January 13, 1998
Berkeley, California — By this summer, Amtrak will introduce new discounts, reservations policies and publications that will make it easier and more economical for persons with mobility impairments to explore America by rail.
O’Hara v. Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
October 20, 1999
In 1997, on behalf of a group of individuals with mobility, hearing and vision impairments, DREDF and co-counsel filed a class-action lawsuit against the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California. The complaint alleged that the Coliseum failed to provide equitable access for people with disabilities. The parties settled in 1999.
City of San Diego Sued for Disability Discrimination
November 12, 1997
Berkeley, California — A major disability discrimination lawsuit will be filed on Wednesday, November 12, 1997 in federal court in San Diego against the City of San Diego, alleging that the City illegally excludes persons with mental illness from the long-term disability (LTD) benefits plan that it offers to City employees. The suit will be filed by the Berkeley, California-based Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF); the ACLU Foundation of San Diego and Imperial Counties; the ACLU Foundation of Southern California; and the San Diego office of the law firm of Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP. Brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (the ADA) and similar California civil rights laws, the case is the first lawsuit in California to allege illegal treatment of persons with mental illness in a government employee LTD plan.
Emma C. v. Delaine Eastin, et al.
November 18, 1996
A class action lawsuit filed by eight students in 1996 on behalf of hundreds of children with disabilities in the Ravenswood School District in East Palo Alto, California demanded that the district and the California Department of Education comply with federal laws ensuring a "free appropriate public education" to all children with disabilities. After years of pre-trial litigation the Court first approved a Consent Decree in January 2000, and three years later an amended Consent Decree and a detailed plan for improvement, including a court-appointed monitor were put in place by Judge Thelton Henderson.
Sacramento City Unified Sch. Dist. Bd. of Educ. v. Rachel H.
June 13, 1994
The parents of Rachel H., a young girl with an intellectual disability, brought suit under the Individuals with Disabilities Act challenging the school district's refusal to educate their daughter full–time in the general education classroom. The District Court for the Eastern District of California ruled in favor of Rachel and her parents, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals later affirmed. DREDF represented Rachel and her family in this landmark victory for inclusive education.