Introducing the IDEA and Other Laws in Special Education
2025-09-08 19:00 - 20:45 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
This webinar will be Part 1 of the Special Education Academy, a new 10-part series running monthly through June 2026. The series will lead parents, families, and students through the main principles and parts of the special education process from understanding the IDEA, California Education Code, and other laws through putting together the Offer of FAPE, IEP implementation, and transition to post-secondary life. The series will be comprehensive and give attendees the information and tools they need so that students with disabilities have IEP teams that are collaborative, solution-oriented, and focused on using the power of the IEP to prepare students for their futures.

Part 1 will focus on the six principles of the IDEA, along with effective advocacy tips that can be used that very week by every parent and student.

Please note the webinar will be recorded.

You must register in advance for this training: Registration Link

Celebrating Resistance 2025: DREDF's 46th Anniversary Event
2025-09-11 17:00 - 19:45 | Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline Street, Berkeley, CA, 94703, United States
Celebrating Resistance
DREDF’s 46th Anniversary Event
Action, Advocacy, and Community

Thursday, September 11, 2025
Doors Open: 5:00 pm PDT
Program: 6:00 pm – 7:45 pm PDT

This event will also be livestreamed via Zoom, and a link will be sent out by September 8th.

Come join us for an evening of fun, activism, and community! Our 46th Anniversary Event: Celebrating Resistance 2025 will feature disability activist, Emmy award winner and rabble-rouser Keith Jones. Keith is the President and CEO of SoulTouchin’ Experiences LLC, which promotes access, inclusion, and empowerment for people with and without disabilities. He will be joined by Jim LeBrecht as Emcee. Jim most recently directed the documentary Change Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act for PBS’ American Experience program, which highlights DREDF’s role in the passage of the ADA. Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, U.S. Representative from California’s 12th District and the first member of Congress known to be congenitally blind, will provide video remarks.

Real-time captioning and ASL will be provided.

Masks are required when not eating or drinking, and KN95 masks will be available on-site.

DREDF will have a limited number of donated tickets available for people unable to pay for a ticket. Please email tickets@dredf.org to make a request for a donated ticket. Please understand that we cannot guarantee that all requests for donated tickets will be accommodated.

Event Program

6:00 PM — Opening by Jim LeBrecht, Emcee & Former DREDF Board Member
6:10 PM — Land Acknowledgement by Isabella Zizi, Northern Cheyenne, Arikara Mvskoke Creek | Idle No More SF Bay & Movement Rights
6:15 PM — Welcome by Steve Kaye, DREDF Board Chair
6:20 PM — Welcome by Michelle Uzeta, DREDF Interim Director
6:25 PM — Video Remarks by Lateefah Simon, U.S. Representative from California’s 12th District
6:30 PM — Claudia Center, DREDF Legal Director Introduces Awardees: Covington & Burling LLP and Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
6:43 PM — Keynote, Spoken Word & Music by Keith Jones
6:58 PM — Video Segment of Change, Not Charity by Jim LeBrecht
7:07 PM — Family Story by Crystal Gardener with Introduction by Karma Quick-Panwala, DREDF’s Children & Family Advocacy Services Director
7:20 PM — Closing remarks
7:30 PM — End of Program

Thank you to Our Sponsors!

Presenter

Guy Wallace

Legacy Builder

Kathi Pugh

Visionary

David German

Shartsis Friese, LLP

Leader

Donna H. Odierna & Lisa R. Hirsch

Steve Kaye & Mitch LaPlante

Benefactor

Stanley Yarnell and Victor Rowley

Advocate

Dorene Giacopini

Knauf Associates and Mediations

Peter Korn & Anneli Meyer Korn

Ricki Blau & Bill Reeves

Activist

Claudia Center

Jeff and Meri Lane

Jinny Kim

Kim Swain & Michael Sugarman

Lainey Feingold

Linda & Bruce MacLeod

Michelle Uzeta

Miller Starr Regalia

Ralph G. Neas, former Executive Director of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Silvia Yee & Alex Wang

Susan Freundlich

Wilmer Harris Law

Interested in being a sponsor of Celebrating Resistance? Learn more about sponsorship benefits and opportunities here. If you have questions, contact Susan Freundlich at sfreundlich@dredf.org

For general questions, accommodation, and language interpretation requests, please contact us at (510) 644-2555 or info@dredf.org by September 1.

Thank you for your interest in attending our 46th Anniversary Celebration, Celebrating Resistance. We have reached our maximum capacity. Please join us remotely by streaming the event over Zoom.

Fundamentos de Defensa en la Educación Especial: Estrategias para el Éxito
2025-09-22 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom
Este seminario web hablarla sobre la importancia de estrategias de defensa para los estudiantes con discapacidades. Las defensas eficaces aportan en colaborar con el resto del equipo de IEP para orientar, crear servicios basados en necesidad y encontrar soluciones para preparar a los estudiantes para el futuro.

Debe registrarse con anticipación para esta capacitación: Enlace de registro

Know Your Rights, Own Your Voice: Disability Access in College
2025-09-29 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
This training is all about helping students understand their rights and options for getting support in college if they have a disability or need extra help. We’ll talk about what accommodations and how to ask for them. You’ll learn who to talk to, what paperwork you might need, and how to make sure you’re getting the support you deserve to succeed in college.

You must register in advance for this webinar: Registration Link

Know Your Rights in the IEP Process
2025-10-14 19:00 - 20:45 | Zoom
Come with us as we begin to dig into the Procedural Safeguards–a.k.a. parents’ rights–and explore the tools parents, families, and even students can use when things begin to go sideways. This webinar will include advocacy strategies that families can use immediately to support their students and engage with the IEP team or 504 team members.

Please note the webinar will be recorded.

You must register in advance for this training: Registration Link

Introducción a la Ley de Educación para Niños con Discapacidades (IDEA) y otras leyes relacionadas con la educación especial
2025-10-15 19:00 - 20:45 | Zoom
Este seminario web será la primera parte de la Academia de Educación Especial, una nueva serie de 10 partes que se realizará mensualmente hasta junio de 2026. La serie enseñará a los padres, las familias y los estudiantes los principios y las partes principales del proceso de educación especial, desde la comprensión de la ley IDEA, el Código de Educación de California y otras leyes, hasta la elaboración de la Oferta de Educación Pública Gratuita y Adecuada (FAPE), la implementación del IEP y la transición a la vida adulta. La serie será detallada y les dará a los participantes la información y las herramientas que necesitan para que los estudiantes con discapacidades tengan equipos de IEP que colaboren, se enfoquen en encontrar soluciones y usen el poder del IEP para preparar a los estudiantes para su futuro.

La primera parte se enfocará en los seis principios de la IDEA, con consejos útiles de defensa para que todos los padres y estudiantes puedan usar esa misma semana.

Tiene que registrarse para poder ingresar a la capacitación: Enlace del Registro.

Conozca sus derechos en el proceso del IEP
2025-10-21 19:00 - 20:45 | Zoom
Acompáñenos a conocer más a fondo las garantías procesales, también conocidas como derechos de los padres, y exploraremos las herramientas que los padres, las familias e incluso los estudiantes pueden utilizar cuando las cosas comienzan a empeorar. Este seminario web incluirá estrategias de defensa que las familias pueden utilizar de inmediato para apoyar a sus estudiantes y colaborar con el equipo del IEP o los miembros del equipo 504.

Tiene que registrarse para participar en la capacitación: Enlace del Registro.

Collaborative Agency Meet & Greet: Dunsmuir
2025-10-24 14:00 - 16:00 | Dunsmuir Community Resource Center, 5844 Dunsmuir Ave., Dunsmuir, CA, 96025, United States
Download the flyer (PDF)

*All are welcome! Light refreshments will be provided.*

Come join us to:

– Learn about supports and services
– Connect with professionals and families
– Access resources for advocacy & education
– Get one-on-one consultations for IEPs & 504 Plans

For more information, contact:

-Dunsmuir Community Resource Center – 530-235-4400
-Renee Bauer – renee.bauer@scdd.ca.gov
-Karma Quick-Panwala – kquick@dredf.org

Building Bridges: Advancing Supported Decision-Making in Diverse Communities
2025-10-25 09:00 - 16:00 | Laney College, 900 Fallon Street, Oakland, 94607, United States
California State University East Bay is hosting a FREE conference on Supported Decision Making in Oakland at Laney College on October 25th! The state of California granted formal recognition to SDM in September 2022 with the passage of AB 1663, Probate Conservatorship Reform and Supported Decision-Making Act. This law changed the landscape for adults with disabilities and adults with mental health challenges. The law allows these groups to choose who can support them when making decisions in their life in relation to: education, healthcare, law and finances. CSUEB received a grant that is funding a statewide conference that will go into greater detail on this topic. We are inviting current professionals, students, healthcare professionals, therapists, social workers, finance and legal professionals to join us.

What is Supported Decision Making? A new law that gives adults with disabilities choices with who will support them. More information on SDM is here, and please attend the Conference!!

The Building Bridges: Advancing Supported Decision-Making (SDM) in Diverse Communities conference aims to address SDM for professionals in California in:

-Education
-Healthcare
-Speech pathology
-Social work, social services, and behavioral health
-Law
-Nonprofit organizations

and others who work with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), aging communities and people with mental health conditions. This conference aims to increase knowledge and application of SDM with professionals in California, facilitate community dialogue, and work towards a cultural shift to reduce the use of conservatorship. Continuing Education Units (CEU) are available.

The conference will include workshops and community conversation sessions that can increase the capacity for professionals serving diverse people with disabilities and their families to provide relevant and culturally responsive information about SDM.

Contact: sdmconference@csueastbay.edu
Conference Website: Building Bridges: Advancing Supported Decision-Making in Diverse Communities Conference

You must register in advance for this event: Registration Link

Virtual Town Hall to Protect Children with Disabilities & Protect IDEA
2025-11-04 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom
In light of recent events in the U.S. Department of Education and actions that threaten the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the rights of more than 8 million children with disabilities, we invite you to join a grassroots virtual Town Hall for parents, teachers, and advocates for children with disabilities.

Speakers will share insights about recent events and discuss actions you can take.

Together we will use our collective voice to compel the Administration to protect children with disabilities and urge Congress to help protect the IDEA, whose sole purpose is to ensure equitable access and opportunity to education for every child with a disability.

We look forward to connecting with you! You must register in advance for this event: Registration Link

Part 3 of 10: Special Education Evaluations: Why and How We Evaluate Students with Disabilities
2025-11-10 19:00 - 20:45 | Zoom
Now that we know the basics of the IDEA and parent rights in the process, how do we begin? What is the first step to take to get a student an IEP, and what are the parts of the process? Come explore evaluations with us and learn why they are so important to understand. This webinar will include advocacy strategies that families can use immediately to support their students and engage with the IEP team or 504 team members.

Please note the webinar will be recorded.

You must register in advance for this training: Registration Link

Parte 3 de 10: Evaluaciones de Educación Especial: Por qué se evalúa a los estudiantes con discapacidad
2025-11-12 19:00 - 20:45 | Zoom
Ahora que conocemos los conceptos básicos de la Ley de Educación para Personas con Discapacidades (IDEA) y los derechos de los padres en el proceso, ¿cómo empezamos? ¿Cuál es el primer paso para que un estudiante obtenga un Programa de Educación Individualizado (IEP) y cuáles son las partes del proceso? Acompáñenos a explorar las evaluaciones y descubra por qué es tan importante comprenderlas. Este seminario web incluirá estrategias de defensa que las familias pueden aplicar de inmediato para apoyar a sus estudiantes y colaborar con los miembros del equipo del IEP o del equipo 504.

Debe registrarse con anticipación para esta capacitación: Enlace de registro

Connecting Communities: A Disability Services Meet & Greet: Weaverville
2025-11-13 12:00 - 14:30 | Human Response Network, 111 Mountain View St., Weaverville, CA, 96093, United States
*All are welcome! Light refreshments will be provided.*

Come join us to:

-Learn about supports and services
-Connect with professionals and families
-Access resources for advocacy & education
-Get one-on-one consultations for IEPs & 504 Plans

Space provided by: Human Response Network

In collaboration with: The State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD), Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF), Far Northern Regional Center, and Rowell Family Empowerment Center

For more information, contact:
Renee Bauer— renee.bauer@scdd.ca.gov
Karma Quick-Panwala—kquick@dredf.org

Author Talk with Scot Danforth
2025-12-06 14:00 - 15:00 | Berkeley Central Library, 2090 Kittredge Street, Berkeley, CA, 94704, United States
Join us for a talk by Chapman University Professor Scot Danforth on his new book An Independent Man: Ed Roberts and the Fight for Disability Rights. Presented in partnership with UC Press

About the Book
The first biography of one of the founders of the disability rights movement, An Independent Man chronicles the life of an activist who reimagined the meaning of equality and inspired generations of reformers.

Before Jonas Salk’s vaccine, polio was a social death sentence. The disabled were expected to disappear into their limitations, pitied by those around them. This might have been the story of Ed Roberts, paralyzed and consigned to sleep in an iron lung. But Roberts insisted on what all people deserve: a full life.

Scot Danforth deftly captures Roberts’s adventurous personality and radical vision, chronicling his life from his student activist days at the University of California, Berkeley, in the early 1960s to his career highlights of establishing the pioneering Center for Independent Living and directing California’s Department of Rehabilitation. By insisting that disabled persons are valuable members of society, and by translating his ideas into action, Roberts laid the ground for the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ongoing movement for equality.

About the Author
Scot Danforth is the Jack H. and Paula A. Hassinger Chair in Education and Professor of Disability Studies at Chapman University.

Find out more at the University of California Press

Wheelchair accessible. Request sign language interpreter, real-time captioning, materials in large print, braille, or other accommodations by calling 510-981-6195 (Library) or the 510-981-6347 (City of Berkeley TDD line). Please refrain from scented products during public programs.

Part 4 of 10: Evaluations and Assessment Reports: How to Review Them and Prepare for the IEP Meeting
2025-12-08 19:00 - 20:45 | Zoom
If a child has a disability or suspected disability, important state and federal laws protect their right to an education. Learn how the IEP/special education process works, what the school district/charter school responsibilities and timelines are, and how to participate in the process effectively, and advocate on behalf of your child or the children you serve.

Please note the webinar will be recorded.

**CART (live captions) provided. You must register in advance for this training: Registration Link

Looking Ahead: Potential Consequences of Dismantling the U.S. Department of Education
2025-12-09 11:00 - 12:00 | Zoom
Join DREDF and COPAA as we walk through the role of the U.S. Department of Education in special education, what special education may look like across the country if the Department is dismantled, and what parents, students, advocates, and professionals should know.

Presenters:
-Karma Quick-Panwala (she/her), DREDF
-Jinny Kim (she/her), DREDF
-Denise Marshall, COPAA

*ASL and CART will be provided. If you need any other accommodations, please reach out to pti@dredf.org no later than Tuesday, December 2nd. Late requests may be impossible to fill. You must register in advance for this webinar: Registration Link

Parte 4 de 10: Evaluaciones e Informes de Evaluación: Cómo Revisarlos y Prepararse para la Reunión del Programa de Educación Individualizado (IEP)
2025-12-09 19:00 - 20:45 | Zoom
A medida que se acerca la reunión del Programa de Educación Individualizado (IEP) para revisar los informes de evaluación y otras partes del proceso, ¿cómo podemos comprender qué se ha evaluado? ¿Cómo interpretamos los números en el informe? ¿Qué información necesita el equipo del IEP de una evaluación para elaborar el propio plan? Responderemos estas y otras preguntas durante este seminario web, que también incluirá estrategias de defensa que las familias pueden aplicar de inmediato para apoyar a sus estudiantes y colaborar con los miembros del equipo del IEP o del equipo 504.

Se proporcionará CART (subtítulos en directo). Debe registrarse con anticipación para esta capacitación: Enlace de registro

Know Your Rights! / ¡Conoce Tus Derechos!
2025-12-10 12:00 - 13:00 | 1470 Fruitvale Ave, Oakland, CA, 94601, United States
About the Webinar

Join us for Part 3 of the Know Your Rights! Webinar Series—an empowering session designed to help community members better understand their rights and the resources available to them.

This session will feature guest speakers from across the country sharing critical insights, legal knowledge, and lived experience.

Whether you join online or in person, you’ll gain tools, information, and confidence to better advocate for yourself and your community.

Who Should Attend

-People with disabilities
-Advocates and allies
-Family members
-Community members interested in learning more about rights and advocacy

Accessibility

We are committed to ensuring this event is inclusive and accessible to all participants. If you require accommodations, please indicate your needs during registration.

Hybrid Location

👉 Register today and be part of this important conversation!

—————————————————————————————-

Sobre el Seminario

Únete a la Parte 3 de la Serie de Webinars ¡Conoce Tus Derechos!, una sesión empoderadora diseñada para ayudar a los miembros de la comunidad a comprender mejor sus derechos y los recursos disponibles para ellos.

Esta sesión contará con invitados de todo el país que compartirán perspectivas clave, conocimientos legales y experiencias de vida.

Ya sea que te unas de manera virtual o presencial, obtendrás herramientas, información y confianza para defender mejor tus derechos y los de tu comunidad.

¿Quiénes Deberían Asistir?

-Personas con discapacidades
-Defensores y aliados
-Miembros de familia
-Miembros de la comunidad interesados en aprender más sobre derechos y defensa

Accesibilidad

Estamos comprometidos a garantizar que este evento sea inclusivo y accesible para todas las personas participantes. Si necesitas adaptaciones, por favor indícalo durante tu registro.

Locación Híbrida

👉 ¡Regístrate hoy y sé parte de esta importante conversación!

Legal Rights & Self-Advocacy in Reproductive Care
2025-12-16 17:30 - 19:00 | Zoom
Are you a person with a disability in LA County? Are you interested in learning more about your disability rights and self advocacy strategies when you go to the doctor? Do you wish you knew more about your rights to access sexual and reproductive healthcare?

Everyone has the right to safe, accessible reproductive health care. There is No Reproductive Justice Without Disability Justice.

Join ACCESS Reproductive Justice and Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) to learn about your legal rights, current challenges in today’s legal landscape, and where to turn for support.

We are pleased to collaborate with disability sex-educator and reproductive health self-advocate, Robin Wilson-Beattie (She/Her). Robin will share her experiences and discuss self and systems advocacy strategies in the reproductive healthcare system.

While our funding focuses on LA County, this offering is open to all who want to learn and take action.

You must register in advance for this event: Registration Link

Informational Briefing: HHS's Anti-Trans Proposal to Limit Section 504
2026-01-12 10:30 - 11:45 | Zoom
On December 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposed three rules that will harm transgender youth and adults. One proposal is to amend Section 504 regulations to allow disability discrimination against trans people with gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is a medical condition experienced by some transgender individuals and that can be a disability. Section 504 bars disability discrimination by those who receive federal dollars. Join this informational briefing to learn about this harmful proposal and how you can oppose it. Comments to oppose this rule are due on January 20, 2026.

Presenters:

– Claudia Center (she/her), Legal Director, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund

– Ma’ayan Analfi (they/them), Senior Counsel for Health Equity and Justice, National Women’s Law Center

*ASL and CART (live captions) provided. Contact Ally Cline at acline@dredf.org for any accommodations you may need. You must register in advance for this webinar: Registration Link

Part 5 of 10: The Importance of IEP Goals
2026-01-12 19:00 - 20:45 | Zoom
Join us as we introduce the annual goals of the Individualized Education Program (IEP), the accountability mechanism that provides access to education and ensures students receive free appropriate public education (FAPE) in their IEPs. What does the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) say about goals, and where do the goals come from? What kinds of goals can there be? How many goals can my child have? We’ll answer these questions and more.

**CART (live captions) provided. Contact pti@dredf.org for any accommodations you may need by January 5th. Late requests may not be possible to fill. You must register in advance for this webinar: Registration Link

Parte 5 de 10: La importancia de los objetivos del IEP
2026-01-13 19:00 - 20:45 | Zoom
Acompáñenos mientras presentamos los objetivos anuales del Programa de Educación Individualizada (IEP), el mecanismo de rendición de cuentas que brinda acceso a la educación y garantiza que los estudiantes reciban una educación pública gratuita y adecuada (FAPE) en sus IEP. ¿Qué dice la Ley de Educación para Personas con Discapacidades (IDEA) sobre los objetivos y de dónde provienen estos? ¿Qué tipos de objetivos pueden existir? ¿Cuántos objetivos puede tener mi hijo? Responderemos estas y otras preguntas.

Se proporcionará CART (subtítulos en directo). Póngase en contacto con pti@dredf.org antes del 6 de enero para solicitar cualquier adaptación que pueda necesitar. Es posible que no se puedan atender las solicitudes de última hora. Debe registrarse con anticipación para esta capacitación: Enlace de registro

National Organizing Call: No Federal Funding for Homeless Detention Camps!
2026-01-29 13:30 - 15:00 | Zoom
Across the country, responses to homelessness are shifting away from housing and healthcare and toward punishment and detention. In Utah, the governor has proposed defunding housing programs to build a large, remote, government-run detention camp for people experiencing homelessness, potentially using federal dollars.

History shows that detention camps, forced treatment, and criminalization do not end homelessness—they cause harm, waste public resources, undermine human dignity, and deepen racial inequities. Housing and healthcare are the proven solutions.

In response, advocates are launching the No Federal Funding for Homeless Detention Camps campaign. On January 29, the National Alliance to End Homelessness will host a webinar led by the National Homelessness Law Center that will examine Utah’s proposal, its federal funding implications, the impacts on people experiencing homelessness, and opportunities for coordinated advocacy to stop this approach from spreading.

Join to:

-Understand how Utah’s proposal fits into a broader national push toward detention and forced treatment
-Hear from legal, mental health, service provider, and advocacy leaders
-Learn how to take action to prevent federal homelessness funding from being diverted into detention camps.

You must register in advance for this event: Registration Link.

Ed Roberts Day: Book Reading of An Independent Man
2026-01-29 17:00 - 20:00 | Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline Street, Berkeley, CA, 94703, United States
Join us for a special Ed Roberts Day event celebrating the legacy of Ed Roberts and the disability rights movement through a community book reading of An Independent Man. An Independent Man tells the powerful story of Ed Roberts — disability rights pioneer, activist, and one of the founders of the independent living movement — whose leadership helped reshape civil rights, accessibility, and inclusion for generations to come. This evening gathering invites community members, advocates, and allies to come together for a shared reading, reflection, and connection in the place where Ed’s legacy continues to live and grow.

Accessibility

The Ed Roberts Campus is fully accessible. After registering, please let us know at events@thecil.org:

-If you require ASL interpretation
-Any other access needs or accommodations that will help you fully participate

We are committed to making this event welcoming and accessible to all.

Community & Inclusion

This event is open to everyone — persons with disabilities, family members, advocates, students, and community allies are warmly encouraged to attend. We look forward to gathering together to honor Ed Roberts’ legacy and the continued strength of our community.

Masks are required. Light refreshments will be served.

You must register in advance for this event: Registration Link

Part 6 of 10: Writing SMART Goals in the IEP
2026-02-09 19:00 - 20:45 | Zoom
Join us as we go over the legal standards for goals, the formula for writing SMART Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals, and everything from the baseline to short-term objectives to the annual goal itself. We’ll give examples of good goals and help you understand the goals in your child’s IEP. Be sure to bring the IEP to this webinar!

*CART (live captions) provided. Contact pti@dredf.org for any accommodations you may need by Monday, February 2nd. Late requests may not be possible to fill. You must register in advance for this webinar: Registration Link.

Parte 6 de 10: Creando Objetivos SMART para el documento IEP
2026-02-10 19:00 - 20:45 | Zoom
Acompáñenos mientras repasamos los estándares legales de los objetivos, la fórmula para crear objetivos SMART del Programa Educativo Individualizado (IEP) y todo relacionado con los objetivos, desde los puntos de referencia hasta los objetivos a corto plazo y el objetivo anual en sí. Proveeremos ejemplos de objetivos apropiados y le ayudaremos a entender los objetivos del documento de IEP de su hijo. Asegúrese de traer el IEP a este seminario web!

*Se proporcionará CART (subtítulos en directo). Póngase en contacto con pti@dredf.org antes del 2 de febrero para solicitar cualquier adaptación que pueda necesitar. Es posible que no se puedan atender las solicitudes de última hora. Debe registrarse con anticipación para esta capacitación: Enlace de registro.

Using Disability Law and Domestic Abuse Protections to Avoid Eviction - Practical Tools for Advocates and Legal Service Providers
2026-02-19 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom
Eviction is often the result of circumstances far beyond a tenant’s control—especially for people with disabilities and survivors of domestic or sexual violence. Advocates can play a critical role in stopping displacement, but only if they know how to use the full range of legal protections available.

In this webinar, attorneys from the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) and the Family Violence Appellate Project (FVAP) will walk through legal strategies to prevent eviction and other adverse housing actions.

DREDF will cover how to use disability rights laws to protect tenants, including:
– Using fair housing laws to stop or delay eviction
– Advocating for tenants who have difficulty communicating or who need decision-making support
– Strategies for representing clients who do not want to disclose a disability

FVAP will cover eviction protections for survivors, including: – Legal defenses when eviction is tied to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other abuse
– Protections when tenants needed emergency assistance because of violence or another crisis
– How to frame survivor-based defenses effectively in housing court and with landlords

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how disability law and survivor protections can work together to keep people housed.

*ASL and CART (live captions) provided. Contact Ally Cline at acline@dredf.org for any accommodations you may need by Thursday, February 12, 2026. Late requests may not be possible to fill. You must register in advance for this webinar: Registration Link.

Texas v. Kennedy (2026) -- The renewed attack on Section 504 and Olmstead
2026-02-25 10:30 - 12:00 | Zoom
Nine states – Alaska, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, South Dakota, and Texas – have renewed their attack on Section 504 and our right to live in the community. In Texas v. Kennedy (2026), the states say that the updated Section 504 rules are unlawful and unconstitutional. They want to weaken the “integration mandate” — the rule that people with disabilities have a right to live in the community with supports and not be forced into nursing homes and hospitals. Join this webinar to learn how to fight this dangerous plan to take away our human rights.

Presenters:
-Claudia Center (she/her), Legal Director, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund
-Maria Town (she/her), President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities
-Jennifer Mathis (she/her), Deputy Director, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
-Theo W. Braddy (he/him), Executive Director, National Council on Independent Living

*ASL and CART (live captions) provided. Contact Ally Cline at acline@dredf.org for any accommodations you may need by Friday, February 20th. Late requests may not be possible to fill. You must register in advance for this webinar: Registration Link

Part 7 of 10: Accommodations and Modifications in the IEP and 504 Plans
2026-03-09 19:00 - 20:45 | Zoom
Join us as we talk through accommodations and modifications during the school day. What can accommodations look like? What are modifications? How do we tell the difference between the two? How do they relate to goals and services in the IEP (or 504 Plan)?

*CART (live captions) provided. Contact pti@dredf.org for any accommodations you may need by Friday, March 6th. Late requests may not be possible to fill. You must register in advance for this webinar: Registration Link

Parte 7 de 10: Adaptaciones y modificaciones en el PEI y los Planes 504
2026-03-10 19:00 - 20:45 | Zoom
Acompáñenos a hablar sobre las adaptaciones y modificaciones durante la jornada escolar. ¿Cómo se presentan las adaptaciones? ¿Qué son las modificaciones? ¿Cómo las diferenciamos? ¿Cómo se relacionan con los objetivos y servicios del Programa Educativo Individualizado (IEP por sus siglas en inglés) (o Plan 504)?

*Se proporcionará CART (subtítulos en directo). Póngase en contacto con pti@dredf.org antes del 6 de marzo para solicitar cualquier adaptación que pueda necesitar. Es posible que no se puedan atender las solicitudes de última hora. Debe registrarse con anticipación para esta capacitación: Enlace de registro
