Cases

DREDF Demands Action After State Fails To Protect Children From Abuse In Special Education

January 15, 2016
DREDF, the ACLU, and Disability Rights California delivered a demand letter to officials at the California Department of Education that calls for an independent monitor to investigate abusive practices at segregated special education sites all across the state. The demand came days after the release of a disturbing video showing a 9-year-old student with disabilities being restrained and hit by staffers at Tobinworld, a publicly-funded special education school in Antioch, California. [...]

Disability Discrimination Civil Rights Complaint vs. Berkeley Unified School District

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November 30, 2018
DREDF filed a disability discrimination civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights against Berkeley Unified School District for its continuing failure to ensure the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to qualified students with disabilities in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“Title II” or “ADA”), 42 U.S.C. § 12131 et seq., and its implementing regulations at 28 C.F.R. Part 35; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended, 29 U.S.C. § 794, and its implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 104. [...]

National Association of the Deaf, et. Al. v. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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February 12, 2015
DREDF and co-counsel filed a complaint against Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf and four individuals to gain equal access for deaf and hard of hearing individuals to the videos that the university makes available on the Internet — including courses offered through MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW), videos on the MIT Video website, much of which lacks proper captioning. [...]

National Association of the Deaf and VUDU, Inc.

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February 6, 2015
On behalf of the National Association of the Deaf, DREDF and co-counsel, Lewis, Feinberg, Lee, Renaker & Jackson, PC., negotiated an agreement with VUDU, a wholly-owned streaming entertainment subsidiary of Walmart, for VUDU to close caption 100% of its programming streamed through its Video on Demand service. [...]

American Nurses Association v. Torlakson (update 7/12/13)

August 12, 2013
"Today's decision is a critical victory for the estimated 14,000 California schoolchildren with diabetes and their right to diabetes health related services in school and during school–sponsored activities," said Larisa Cummings, DREDF Staff Attorney. "We're equally excited to see the practical realities of living with a disability and/or chronic illness safeguarded by established law."

NAD v. Netflix

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October 10, 2012
DREDF victory in NAD v. Netflix: Court rules that the ADA applies to web-only businesses! In a major victory for the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), the nation's premier civil rights organization for deaf and hard of hearing individuals, the District Court of Massachusetts held that the ADA applies to website-only businesses. In National Association of the Deaf, et al. v. Netflix, Judge Ponsor denied Netflix's motion for judgment on the pleadings and is allowing this disability civil rights case to move forward. The underlying lawsuit alleges that Netflix violates the ADA by failing to provide closed captioning on most of its "Watch Instantly" programming streamed on the Internet, thereby denying equal access to the deaf and hard of hearing community.

DREDF Secures Historic Settlement in National Association of the Deaf, et al. v. Netflix

October 10, 2012
Said Arlene Mayerson: "DREDF hopes that this is the beginning of opening the Internet for our country's 48 million deaf and hard of hearing individuals in streamed entertainment, education, government benefits, and more. We're so pleased that Netflix worked jointly with plaintiffs to devise a reasonable and workable way to achieve 100% captioning. The Decree is a model for the streaming entertainment industry."

Center for Independent Living, et al., v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

July 25, 2012
DREDF and co-counsel filed a lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. on behalf of the Center for Independent Living and two individuals to address a widespread problem that impacts core concerns for wheelchair and scooter users: independence and privacy at point-of-sale terminals (POS). POS machines that are not at accessible heights make it difficult or impossible for wheelchair and scooter users to independently and privately check out using a credit or debit card. When POS machines are out of reach, people must disclose their confidential PIN to cashiers or rely on others to verify and authorize payments.

Administrative Complaint Against the California Department of Social Services

July 13, 2012
DREDF filed an administrative complaint with the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (HHS–OCR) charging the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and the California Department of Health Care Services (CDHCS) with failure to adequately monitor disability discrimination in public benefits programs throughout California.

Mankinen v. Orange County

July 10, 2012
In June 2011, Edwin Mankinen, a resident of Orange County, California applied to the County for general assistance, a cash benefit that is offered by all California counties to indigent residents. General assistance is often the last resort and most basic aid for people who are jobless and homeless. During the application process Mankinen was asked for unnecessary paperwork, discouraged from applying, and given no assistance. Because investigations showed that other applicants had similar experiences, DREDF joined co-counsel Western Center on Law & Poverty and The Public Interest Law Project brought a class–action case to remedy systemic disability discrimination by the County.