Welcome to Disability Rights Advocates
June 25, 2008: Senior Federal District Court Judge Samuel Conti has issued his decision in the landmark case brought on behalf of veterans suffering from PTSD and traumatic brain injury in July of 2007. The trial was conducted from April 21 30, 2008, and included a week of testimony in early March. The trial focused on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and adjudication systems for disabled veterans. The trial included testimony from the heads of national veterans’ organizations, top VA officials and some of the leading experts in the country on the widespread failings of the VA system.
Read the Press Release.The Sutter Health network of hospitals, medical foundations and other health care service providers has taken a big legal step toward further improving health care access for patients with mobility, visual, hearing and speech disabilities who seek care at Sutter facilities.
On July 11, 2008, Judge Bonnie Sabraw of the Alameda County Superior Court granted final approval to a class action settlement agreement between Disability Rights Advocates and co-counsel Goldstein, Demchak, Baller, Borgen & Dardarian and Sutter Health. The landmark settlement is geared towards improving health care access for patients with disabilities at Sutter facilities. This comprehensive agreement resolves a class-action lawsuit filed to address these issues.
Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), private co-counsel, and Sutter Health announced Friday, April 18, 2008, that the Sutter network of hospitals, medical foundations and other health care service providers has taken a big legal step toward further improving health care access for patients with mobility, visual, hearing and speech disabilities who seek care from Sutter facilities.
Under the terms of the Agreement, Sutter is going to remove architectural barriers, acquire and install accessible medical equipment, and review and update policies and training relevant to people with disabilities at all of its California facilities.
Read the Order in Adobe Format.Read the Exhibits in Adobe Format:
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
Exhibit C
Exhibit D
Exhibit E
Exhibit F
Exhibit G
Exhibit H
Learn more about Health Access.
Federal District Court has certified a statewide class in the case consisting of all persons with mobility and/or vision disabilities who are allegedly being denied access to pedestrian facilities which are owned and/or maintained by the California Department of Transportation.
Read more about the case.The Golden Gate National Recreational Area (GGNRA) and the National Park Service (NPS) are discriminating against individuals with disabilities by denying them access to GGNRA parks. In order to end this discrimination, Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a California-based non-profit law firm, filed a class action complaint today in federal court on behalf of all people with mobility and vision disabilities who have been denied access to GGNRA parks.
Read the Press Release.On December 28, 2007, an en banc court of the Ninth Circuit returned the case to the district court for further review and analysis of UPS's use of the DOT hearing standard in its driver application process. We will post additional details about the next phase of the case when they become available, in approximately 60-90 days.
Read the Press Release.A landmark lawsuit, the first of its kind in the country, was filed against the City of Oakland to address the City’s failure to adequately plan to meet the mass care and shelter needs of people with disabilities in an emergency.
