October 15, 2018
DREDF joined advocates across the country in filing comments to support the preservation of the existing Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Rule, finalized in 2015. The AFFH Rule is vital to ensure that all people, including people with disabilities, have fair and equal access to the affordable housing opportunities that we need.
August 8, 2018
DREDF filed comments urging the Census Bureau, in the strongest possible terms, to remove the proposed citizenship status question from the 2020 Census form.
May 22, 2018
DREDF joins fellow advocates in opposing a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that would allow states with high Medicaid managed care plan enrollment to reduce the "administrative burden" of documenting whether their fee-for-service Medicaid payments are high enough to ensure that beneficiaries have access to covered care and services.
May 17, 2018
At the request of Congressman Bobby Scott, DREDF submitted a letter (PDF) to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on the 64th anniversary of the landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. The letter urges Congress to continue its traditional role of providing leadership and oversight to ensure that the civil rights of all students are protected as the Administration and US Department of Education rollback civil rights enforcement.
March 23, 2018
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) is pleased to submit in response to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) request for comments regarding regulatory barriers for vehicles with automated driving systems (ADSs). DREDF thanks NHTSA for its work to date to ensure safety for disabled passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists.
March 27, 2018
On March 27, 2018 DREDF submitted comments in response to regulations proposed by the Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights on "Protecting Statutory Conscience Rights in Health Care." DREDF questions the vagueness and breadth of the proposed rule which gives broad latitude to healthcare providers and entities to refuse to perform or assist in performing health care services or activities to which they object "for religious, moral, ethical, or other reasons." DREDF emphasized that the provider's right to refuse cannot simply override the right of persons with disabilities of all races, ethnicities, ages, sexual orientation and gender, to receive accessible and equally effective healthcare services, free of discrimination.
March 9, 2018
The promise and safety of AVs will only be realized if AVs are fully accessible, and the safety elements take into account the needs of people with disabilities. To that end, we ask you to consider the following...
March 5, 2018
The promise and safety of automated transit buses will only be realized if they are truly accessible, and the regulations, laws and policies take into consideration the needs of disabled travelers. To this end, we ask you to consider the following regarding the research program for automated transit buses.
March 5, 2018
Automated driving systems (ADS) have the potential to dramatically improve the lives of people with disabilities and improve the safety of our streets. More than half a million people with disabilities never leave home and cite transportation difficulties. Children with disabilities are more than 5 times as likely to be hit by a motor vehicle as a bicyclist or pedestrian than children without disabilities. Many people with disabilities cannot drive or lack access to a personal vehicle. Only 45% of rental households with individuals who use wheeled mobility devices have access to a personal vehicle.
March 4, 2018
The promise and safety of automated transit buses will only be realized if they are truly accessible, and the regulations, laws and policies take into consideration the needs of disabled travelers. Transit service of all types: whether fixed route, shuttles, circulator or vehicles providing first mile/last mile service must be available to people with disabilities who are ambulatory and mobility impaired, to low income riders, and those of all races, colors and national origins. The Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and Executive Order 12898 must be enforced and the civil rights of transit riders protected without exception.