are posted on news websites allowing the public to access critical information. This means that people no longer have to wait to get their news during...
Gustafson v. U.C. Berkeley
DRA reached a class action settlement with the University of California, Berkeley that is resulting in comprehensive access improvements to this leading national University. The Plaintiffs are a class of all students with mobility and/or vision disabilities at U.C. Berkeley. Under the settlement, U...
Guzman v. Wells Fargo
It is essential that all consumers have the ability to conduct business matters with companies by phone. In order for deaf and hard of hearing consumers to communicate with companies, they must use a relay calling service that involves an interpreter who facilitates communication between the...
Hayward Unified School District Structured Negotiations
The Hayward Unified School District has entered into a comprehensive agreement with DRA and Protection & Advocacy, Inc. (since renamed Disability Rights California) and several parents to make all its schools accessible to students with disabilities. The agreement was negotiated collaboratively...
Jantz, et al. v. Astrue
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. This is a victory for disabled employees of the Social Security Administration (SSA) who can proceed with the lawsuit which challenges...
Kaiser Permanente Structured Negotiations
In 2012, DRA, The California Council of the Blind (CCB), and Goldstein Borgen Dardarian & Ho (GBDH), entered structured negotiations with Kaiser Permanente to address health care access barriers. These barriers to services, programs, and facilities compromise the health care of...
Lane Bryant Structured Negotiations
In 2012, DRA, The California Council of the Blind (CCB), and the Law Offices of Jay Koslofsky reached a cooperative agreement with Lane Bryant. As a result of the agreement, Lane Bryant has added tactile keypads to its point-of-sale devices at all of its 83 locations in California. This...
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) et al. v. Ahern et al.
Last year, California enacted the Public Safety Realignment Act to decrease prison overcrowding and to send low-level offenders to county jails instead of prisons. Jails statewide are now experiencing an increase of people, including those with disabilities.This makes it critical now more than ever...
Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, et al. v. Redbox Automated Retail LLC, et al.
Self-service kiosk technology allows us to bank, shop, and conduct a wide range of transactions independently, without the assistance of a clerk. In this era of automated technology and self-service, it is important that businesses operate kiosks that allow everyone, including people with...
Macy's Cases
In one of the first cases under the ADA concerning access to business to go to trial, DRA prevailed on behalf of a class of all persons with mobility disabilities who were denied access to Macy's flagship store at Union Square in San Francisco.Subsequently, in Camalo v. Macy's, a global settlement...
Massachusetts General Hospital Structured Negotiations
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...
Metzler v. Kaiser
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...
Mitchum v. Santa Barbara School District
DRA reached a class action settlement with the Santa Barbara School District in improved access to the District's High School.DRA represented several students with mobility disabilities who had been subjected to discriminatory and dangerous conditions at this high school.One of the students, Liana...
National Federation of the Blind (NFB), et al. v. Law School Admissions Council (LSAC)
The Law School Admission Council’s (LSAC) website is the gateway for aspiring law students to apply to law schools and to register for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Yet, LSAC operated a website that was not accessible to blind law school applicants who use screen reader software.To...
National Federation of the Blind (NFB), et al. v. Target Corporation
As technology plays a central role in many facets of our lives from communication to purchasing goods, enrolling in classes and seeking employment, it is important now more than ever to bridge the digital divide between technology and people with disabilities.In 2006, DRA represented the National...
National Federation of the Blind (NFB), et al. v. United Airlines
In 2010, DRA and Co-counsel Brown Goldstein Levy LLP brought a lawsuit on behalf of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and several blind individuals to challenge United Airline’s use of touchscreen self-service kiosks, which are completely inaccessible to blind airport travelers. Kiosks...
Noel, et al. v. Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC)
In June of 2012, a federal court overturned a ruling which would have required New York to make its taxi fleet wheelchair accessible. Despite this development, New Yorkers with disabilities continue their long battle to challenge NYC’s segregated taxi system. On April 4, 2013, Judge Daniels of the...
Noon v. Alaska
DRA represented a class of all students in Alaska with learning disabilities who were required to take the Alaska High School Graduation Qualifying Examination (HSGQE). The parties reached a comprehensive settlement agreement on Monday, August 2, 2004. Among other critical new access features to...
PADD v. Equity Residential
In September of 2005, a settlement was reached to improve access for soldiers and their family members with disabilities to housing and access at Fort Lewis in Washington, the West Coast headquarters of the U.S. Army.DRA, Stritmatter Kessler Whelan Withey & Coluccio, Brancart & Brancart,...
Richard v. U-haul
In 1998, DRA settled a class action lawsuit with U-Haul, whereby U-Haul agreed to:Make significant modifications to its vehicle rental, retail, and storage facilities to bring those facilities into compliance with ADA regulationsProvide accessible information to customers with disabilities...
Smith, et al. v. Hotels.com
In 2009, DRA reached a landmark settlement with two major travel websites - Hotels.com and Expedia.com. Under the settlement, the major online travel service companies agreed to improve reservation services for travelers with disabilities.Both companies added new features to their travel websites...
Spieler v. Mt. Diablo Unified School District
The Spieler v. Mt. Diablo Consent Decree negotiated in 2000, represents the most sweeping school access settlement to date under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Consent Decree created equal access to school buildings, educational programs, and social programs. Mt. Diablo School District...
Sterling VisionCare
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...
Thompson v. Sutter Health
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...
Tucker v. CA State Parks
In 2005, DRA reached a landmark statewide class action settlement with the California State Park System. Under the settlement, the state park agency agreed to improve access to its system of over 250 different parks through comprehensive barrier removal.The improvements include making a reasonable...
UC Berkeley Accommodations Initiative Structured Negotiations
Nationwide, college students with print disabilities - individuals who cannot read standard print because of vision, physical, developmental, or learning disabilities - face major barriers and disparities to academic success because colleges and universities fail to provide these...
United Spinal Association v. N.Y. Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA)
In July of 2011, DRA reached a settlement with the N.Y. Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) that resulted in the installation of an elevator at the Dyckman Street subway station. DRA represented the United Spinal Association, whose members live with physical disabilities due to spinal cord...
United Spinal Association, et al. v. Board of Elections (BOE)
In August of 2012, a Federal Judge ruled that New York City’s Board of Elections (BOE) fails to provide voters who use wheelchairs and scooters or have vision impairments with adequate access to vote at polling places.The Federal Court decision recognizes that New Yorkers with disabilities face...
Veterans for Common Sense (VCS), et al. v. Shinseki, et al.
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...
WRAP v. Newsom
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...