Press Releases

Settlement Reached to Improve Access to Hotels.Com and Expedia Reservation Services for Disabled Travelers

Oakland, CA - January 26, 2009 – Under a settlement announced today, Hotels.com and Expedia.com, two of the world’s leading online travel companies, have agreed to add features to their online travel reservation systems so that millions of travelers with disabilities can use their online services to search for and reserve hotel rooms that have the accommodations they need. Plaintiffs in the California lawsuit Smith v. Hotels.com were represented by the public interest law firms of Disability...

National Federation of the Blind and Target Agree to Class Action Settlement

Baltimore, Maryland - August 27, 2008 - The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and Target (NYSE: TGT) announced today that they have settled a class action lawsuit regarding access to the Target.com Web site by blind people. Dr. Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said: “Access to Web sites is critical to the full and equal participation of blind people in all aspects of modern life. The National Federation of the Blind is pleased to have reached a settlement...

Golfers with Disabilities Reach Settlement over Accessible Golf Carts at Half Moon Bay Golf Links

San Francisco, CA - January 29, 2008 - Golfers with disabilities have scored a major victory in a lawsuit against Marriott International, Inc. In a disability civil rights case with far reaching implications, a federal court in San Francisco has ruled that Marriott is obligated under federal law to make accessible golf carts available for the use of disabled golfers. Even though hundreds of golf courses around the country have informally recognized that disabled golfers are entitled to this...

Communications Access Improved At San Francisco International Airport For Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Travelers

San Francisco, CA - December 14, 2005 - Deaf and hard of hearing travelers will receive equal communications access to San Francisco International Airport programs and services under a settlement announced by all parties involved. Plaintiffs in the case were represented by Disability Rights Advocates, a non-profit law center based in Berkeley, California, that specializes in cases brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and by California Center for Law and the Deaf (CalCLAD), a non-...

Unique Settlement Improves Housing and Access for Disabled Family Residents at Fort Lewis Army Base

Oakland, CA - September 28, 2005 - Plaintiffs and Defendants announced today that they reached a settlement agreement that will 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. Plaintiffs in this case are seven families stationed at Fort Lewis that have at least one family member with a disability. Plaintiffs are represented by Disability Rights Advocates, a national non-...

Landmark Settlement in Case of Inhumane Conditons in California Youth Authority; Major Reforms for Wards with Disabilities

Berkeley, CA - November 16, 2005 - In a sweeping consent decree filed today, the California Youth Authority (CYA), the state’s juvenile prison system, has agreed to a major overhaul of the entire CYA system to address the inhumane and illegal conditions of confinement which currently affect the over 5,000 young inmates (referred to as “wards”) in the CYA system. The case, Farrell v. Allen, was brought under state law as a taxpayer action to stop the CYA from using taxpayer funds to further...