January 13, 2023
On December 27, 2022, we lost Talina Jones, a passionate advocate for disabled children and their families and an activist and scholar working at the intersection of ableism and racism. We share in the grief of her family, friends, and colleagues, and send our deepest sympathies to all her loved her.
January 12, 2023
The State Bar of California has proposed a rule change that, if implemented, will make it even harder to obtain testing accommodations and be a step backward for disability access and inclusion.
January 5, 2023
Today Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) and the ACLU of Missouri (ACLU) delivered a letter demanding that on the mayor and aldermen of the City of St. Louis and judicial leadership end and remedy overt and unlawful disability discrimination against the custodial workers who clean and service the court building.
November 15, 2022
While DREDF is encouraged by state actions to equitably recognize their full disability population and more accurately capture their needs, we call on the Census Bureau to both follow the possibilities of what states have done and assume a leadership role in setting a new national standard for disability population data collection. We make the following recommendations...
November 29, 2022
Today a coalition of disability organizations led by Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) called on the state of California to do more to make its high-profile abortion portal accessible and relevant to disabled Californians. The group made its demands by letter to Governor Newsom and Secretary of Health and Human Services Mark Ghaly, M.D.
November 29, 2022
We are organizations and networks representing people with disabilities who may need information about abortion or abortion services through California's abortion portal. We include blind people, deaf people, people with intellectual, developmental, and learning disabilities, people with mobility disabilities, and people who are higher weight.
November 17, 2022
DREDF has just filed an Administrative Complaint with SSA on behalf of Lori Long. Read our press release to learn more.
October 14, 2022
DREDF is outraged by the ableist criticisms directed at Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman in the wake of his recent NBC interview. During the interview, which aired on Tuesday's "NBC Nightly News" and Wednesday's "Today" show, Fetterman used closed captions to answer questions in real time. Rather than focus on Fetterman's ideas and ideologies on topics like access to health coverage and prescription drug pricing, coverage of the interview has almost exclusively zeroed in on Fetterman's use of closed captioning, claiming that his use of such technology indicates "brain damage" and an unfitness for office. This offensive coverage has infuriated disability rights advocates. [...]
October 3, 2022
DREDF strongly supports the proposed rule. It clarifies and strengthens nondiscrimination protections for people with disabilities and other populations that have experienced systemic barriers to receiving equally effective health care. Below we provide a more detailed section-by-section analysis of how particular provisions in the proposed rule will benefit the health and well-being of our communities. [...]
September 22, 2022
The Biden Administration proposes a stronger nondiscrimination rule under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. DREDF has written template comments that can be used by disability organizations and groups who want to support the proposed rule. People who want to share their specific experience can also directly submit a comment through an individual comment portal. You can also look at other template comments written from specific view points such as people of color, limited English speakers, and LGBTQ+ persons. [...]