A Matter Of Life and Death: Out-Of-The-Water Survival Craft

February 6, 2014
Your letters, and as many others as possible, are needed ASAP to the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation on an important issue that is new to many of us: that U.S. Coast Guard rules require passenger vessels to maintain survival craft that keeps the individual's body out of the water, not just afloat (think Titanic-like conditions).

It’s What We Hoped Would Happen: HEALTHCARE STORIES

January 12, 2014
It's absolutely satisfying to see DREDF's HEALTHCARE STORIES videos make their way into the hands of our primary target audiences: providers of healthcare services and medical educators. On January 24, 2014, Mary Lou Breslin will screen a selection of our HEALTHCARE STORIES at the University of California, San Francisco, one of the leading medical centers and schools in the US.

Mary Lou Breslin: 2013 Purpose Prize Fellow

November 11, 2013
"I knew going into this new career that to reverse deeply entrenched policies and attitudes would take a long time," she says. "After almost a decade of policy advocacy, research and training and collaborations, we can report some important incremental changes—and a few splendid victories."

Posted in ADA

TECHeQUITY 2013: Recalculating the Route to Equality

August 23, 2013
TECHeQUITY 2013: Recalculating the Route to Equality: Disability and technology both make us recalculate how we live our lives, and we know there's an intersection where they meet.

Posted in Uncategorized

Center for Independent Living, et al., v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

July 25, 2012
DREDF and co-counsel filed a lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. on behalf of the Center for Independent Living and two individuals to address a widespread problem that impacts core concerns for wheelchair and scooter users: independence and privacy at point-of-sale terminals (POS). POS machines that are not at accessible heights make it difficult or impossible for wheelchair and scooter users to independently and privately check out using a credit or debit card. When POS machines are out of reach, people must disclose their confidential PIN to cashiers or rely on others to verify and authorize payments.

Mankinen v. Orange County

July 10, 2012
In June 2011, Edwin Mankinen, a resident of Orange County, California applied to the County for general assistance, a cash benefit that is offered by all California counties to indigent residents. General assistance is often the last resort and most basic aid for people who are jobless and homeless. During the application process Mankinen was asked for unnecessary paperwork, discouraged from applying, and given no assistance. Because investigations showed that other applicants had similar experiences, DREDF joined co-counsel Western Center on Law & Poverty and The Public Interest Law Project brought a class–action case to remedy systemic disability discrimination by the County.

DREDF Opposition to SB 1186

May 3, 2012
On behalf of the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund, Inc. (DREDF), I write in opposition to SB 1186 which is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 8, 2012.

Establishment of Exchanges and Qualified Health Plans

October 31, 2011
In light of these outstanding concerns, it is critical that state Exchanges adhere to the following requirements which address additional concerns in specific subject areas relating to consumer representation, physical and programmatic accessibility in both healthcare delivery and procedural protections, and data collection.

Opposition to SB 462

April 25, 2011
SB 462 proposes a voluntary certification process for non-attorney, paid or unpaid special education advocates who want to participate in IEPs or mediations. The bill would require special education local plan areas to provide alternative dispute resolution training, and the Office of Administrative Hearings to administer a test, to persons seeking certification. The bill would require a fee for the training and testing, and would also require advocates to disclose detailed information about their advocacy, areas of expertise, as well as personal relationship with the parent or child.