DREDF reports, articles, books, issue papers, handbooks, guides, pamphlets, videos and other communications are intended to provide information and help on issues affecting people with disabilities. Our materials are directed to a diverse audience including attorneys, advocates, parents of children with disabilities and people with disabilities, as well as the general public.
Books
Authors at DREDF published a book in 2000 called Disability Rights Law and Policy: International And National Perspectives
Americans With Disabilities Act Annotated: Legislative History, Regulations & Commentary by our own Arlene B. Mayerson.
DREDF’s ADA training manual,”The ADA, An Implementation Guide,” also known as the Blue Book, offers a detailed, thorough analysis of all the law’s provisions, encompassing the ADA’s legislative history, the statute, and the regulations. An Addendum covering ADA Supreme Court decisions is included.
Articles
Presence of Accessible Equipment and Interior Elements in Primary Care Offices (PDF), Health Equity, Volume 3.1, 2019
This study describes the disability accessibility level of primary care office interiors and the presence of accessible examination equipment for 3993 primary care offices in California.
Topic Guides on ADA Transportation
The Topic Guides on ADA Transportation bring together the requirements of the ADA and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) ADA regulation, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) determinations, and operational practices that comply with the ADA. July 2010.
Guide to the Resolution Session in California (PDF)
In light of changes made to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by Congress in 2004, and changes in California’s mediation process, DREDF’s A Guide for California Parents: Special Education Due Process and the Resolution Session, offers guidance through the California special education due process procedure. November 2008.
“Disability Rights Law: Roots, Present Challenges, and Future Collaborations” by Arlene Mayerson. Disability rights and legal aid lawyers must collaborate to fix the damage caused by the US Supreme Court’s decisions narrowing the protections and remedies for people with disabilities. Clearinghouse Review, Vol. 41, Nos.5-6, Sept-Oct 2007.
“Disability Civil Rights and the Promise of Technology” by Arlene Mayerson. A brief examination of the interaction between advances in technology and disability civil rights. March 2007.
“Defining Disability in the Aftermath of Sutton (Where Do We Go from Here?)” by Arlene B. Mayerson and Kristan S. Mayer. Winter 2000.
“The History of the ADA: A Movement Perspective” by Arlene B. Mayerson. July 1992.
“ADA Bursts Barriers But Not Stereotypes” DREDF’s response to Michael Kinsley’s June 27, 2002 article in Slate, “Disabilities and Inabilities. Must We Pay to Hear Bad Pianists” (July 12, 2002).
“ADA Paratransit Eligibility: How to Make Your Case” DREDF, in cooperation with Equip for Equality (Illinois Protection & Advocacy), has developed a guide to assist people with disabilities to obtain an accurate and fair determination of their ADA paratransit eligibility. This document is available for free distribution. July 2003.
Law Review Articles
Symposium: “Facing The Challenges Of The ADA: The First Ten Years and Beyond.”
Article: “The ADA and Models of Equality”
Arlene B. Mayerson and Silvia Yee
Ohio State Law Journal, 2001
62 Ohio St. L.J. 535
Copyright (c) 2001
Symposium: “Defining The Parameters of Coverage Under the Americans with Disabilities Act: Who is ‘An Individual with a Disability?’”
Article: Restoring Regard for the ‘Regarded As’ Prong: Giving Effect to Congressional Intent
Arlene B. Mayerson
Villanova University, Villanova Law Review, 1997
42 Vill. L. Rev. 587
Copyright (c) 1997
“Obesity Discrimination in the Workplace: Protection Through a Perceived Disability Claim Under the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act”
Karen M. Kramer and Arlene B. Mayerson
California Western School of Law, California Western Law Review, Fall 1994
31 Cal. W. L. Rev. 41
Copyright (c) 1994
The following Historic Articles/Publications are available for purchase. You can order by phone, or mail.
“Law Reform in Disability Rights, Articles and Concept Papers,” Vol. 1, 1981, by Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, 1981.
“Law Reform in Disability Rights, Articles and Concept Papers,” Vol. 2, 1981, by Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, 1981.
Speeches & Remarks
12.10.12 Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline. Hearing Before the United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights. By Arlene B. Mayerson
4.23.07 From Civil Rights to Human Rights, Comments by Silvia Yee, DREDF Attorney — 30th Anniversary of the 504 Sit-In
The San Francisco Mayor’s Council on Disability recently commemorated the 30th anniversary of the 26-day sit-in that led to the enactment of Section 504 regulations. At the event, DREDF attorney Silvia Yee shared some thoughts on what it means to move from civil rights to human rights.
2.3.07 The State of the ADA and California Law, a speech delivered by Linda D. Kilb, Esq. at the Hastings Disability Law Symposium, San Francisco, California
An exploration of California’s history and its relationship wtih the federal government to make sense of the role of the Americans with Disabilities and state disability civil rights laws.
10.3.01 The Status of the Disability Rights Movement, October 2001, the keynote speech delivered by by Linda D. Kilb, Esq, at the Metro Disability Commission Breaking Barrier Awards, Louisville, Kentucky
At the Kentucky Breaking Barriers Award, one month after 9/11, Linda Kilb reflects on the growth of federalism and its impact on disability civil rights.
Research
From time to time, we conduct research on disability rights topics that are important to our mission. Examples include:
Disability and Bioethics Series. In autumn 2019, the National Council on Disability published a series of reports on bioethics and disability. The five reports were written by a team of disability organizations headed by DREDF, which appreciates and acknowledges the valued work of our partners in creating the series: the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, and Not Dead Yet.
The five reports are:
- September 25, 2019
Organ Transplant Discrimination Against People with Disabilities
(PDF) (DOC) - October 9, 2019
The Danger of Assisted Suicide Laws
(PDF) (DOC) - October 23, 2019
Genetic Testing and the Rush to Perfection
(PDF) (DOC) - November 6, 2019
Quality-Adjusted Life Years and the Devaluation of Life with a Disability
(PDF) (DOC) - November 20, 2019
Medical Futility and Disability Bias
(PDF) (DOC)
Self-Driving Cars: Mapping Access to a Technology Revolution. DREDF’s Executive Director Susan Henderson and Senior Policy Analyst Marilyn Golden conducted the research and wrote this forward looking report for the National Council on Disability. November 2015
Breaking the School-to-Prison Pipeline for Students with Disabilities, a report researched and written by DREDF for the National Council on Disability. The School-to-Prison Pipeline (STPP) refers to the practice of pushing students out of school and into the criminal justice system.The report’s findings document that students with disabilities, especially students of color with disabilities, are at the greatest risk of being thrust into the STPP. Nationally, students with disabilities are more than twice as likely to be suspended than students without disabilities. The statistics are even worse for students of color with disabilities. In 2009–2010, one out of every four (25%) African American children with disabilities in grades K–12 received at least one suspension. June 2015
Transportation Update: Where We’ve Gone and What We’ve Learned. In May 2015, this report by Marilyn Golden, DREDF Senior Policy Analyst, was published by the National Council on Disability. The report is a comprehensive analysis of surface transportation in the United States. More details.
The Current State of Health Care for People with Disabilities, by Mary Lou Breslin, Silvia Yee, and Nancy Mudrick for the National Council on Disability, November 2009.
Implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act: Challenges, Best Practices and New Opportunities for Success, by Mary Lou Breslin, Silvia Yee, Susan Henderson and Marilyn Golden of DREDF, along with Karen Peltz Strauss and Berkeley Policy Associates for the National Council on Disability. July 26, 2007.
The Current State of Transportation for People with Disabilities in the United States, by Marilyn Golden, DREDF and Richard Weiner, Nelson/Nygaard for the National Council on Disability. June, 2005.
It Takes More than Ramps to Solve the Healthcare Crisis for People with Disabilities by Judy Panko Reis, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Mary Lou Breslin, DREDF, Lisa Iezzoni, M.D., Harvard Medical School, and Kristi L. Kirschner, M.D., Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Published by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. February 2004.
Promises to Keep: A Decade of Federal Enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act by Nancy R. Mudrick, Ph.D., Syracuse University, and Co-authors Mary Lou Breslin, DREDF; Marilyn Golden, DREDF; Jane West, Ph.D., consultant; and Deborah Doctor, for the National Council on Disability. June 27, 2000.
Back to School on Civil Rights by Jane West, Ph.D., consultant and co-authors Mary Lou Breslin, DREDF, Nancy Mudrick, Ph.D., Syracuse University, Mark A. Mlawer, Consultant, and Diane Lipton, Senior Attorney, DREDF for the National Council on Disability. January 25, 2000.
Enforcing the Civil Rights of Air Travelers with Disabilities: Recommendations for the Department of Transportation and Congress by Kathleen Blank, J.D., with co-authors Nancy Mudrick, Ph.D., Syracuse University, Mary Lou Breslin, DREDF, Jane West, Ph.D., consultant for the National Council on Disability. February 26, 1999.
“Mental Health Services for Children with Disabilities: the Story in California,” by Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, March 2001
Videos
Healthcare Stories, a video advocacy tool featuring the stories of those who have experienced discrimination in our healthcare system.
The Making of the ADA – Memories From the 10th Anniversary of the Signing of
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991
In an effort to capture the day–to–day memories of some of those who witnessed and influenced this extraordinary historic event, the University of San Francisco and the video production company, Access Video, collaborated with DREDF during 1999 and 2000 to interview some of the people who were central to the law’s passage.
The following videos/DVDs are available for purchase. You can order by phone, fax, postal (order form) or email.
Open for Business, A video explaining Title III barrier removal requirements.
The Power of 504. Documentary video captures the drama and emotions of the historic civil rights demonstration of people with disabilities in 1977, resulting in the signing of the 504 Regulations, the first Federal Civil Rights Law protecting people with disabilities. Includes contemporary news footage and news interviews with participants and demonstration leaders.