Press Releases

California Introduces Eugenics Sterilization Compensation Bill

March 29, 2018
The California Senate is considering a bill introduced by Senator Nancy Skinner, SB 1190—The Sterilization Compensation Bill—to provide victim compensation to survivors of California state-sponsored sterilization between 1909 and 1979. The bill, which is co-sponsored by California Latinas for Reproductive Justice (CLRJ) and the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF), would make California the third state in the nation to provide compensation for survivors who were sterilized under state eugenics laws.

Antioch School District Must Face Trial on Agreement to Remedy Bias Against Black Students

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February 28, 2018
A state court has rejected the Antioch Unified School District's (AUSD's) attempt to renege on an agreement made with the East County NAACP to address federal civil rights and disability rights violations against African American students.

California State Bar Awards $510K to Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund to Increase Access and Inclusion in Addressing Natural Disasters and Homelessness

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January 23, 2018
Berkeley, CA – The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), a leading national civil rights law and policy center directed by individuals with disabilities and parents whose children have disabilities, has been awarded $170K annually ($510K over the next three years) by the California State Bar. The grant will fund actions to increase access and inclusion in efforts to end homelessness and improve emergency preparedness for Californians with disabilities.

Students With Reading Disorders Sue Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) for Failing to Educate Them

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May 2, 2017
Berkeley, California - Disability rights lawyers filed a complaint in federal court today against Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD), the BUSD Superintendent, the BUSD Board of Education, and the Directors of the BUSD Board of Education, for systemically failing to educate students with reading disorders, and students who are suspected to have reading disorders.

Orange County Residents Sue County and State Agencies

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December 21, 2016
Orange County Residents Sue County and State Agencies for Discrimination in Medical Services Against Persons with HIV
Despite Advances In Education, Awareness, And Legal Protections Such As The ADA Passed 26 Years Ago, People Living With HIV Continue To Face Stigma And Discrimination — Including Health Care.

Ninth Circuit Takes California Department Of Education (CDE) To Task

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December 15, 2016
The Ninth Circuit affirmed U.S. Northern California District Court Judge Thelton Henderson's orders that the California Department of Education (CDE) must implement a corrective action plan designed to ensure that its special education monitoring system would comply with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Consent Decree in the case, a class action brought to protect the special education rights of students with disabilities. The decision is the culmination of nearly 20 years of attempting to reform failed local and state-level special education policies.

NAD Lawsuit Against Harvard and MIT Moves Forward

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November 8, 2016
Judge Mark G. Mastroianni of the District Court of Massachusetts denied Massachusetts Institute for Technology's (MIT) and Harvard University's motions to dismiss the National Association of the Deaf's (NAD) and other named plaintiffs' complaint that the institution discriminates against deaf and hard of hearing people by failing to caption the vast and varied array of online content they make available to the general public, including massive open online courses (MOOCs). Today's decision affirms that plaintiffs' case will be going forward.

The National Association of the Deaf and Hulu Reach Agreement

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September 6, 2016
BERKELEY, CA – September 6, 2016 Hulu, LLC (Hulu) and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), the nation's premier civil rights organization of, by, and for deaf and hard of hearing individuals, represented by Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF), and Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center (CREEC), entered into a settlement agreement for Hulu to provide 100 percent closed captions of its full-length English and Spanish content by September 2017.

East County NAACP Sues Antioch Unified School District for Violating Agreement on Civil and Disability Rights

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July 7, 2016
Martinez, CA – The East County NAACP filed suit on July 6, 2016 against the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD) for violating an agreement intended to address civil rights violations against African American students. That agreement, and the current lawsuit, seek to end AUSD's disproportionate suspensions and expulsions of African American students, particularly those with disabilities.

California Assisted Suicide Law Is Denounced By Leading Disability Rights Policy Center

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June 11, 2016
DREDF is pleased to announce, along with our coalition partners in Californians Against Assisted Suicide, that this week, the national organization Patients Rights Action Fund will launch a new web page where concerned individuals, family members, and friends can bring to light abuses, problems, and complications associated with assisted suicide laws.