March 5, 2018
The promise and safety of automated transit buses will only be realized if they are truly accessible, and the regulations, laws and policies take into consideration the needs of disabled travelers. To this end, we ask you to consider the following regarding the research program for automated transit buses.
March 5, 2018
Automated driving systems (ADS) have the potential to dramatically improve the lives of people with disabilities and improve the safety of our streets. More than half a million people with disabilities never leave home and cite transportation difficulties. Children with disabilities are more than 5 times as likely to be hit by a motor vehicle as a bicyclist or pedestrian than children without disabilities. Many people with disabilities cannot drive or lack access to a personal vehicle. Only 45% of rental households with individuals who use wheeled mobility devices have access to a personal vehicle.
March 4, 2018
The promise and safety of automated transit buses will only be realized if they are truly accessible, and the regulations, laws and policies take into consideration the needs of disabled travelers. Transit service of all types: whether fixed route, shuttles, circulator or vehicles providing first mile/last mile service must be available to people with disabilities who are ambulatory and mobility impaired, to low income riders, and those of all races, colors and national origins. The Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and Executive Order 12898 must be enforced and the civil rights of transit riders protected without exception.
February 28, 2018
A state court has rejected the Antioch Unified School District's (AUSD's) attempt to renege on an agreement made with the East County NAACP to address federal civil rights and disability rights violations against African American students.
February 20, 2018
On Thursday, February 15, the House of Representatives passed the ADA Education and Reform Act (HR 620) by a 225-to-192 vote, with 12 Democrats joining all but 19 Republicans to approve the contentious and controversial bill. HR 620 makes the Title III architectural barrier provisions of the ADA optional by removing any incentive violators have to follow the law.
February 13, 2018
People across the nation are taking to social media to send the message #HandsOffMyADA. It’s up to us to show Congress and the rest of America that the ADA is worth protecting because nobody should be left out or forced to wait for equal access. Any bill that tries to change that must be stopped.
February 8, 2018
Next Wednesday, February 14 or Thursday, February 15, the House of Representatives is likely to vote on H.R. 620, a dangerous bill that seeks to reverse nearly three decades of civil rights protections for people with disabilities. H.R. 620 not only allows equal access violators to keep breaking the law, it rewards them for it!
February 7, 2018
Big business is trying to bamboozle the House and the American public into an unnecessary law misleadingly titled the "ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017" (H.R.620) that would make it even harder for disabled Americans who have been "holding it," waiting to use the same restrooms, shop at the same department stores, and eat at the same restaurants as our non-disabled friends and family members, for almost 30 years!
January 23, 2018
Berkeley, CA – The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), a leading national civil rights law and policy center directed by individuals with disabilities and parents whose children have disabilities, has been awarded $170K annually ($510K over the next three years) by the California State Bar. The grant will fund actions to increase access and inclusion in efforts to end homelessness and improve emergency preparedness for Californians with disabilities.
January 22, 2018
On January 11, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a State Medicaid Director Letter providing new guidance for Section 1115 waiver proposals that would impose work requirements (referred to as community engagement) in Medicaid as a condition of eligibility. With a proposal already approved for the Commonwealth of Kentucky and at least nine additional states poised to quickly follow suit, this hasty, ill-informed decision will create new barriers to health care for people with disabilities and further entrench workplace prejudices and stereotypes.