December 13, 2005
Through an amicable collaboration, the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Inc. ("DREDF") and 24 Hour Fitness have reached consensus regarding issues concerning access for patrons with disabilities at 24 Hour Fitness clubs. The gym chain has confirmed its long-standing commitment to comply with disability rights laws by making reasonable modifications to club policies to enable people with disabilities to participate in fitness activities.
Press Releases
Blind Beneficiaries Sue Social Security Administration
November 16, 2005
SSA Fails to Provide Accessible Communications
The American Council of the Blind and a group of individuals who are blind or have vision impairments today filed a class action lawsuit against the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA), alleging that the agency fails to provide the most basic accommodations to its blind applicants and beneficiaries.
Children With Diabetes Sue School Districts, State for Assistance
October 11, 2005
Oakland, California — Four elementary school-age students, along with the American Diabetes Association, filed an unprecedented civil rights complaint today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California seeking class action relief against the California Superintendent of Public Schools, the California Department of Education, members of the California Board of Education, the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, the Fremont Unified School District, and their Superintendents and Boards of Trustees. The suit asks the Court to compel public school officials to comply with federal law by providing the assistance that California students with diabetes require to manage their diabetes during the school day.
Laguna Honda Hospital Lawsuit Settles
December 18, 2003
Judge Saundra B. Armstrong of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, today preliminarily approved settlement of a class action lawsuit against San Francisco and several State agencies brought on behalf of present and potential residents of Laguna Honda Hospital (LHH) and the Independent Living Resource Center of San Francisco (ILRCSF). "This settlement represents a positive first step in establishing the rights of people with disabilities, including seniors, to receive services in their homes and communities rather than in institutions," says Kim Swain, lead counsel in the case from the Oakland office of Protection & Advocacy, Inc. (PAI), a non-profit agency that works to advance the rights of people with disabilities.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2003
June 24, 2003
Washington D.C. — The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the most important civil rights law ever passed for children with disabilities in the United States. IDEA was reauthorized and strengthened in 1997. The law is again up for reauthorization and faces substantial threats. The House of Representatives passed a bill, HR 1350, on April 30, 2003 making sweeping changes that weaken services and protections for students with disabilities.
Florida’s Disability Voucher Program Fails to Protect Interests of Students, Parents and Taxpayers
March 6, 2003
Washington D.C. — As Congress prepares to reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), supporters of private-school vouchers are touting a little-known Florida program as a model for improving special education. Pro-voucher forces are also backing bills in at least four states - Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii and Oklahoma - that would create programs patterned after Florida's 1999 McKay voucher law. One of the McKay law's most enthusiastic promoters has dubbed the program the "Florida Miracle," but a report released today debunks this myth, raising serious concerns about financial abuse and the law's impact on parents' rights and special education services.
California Supreme Court Decides Disability Rights Case
February 20, 2003
Berkeley, California — The California Supreme Court today announced its decision in Colmenares v. Braemar Country Club, the first case in a decade that the state high court has heard involving the issue of what constitutes a disability under California state law. The case looked at the contested question of whether California disability rights laws afford broader protections for people with disabilities than the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Mr. Colmenares was represented in the high court by Joseph M. Lovretovich and the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc. (DREDF). DREDF attorney Linda D. Kilb argued the case on December 4, 2002.
Mary Lou Breslin Selected to Receive Prestigious Award
January 28, 2002
Berkeley, California — Mary Lou Breslin, a co-founder of the Berkeley's Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) and a highly passionate, respected and effective advocate on behalf of people with disabilities in the U.S. and around the world for more than 25 years, has been selected by a national jury to receive the prestigious Henry B. Betts Award. The presentation of a $50,000 cash award will be made to Ms. Breslin at the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) Leadership Gala on February 27, 2002 in Washington, DC.
Disability Rights Lawsuit Against Oakland Taxi Company
August 27, 2001
Berkeley, California — One of Oakland's largest taxi services, Friendly Cab Company, Inc., is charged with discriminating against passengers who use guide dogs, according to a lawsuit that will be filed on Wednesday, July 11, 2001, in Alameda County Superior Court. The suit will be filed by the Berkeley-based Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Inc. (DREDF), on behalf of Oakland residents Claude Everett and Constance Kelley, both of whom are blind and who rely on guide dogs. The lawsuit is brought exclusively under California law, which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities and guarantees their right to be accompanied by guide dogs.
Judge Says Laguna Honda Residents Can Sue City of San Francisco
July 14, 2001
San Francisco, California — Judge Saundra Armstrong of the U.S. District Court has upheld the rights of several people with disabilities who live at Laguna Honda Hospital, and the Independent Living Center San Francisco, to pursue a lawsuit alleging that the City and County of San Francisco is violating their civil rights.