Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)

Disability Rights California (DRC) and Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) are urging lawmakers to not pass laws against wearing masks during public protests. People with disabilities have the right to participate in the community safely during the ongoing pandemic.

State and local governments are increasingly proposing mask bans as a response to public protest. Mask bans are laws that make it illegal for people to wear masks in public. These laws make it harder and even impossible for disabled people and their allies to access public spaces – including collective actions for the expression of constitutionally protected speech – without fear and harassment. They put disabled people and their family members at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

Wearing a mask is not a crime. People who wish to wear a mask to protect themselves from infectious diseases at protests or anywhere else have the right to do so.

Read the full statement: https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/latest-news/dredf-and-drc-condemn-mask-bans-and-urge-lawmakers-not-to-adopt-them-to-protect-the

Join us for an essential discussion on the impacts of the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson (“Grants Pass”) on people with disabilities. This upcoming webinar with The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and National Homelessness Law Center on August 28th at 11:00 am PT / 2:00pm ET will:

- Provide an overview of the Grants Pass case and the disability-related “friend of the court” briefs filed in the case;
- Explain why people with disabilities are particularly at-risk of harm due to the increased criminalization of homelessness;
- Explore the relationship between the Grants Pass case, CARE Courts / civil commitments, and efforts to increase the institutionalization of disabled people;
- Critique the role of law enforcement and judicial authorities in responding to homelessness; and
- Provide an overview of advocacy tools and strategic thinking regarding potential next steps in advocacy.

Register now: https://dredf-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GLJ0mKXASHCYHPT6zMgK-Q

Disability benefits should not stop disabled people from getting married, plain and simple.

New coverage on marriage penalties from Today Show.

'We just want to be married': Some disabled people can't get married and keep needed benefits "We just want to be married and enjoy a married life together as people in love want to do without me losing the right to live."

The Mask Transparency Act, scheduled for hearing today in the Nassau County Legislature in New York, would ban mask wearing in public spaces throughout the county, and provide an allowance to let private businesses ban masks. It is enforced by the police. DREDF submitted comments urging lawmakers not to adopt them to protect the right of people with disabilities to safely and equally participate in the community.

Read more: https://dredf.org/2024/08/05/disability-rights-education-and-defense-fund-submits-comments-to-the-nassau-county-legislature-in-opposition-to-proposed-mask-transparency-act/

DREDF joined over 100 leading experts and organizations in releasing a joint statement calling on governments to take immediate action to halt the practice of assisted su***de for individuals with eating disorders. The call to action comes in response to a recent study revealing at least sixty patients with eating disorders have been euthanized or assisted in su***de in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United States.

This practice undermines decades of research on effective treatments and endangers lives.

Study: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1431771/full
Full statement and list of signatories: https://www.eatbreathethrive.org/joint-statement-assisted-su***de

Disabled people have the right to protest. Disabled people have the right to use tools like masks that allow them to participate in community activities and events. Disabled people have the right to wear masks at protests to protect their health and to protect their identities if they choose.

Mask bans (laws that make it illegal for people to wear masks in public) endanger disabled people and make demonstrations and other public events inaccessible. People attending protests should not be forced to risk contracting COVID-19 without a mask or face criminal penalties or police interactions for masking. Police interactions can be deadly, particularly for people who are BIPOC, disabled, or both.

State and local governments are increasingly proposing mask bans in response to public protests. Mask ban laws make it harder and even impossible for disabled people and their allies to access public spaces – including collective actions for the expression of constitutionally protected speech – without fear and harassment. They put disabled people and their family members at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

Today, with Disability Rights California, we issued a statement condemning mask bans and urging lawmakers not to adopt them. Full statement: https://dredf.org/2024/07/31/disability-groups-condemn-mask-bans-urge-lawmakers-to-protect-rights/

"My accessibility dream would be for electric school buses to be designed similarly to public transit buses. As a kid, I always wanted to ride the bus with all the non-disabled kids as opposed to being segregated to an accessible bus. I do absolutely understand that some students need that separate bus in a more directly supportive environment, but it seems like school buses should be able to be made inclusive, especially as they're already being designed differently to be electric." - Youth survey respondent

Read this World Resources Institute blog post on an outstanding new working paper by Justice Shorter, Valerie Novak, and Alyssa Curran:

For Students with Disabilities, Electric School Buses Could Transform the School Commute Students with disabilities often experience a challenging school commute due to inaccessible buses. Electric school buses offer a chance to change that.

We must know joy and pleasure—paired with an understanding of our history—and show what we need presently.

Este sábado 3 de agosto: Congreso Familiar Conferencia en Hayward a Chabot College

8:30 am – 3:30 pm hora del Pacifico
25555 Hesperian Blvd
Hayward, CA 94545

Congreso Familiar es una conferencia dedicada a promover educación y liderazgo para familias Latinas que tienen niños o miembros de familia con discapacidades.

¡Registrese hoy! https://congresofamiliar.org/event/conferencia-en-hayward-2024/

“The Americans with Disabilities Act owes its birthright not to any one person, or any few, but to the many thousands of people who make up the disability rights movement – people who have worked for years organizing and attending protests, licking envelopes, sending out alerts, drafting legislation, speaking, testifying, negotiating, lobbying, filing lawsuits, being arrested – doing whatever they could for a cause they believed in. There are far too many people whose commitment and hard work contributed to the passage of this historic piece of disability civil rights legislation to be able to give appropriate credit by name. Without the work of so many – without the disability rights movement – there would be no ADA.” - Arlene Mayerson, DREDF Directing Attorney Emerita & Of Counsel

Happy 34th birthday to the ADA! Read more about the history of the ADA on our website: https://dredf.org/about-us/publications/the-history-of-the-ada/

Governor Gavin Newsom, emboldened by the Supreme Court’s decision in City of Grants Pass Oregon v. Johnson, has issued an executive order to clear homeless encampments across California. The order will have a particularly devastating impact on disabled people.

Read DREDF's full statement on our website: https://dredf.org/2024/07/25/dredfs-statement-on-governor-newsoms-order-on-encampment-removal/

As we commemorate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act tomorrow, we're spotlighting the transformative efforts of Getty Images, Verizon, and the National Disability Leadership Alliance (of which DREDF is a part). Learn about The Disability Collection which is a collaborative initiative aimed at shifting the narrative around the portrayal of the disability community in media.

ASL and CART services will be available. Learn more about the presenters, registration and get the Zoom link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LqD1fmwMqtnMijkh5ItJsKpjIs_PimkkQoKJ0qcMS9s/viewform?edit_requested=true

What can you do, whether you're disabled or not, to make and hold space for and wisdom?

Every year, extreme heat causes more than 1,200 preventable deaths. Check in with neighbors, friends, and family when temperatures start to rise. For cooling center locations, visit https://news.caloes.ca.gov/coolingcenters/. For tips and resources, visit https://heatreadyca.com/.

Cada año, el calor extremo causa más de 1.200 muertes prevenibles. Visite a sus vecinos, amigos y familiares cuando las temperaturas comiencen a subir. Para localizar los centros de refrigeración, visite https://news.caloes.ca.gov/coolingcenters/. Para obtener consejos y recursos, visite https://cuidatedelcalorca.com/.

The federal judiciary should reflect the diversity of the American people, which includes the 26% of Americans who have disabilities. Judges with disabilities bring a unique perspective and lived experience to the bench.

The unlearning of what we've been told about disability and questioning what we know can all be part of !

President Biden has the power to demand that Israel eliminate the “dual-use” label on medical-related supplies, assistive aids, and accessible technology like eyeglasses, wheelchairs, canes, and hearing aids, etc. Based on Oxfam’s analysis, Israel’s inspection process labels some humanitarian items as “dual use,” or as items that have both a civilian and military purpose. Essential medical supplies are frequently rejected from getting to those in need because of this labeling.

Access to medical-related supplies, assistive aids, and accessible technology can mean the difference between life and death, being able to flee or being trapped, living with dignity or left to suffer. Eyeglasses, wheelchairs, canes, prosthetics, walkers, crutches, incontinence pads, catheters, hearing aids and more have been lost or left behind when people were forced to flee. Without these items, people with disabilities are struggling to survive, left isolated, with no independence or sense of autonomy or dignity.

Join us in demanding that President Biden use his power to change this so that Palestinians with disabilities can get basic medications and assistive technology. Sign on to this demand letter by July 26: https://tinyurl.com/3ytm747z

This , we honor history, and own our own experiences without apology.

On September 19, 2024, DREDF’s 45th Anniversary Gala: TOGETHER 2024 will be held at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley, CA and online! Come join us for a great evening of ideas, organizing, delicious food and drink, and activism! We will feature disability activist, policy analyst, and passionate advocate Mia Ives-Rublee, director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress.

Real-time captioning and ASL will be provided. Masks required when not eating or drinking, and KN95 masks will be available on-site.

To reserve a spot in person, virtually, or to donate, select "Reserve a Spot" and scroll down for all registration options on this page: bit.ly/DREDF-Gala

Public interest lawyers handling cases for K-12 students with disabilities must deal with administrative exhaustion in state and federal courts, regardless of the claims. This upcoming training will review recent 9th Circuit and California state case law on when administrative remedies under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its California equivalent are required, satisfied, or excused. Presenters will also share their experiences and practical strategies from recent lawsuits, so please join us!

Registration link: https://dredf-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ejSfg5IbSYqbr30_8KpC8g

Today's Supreme Court’s decision in will have a particularly devastating impact on the disability community. We join national advocates in calling on the Biden administration and Congress to take immediate action to ensure that everyone has a safe, affordable, and accessible place to call home. Specifically, we ask for:

- Universal rental assistance for lowest-income households;
Repair and preservation of public housing;
- Full funding for the National Housing Trust Fund;
- Homelessness prevention, including outreach, engagement, and rapid re-housing;
- Eviction prevention, including emergency rental assistance;
- Funding for supportive and emergency services;
Increased investment in fair housing enforcement;
Laws that make punishing people for being homeless illegal.



Read our full statement: https://dredf.org/2024/06/28/dredf-denounces-supreme-court-ruling-in-city-of-grants-pass-oregon-v-johnson/

We are thrilled to partner with The Gary Payton II Foundation for this free virtual event. This Know Your Rights workshop is designed to empower parents and caregivers of students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. You must register in advance for this training.

Nos alegra compartir nuestra colaboración con la Fundación Gary Payton II en este evento virtual totalmente gratuito. Esta capacitación titulada conozca sus derechos está diseñada para capacitar a los padres y encargados de los estudiantes con dislexia y otras discapacidades de aprendizaje. Debe inscribirse con anticipación usando este enlace.

Link: https://my.onecause.com/event/organizations/093edc2a-a295-4985-9241-5d1a670e0e5f/events/vevt:6d443948-976f-44ef-8796-5f03521fafb6/home/story

Olmstead is a promise that people with disabilities cannot, for the sake of convenience or saving state money, be warehoused away out of sight and mind. This promise applies to community-based supports such as personal assistance, long-term and acute healthcare services, housing, employment, and reentry services, all social determinants of health, that people with disabilities must be able to access in order to sustainably live outside of institutions. The promise includes ensuring that people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, low-income people, wheelchairs users, people with mental health disabilities, and autistic and other neurodiverse people have the supports and insurance coverage they need to stay well and be truly integrated within society at large.

DREDF celebrates Olmstead for what has been accomplished in the 25 years since the ruling, and for the promise it spoke into being: that we will together finally reach a point where people with all kinds of disabilities and people without disabilities can equally count on a healthcare system that assumes patients will return to homes in the communities where they live, work, and play.

Read our full statement on the 25th Anniversary of the Olmstead Decision:

DREDF’s Statement on the 25th Anniversary of the Olmstead Decision - Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund June 20, 2024 DREDF celebrates Olmstead for what has been accomplished in the 25 years since the ruling, and for the promise it spoke into being: that we will together finally reach a point where people with all kinds of disabilities and people without disabilities can equally count on a healthcare....

People with disabilities in the U.S. have long been denied their right to make decisions about crucial aspects of their lives, including reproductive and sexual health care. Socioeconomic and accessibility barriers only heighten these challenges, making vital care unattainable for many.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org. intensified these issues, stripping Americans of their federal constitutional right to an abortion nearly two years ago. Join our upcoming webinar on June 27th to explore:
- The barriers disabled individuals face in accessing reproductive and sexual health care post-Dobbs.
- The legal responsibilities of healthcare providers to ensure inclusive, supportive care.
- Advocacy tools for disabled individuals and their allies to uphold bodily and decisional autonomy.

Register now: https://dredf-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IXYAgR_vQBm_ggsTNda_Dw #/registration

“Really think about what we can do to mitigate the racial implications of having a disability is a constant question that Black people with disabilities have to manage that we experience services from a white majority space- where our doctors are more likely to be white, our health care providers, our teachers – we're more likely to receive services from people who are not a part of our culture. And so they may have implicit biases that further put black people with disabilities at a disadvantage.” – Angel Love Miles, Ph.D

Last year, The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies held a Juneteenth Congressional Briefing. It was packed with excellent insights and discussion and we encourage you all to check it out: https://disasterstrategies.org/juneteenth-congressional-briefing-on-inequality-disproportionate-impacts-of-covid-response/

“Disabled people within the United States continue to fight for justice, however, and for complete accessibility, radical inclusion within our structural and societal frameworks, and—ultimately—for freedom.” - Tony Alexander

Learn about Juneteenth and the legacy of disabled Black slaves from the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN): https://awnnetwork.org/juneteenth-and-the-legacy-of-disabled-black-slaves/

Good news! Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) and Women Enabled International have extended the deadline for you to share your abortion story through the anonymous Disability and Abortion Access Survey from June 17 to July 1!

The Disability and Abortion Access Survey seeks to understand the experiences of disabled people in the U.S. who have ever considered or had an abortion.

By sharing your story, you can help DREDF and WEI develop guidelines and resources for abortion professionals to strengthen the accessibility of their services to better serve the disability community.

You can take the survey at bit.ly/DisabilityAbortionAccessSurvey

🏳️‍🌈 We had a great time at the Sacramento Pride Festival last weekend! It’s getting hot out there and we need to prepare for extreme heat now. At the festival, we spoke with people about signs of heat-related illness and how to plan to stay safe like staying cool, hydrated and looking after each other.

☀️ Check out these great photos from and learn more about staying safe this season at https://heatreadyca.com/.

“This settlement is a crucial step toward ensuring equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities. It demonstrates the commitment to addressing systemic issues and providing necessary support.” - Malhar Shah, DREDF Staff Attorney

Read the full press release: https://dredf.org/2024/06/12/settlement-agreement-reached-to-support-students-with-disabilities-in-del-norte-county/

"There's anger. There's a feeling of betrayal sometimes because the ADA has a beautiful promise of full integration into society, of people with disabilities being able to live their destinies and make their life what they want of it." - Ayesha Elaine Lewis, DREDF Senior Staff Attorney via NPR

Learn more about marriage equality for people with disabilities: https://dredf.org/marriage-equality/

Check out our newly updated list of current marriage equality bills:https://dredf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/DREDF-One-Pager-Marriage-Equality-Bills_2024.06.pdf

How an outdated Social Security policy is preventing couples from marrying Under Social Security's outdated SSI rules, couples say they can't marry - or they have to hide