Welcome to Disability Rights Advocates
The Access to Education Project is presently focused on two areas, Access to K-12 Schools and Testing Access.
Education is a right for all citizens. Children with disabilities have been denied this basic civil right for far too long. DRA engages in high impact litigation to make sure that children with disabilities can access all school buildings, playgrounds, transportation and educational technology that is used in the classroom. No child should be denied full participation in any education or extracurricular program because of his or her disability.
DRA's education project seeks to remove barriers through high impact litigation, research and by informing parents, students and teachers about their rights.
The Spieler v. Mt. Diablo Unified School District case is one example of DRA's success in this area. Additionally, although DRA does not represent individual students with IEP and 504 Plans, we do maintain a list of resources you may find helpful.
Students with learning disabilities face many barriers to academic success. In just a few short years, however, DRA and others in the learning disability community have advocated to ensure full and fair accessibility under the law. Is this spirit, the Testing Access Project was created to investigate barriers and advocate for removal of those barriers affecting students with learning disabilities. These issues include the availability of testing accommodations, alternate assessments, as well as other safeguards necessary to comply with the law and guarantee educationally sound opportunities to students with learning disabilities.
Chapman v. California Department of Education
Turner v. Association of American Medical Colleges
If you or anyone you know with documented learning disabilities was denied testing accommodations on either a high school exit exam or a national standardized test, such as the SAT or MCAT, Please complete an intake form. More information about our current investigation of high-stakes testing is also available.
DRA hosts third-year law students, judicial law clerks, and where appropriate, recent law graduates, for two-year fellowships in learning disability rights law. Read more about these oportunities.
