• Letter from the President & CEO
• A Conversation with Emily Ladau
• 2024 Annual Nationwide Gala
• Impact Report

Dear DRA Supporters,

July is here which means two very important things: Disability Pride Month and the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). And given recent Supreme Court decisions, celebrating this month is ever more important! Disability Pride Month is a time where communities across the nation celebrate the many ways people with all types of disabilities contribute to society. DRA has joined disability pride celebrations across the nation in recent weeks, and we want to thank each and every one of you who has come out to commemorate this important month that brings visibility to so many of us living with disabilities and highlights all of our talents and gifts.

Today, July 26^th, marks the 34^th anniversary of the ADA, and anyone who knows DRA history understands how deeply entwined and symbiotic DRA (founded three short years after the ADA’s passage) and the ADA have always been. The vision of the ADA, a robust federal civil rights law, is prohibition of discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities. The ADA, on paper, guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else when it comes to many spheres of life—employment, healthcare, technology, entertainment, recreation, and transportation just to name a few. But in order to make that vision a reality, the ADA has always required enforcement through the court system. That’s where DRA comes in!

DRA’s founders created this organization to tackle systemic, illegal barriers facing people with disabilities. For the last three decades, together with disability community organizations across the country, DRA has identified healthcare providers, higher education institutions, municipalities, employers (and the list goes on) who illegally discriminate against people with disabilities. And through one precedent-setting lawsuit after another, DRA uses the ADA (and other laws) to protect the civil rights of people with disabilities—requiring those discriminating entities to remove barriers and move towards inclusion.

Recently the Supreme Court released its decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, overturning the 40-year old Chevron doctrine. This doctrine required federal courts to afford deference to federal agencies that had reasonably interpreted ambiguous laws when they created federal regulations governing civil rights, disability rights, health care, emergency preparedness, recreation, and more. Federal courts now will no longer need to grant deference to longstanding regulations and regulatory guidance that that provides important detail that informs the broader statutory language.

The implications of this decision could be devastating for people with disabilities if we are not vigilant in counteracting attacks on important regulations and longstanding precedent. Fortunately, DRA is here, with our 31 years of expertise fighting in the courtroom for the rights of people with disabilities, to make certain that devastation does not come to pass.

In this new, post-Chevron doctrine reality, DRA can and will protect the ground-breaking precedents we have set. And DRA is remaining vigilant to ensure that future regulations, decided through the federal courts, uphold our vision of equality for people with disabilities in all key areas of life.

On that note, to celebrate the ADA’s anniversary, I’m proud to share that DRA today has filed a lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles for denying equal access to the City’s newly constructed and renovated public park facilities. People in Los Angeles with disabilities deserve to be able to safely access their neighborhood parks and DRA can and will fight to make sure that park facilities comply with the ADA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and California Law.

This type of legal advocacy is what we were built for in 1993, shortly after the ADA was passed. We will continue, as we have for more than three decades, even without the Chevron doctrine in place, to ensure a world free from discrimination, where people with disabilities are valued members of their communities with equal access to opportunity.

I’ve long known of DRA’s vital work, but officially connected with them as they began to seek out media ambassadors for the 2023 Gala. This connection continued to grow as we found ways to collaborate and amplify DRA’s work, particularly through a monthly column that Rebecca Williford, DRA’s President and CEO, writes for Able News, where I serve as Editor.

Why do you think DRA’s work is urgent and important?
 

It seems that disability rights—and more broadly, civil and human rights—are being rolled further back every single week. DRA’s work is giving disabled people, especially those who hold multiple marginalized identities, a fighting chance to survive and thrive in an increasingly tumultuous time.

Read the rest of the conversation here.

On Wednesday, November 13th, Disability Rights Advocates will host our second Annual Nationwide Gala. Building on the enormous success of our 30th Anniversary Gala last year, DRA’s 2024 celebration includes in-person gatherings in New York, Chicago and San Francisco, as well as a livestream that allows us to welcome our entire community of supporters.