Press Releases
Federal Judge Issues Permanent Legal Resolution for Blind Law School Graduate Who Paved the Way for Blind Test Takers
Berkeley, CA - October 26, 2011 - On Monday, October 24, the Honorable Judge Charles R. Breyer ended a two-year legal battle between a blind law school graduate and a national testing corporation over the graduate’s right to use a computer equipped with assistive technology to take the California Bar Exam. Granting Stephanie Enyart’s motion for summary judgment, Judge Breyer found that Ms. Enyart is entitled to take the bar exam on a computer equipped with text-to-speech screen reading and...
Mayor Bloomberg Sued for Neglect of Disabled New Yorkers During Emergency Disasters
New York, NY – September 26, 2011 – Major disasters in New York City such as the September 11th terrorist attack and more recently Hurricane Irene, have shown that the city is not prepared to meet the needs of people with disabilities during disasters. A lawsuit filed today in Federal District Court in the Southern District of New York alleges that Mayor Bloomberg and the City of New York discriminate against men, women, and children with disabilities by failing to include their unique needs...
United Spinal Association Settles Suit with MTA Regarding Accessibility at a Subway Station
New York, NY – July 21, 2011– It was announced today that the MTA has agreed to the installation of an elevator at the Dyckman Street subway station. The agreement was the product of settlement of litigation between United Spinal Association -- represented by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) -- the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA).
In the settlement, the MTA commits to installing an elevator at the elevated southbound platform of the...
City of Richmond Adopts New Emergency Plan to Address the Needs of People with Disabilities and the Elderly
Richmond, CA - June 8, 2011 – Through a cooperative effort announced today by Disability Rights Advocates and the City of Richmond, Richmond has adopted a new emergency plan to address the needs of people with all types of disabilities.
In 2008, Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), a non-profit legal center that specializes in civil rights cases on behalf of persons with disabilities, wrote a letter to the City of Richmond on behalf of Dorene Giacopini, an individual with a mobility disability...
National Federation of the Blind and Law School Admissions Council Agree to Settlement LSAC Will Make its Web Site Fully Accessible to the Blind
Baltimore, Maryland - April 26, 2011- The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) today announced that it has settled a lawsuit with the Law School Admissions Council, Inc. (LSAC) regarding access to the LSAC Web site (www.lsac.org) by blind people. As part of the settlement, LSAC will provide full and equal access to its Web site for blind users by September 1, 2011. Changes will be made to the LSAC Web site that will allow blind users utilizing screen access technology, which converts what...
Cinemark and ALDA Announce Greater Movie Theatre Accessibility for Customers who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing
Plano, TX - April 26, 2011 - Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), one of the world’s largest motion picture exhibitors, today announced that it will provide a closed captioning option for people who are deaf or have significant hearing loss in all of its first-run theatres. Cinemark is installing captioning systems on a rolling basis across its circuit in conjunction with the chain's conversion to an all-digital format. Installation started early this year and about half of Cinemark’s...
United Airlines Discriminates Against Blind Passengers
San Francisco, California - October 25, 2010 - The National Federation of the Blind, the nation’s oldest and largest organization of blind people and the leading advocate for accessible technology, and three blind individuals—Michael Hingson, Mike May, and Tina Thomas—who reside in California and frequently fly United, filed a class-action lawsuit today in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against United Airlines. United uses airport kiosks that employ...
Class Action by Disabled Employees against the Social Security Administration Will Go Forward
Berkeley, CA - August 30, 2010 - A group of disabled employees of the Social Security Administration has secured another victory in a class action before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 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. The action alleges that the Social Security Administration discriminates against employees with targeted disabilities by creating...
Sweeping Settlement Reached By The City Of Oakland To Include People With Disabilities In Disaster Planning
Oakland, CA – January 21, 2010 - In a sweeping settlement announced today by Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) and the City of Oakland, Oakland has agreed to adopt an emergency plan which incorporates the needs of people with all types of disabilities.
The suit was filed in 2007 against the City of Oakland to remedy the lack of consideration of people with disabilities in its emergency preparation plan. Plaintiffs – the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers ("CFILC"),...
Sweeping Landmark Class Action Settlement Paves the Way for Improved Sidewalk Access for People with Disabilities
Berkeley, CA - December 22, 2009 - In an unprecedented settlement announced today, two individuals with disabilities, two disability rights organizations, and the California Department of Transportation (“Caltrans”) have reached a comprehensive plan that will provide access for persons with mobility and vision disabilities to 2,500 miles of sidewalk and Park and Ride facilities across the State of California that are owned or maintained by Caltrans. The settlement resolves two hard fought...