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"DRA Fall Newsletter"
Image: "DRA Fall Newsletter"
In This Issue
* Letter from the President & CEO (#President)
* DRA 2025 Celebration (#Honorees)
* A Conversation with Jennifer Reddien (#Board) (#Board)
* Impact Report (#Impact)
Letter from the President & CEO
Dear DRA Friends,
As we head into the final stretch of the year, I’m filled with pride about what we’ve accomplished in this challenging year and hope that together, we will beat back the multitude of escalating barriers people with disabilities continue to encounter in accessing their basic civil rights.
First, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us for our recent Chicago fundraiser at City Winery. Your energy, generosity, and commitment to disability rights made the evening a resounding success. Please enjoy photos from the Chicago event ([link removed]) . Together, we raised a glass to our esteemed 2025 honorees, celebrated DRA’s victories on behalf of people with disabilities in the Midwest, and raised critical funds that will power DRA’s work into the next year and beyond. If you couldn’t make it, don’t worry—our New York celebration is coming up on November 12, and San Francisco follows on December 2. We’d love to see you there. Learn more about tickets and sponsorships ([link removed]) .
Despite the turmoil in our country right now, DRA continues to deliver results that change lives. Read the impact report (#Impact) to learn about our latest accomplishments. Just in recent months, we reached a groundbreaking settlement in our case on behalf of blind Medi-Cal recipients—ensuring they receive critical notices in accessible formats. In New York, thanks to our advocacy, a long-neglected North Bronx subway station is finally slated to get elevators, marking a major win for transit accessibility. And in Chicago, we’ve taken bold legal action against the City to fix its inaccessible sidewalks, demanding equal access for residents with disabilities. These victories—and the battles still underway—show what’s possible when DRA wields the law to create equity.
We’re also strengthening DRA from the inside out. We recently welcomed a new Board member, Jennifer Reddien (#Board) and a new Wolinsky Fellow, Raika Kim ([link removed]) expanding our capacity to serve as the litigation arm of the disability community. Their expertise and passion will help us push forward even more effectively in the months and years ahead.
As we approach the end of the year, I’m asking for your continued partnership. DRA is a nonprofit organization fueled by the generosity of people like you. Your support, by joining a case, sponsoring an event, or making a donation, helps us hold governments and institutions accountable and build a more equitable society for all. Thank you for supporting DRA through the battles ahead.
Portrait of DRA President & CEO Rebecca Williford
With gratitude,
Rebecca Williford signature
Rebecca Williford
President & CEO, Disability Rights Advocates
Image: Portrait of DRA President & CEO Rebecca Williford
DRA 2025 Celebrations
Image: “2025 Celebrations: Chicago September 25th, New York November 12th, San Francisco December 2nd” + DRA logo
Image: “2025 Celebrations: Chicago September 25th, New York November 12th, San Francisco December 2nd” + DRA logo
Thank you Chicago, for your generous support at DRA’s Chicago Celebration ([link removed]) on September 25^th. Our New York celebration is coming up next on November 12^th at City Winery on the West Side where we will host honorees Janni Lehrer-Stein and Proskauer, Emcee Emily Ladau, and enjoy entertainment by singer James Ian. You won’t want to miss this incredible evening! Thank you to all of our existing event sponsors ([link removed]) for supporting DRA’s work and making these events possible. There’s still time to join this list of generous supporters and/or purchase your ticket.
Sponsor/Purchase Tickets for NYC Celebration Today! ([link removed])
And if you can’t make it to New York on November 12^th, we hope that you will join us at our final celebration of the year in San Francisco on December 2^nd at Morrison Foerster.
Sponsor/Purchase Tickets for SF Celebration Today! ([link removed])
A Conversation with Jennifer Reddien
We’re thrilled to introduce you to the newest member of DRA’s Board of Directors: Jennifer Reddien ([link removed]) .
Image: Portrait of Melissa Jones
Jennifer Reddien has spent much of her career pursuing inclusion and opportunity efforts. Jennifer’s background, personal experiences, and passion for equity and inclusion make her an invaluable leader as Venable’s chief inclusion and opportunity officer.
Why did you decide to join DRA’s board of directors?
DRA’s work hits home for me on a personal and professional level, and serving on the Board allows me to be part of moving DRA’s mission forward. As an attorney and someone who knows firsthand what it’s like to live with a disability (although I am not currently practicing), I understand from a unique vantage point the discrimination that the disability community faces and that DRA’s litigation is necessary to dismantle many of the systemic barriers that persist in society.
Why do you think DRA’s work is urgent and important?
Disability access is often not even on the radar, but it is so critical. Most people don’t realize the barriers that still prevent people with disabilities from participating in some of the most basic aspects of modern life. As an inclusion and opportunity professional, I know how important it is to create and foster inclusive environments, and DRA’s work ensures just that for people with all types of disabilities. Our country is also experiencing new challenges to disability rights, and DRA plays a critical role in remaining vigilant and responding to these challenges.
Read the Entire Conversation with Jennifer Reddien ([link removed])
Impact Report
Image: DRA attorney Madeleine Reichman and DRA client Tanya Jackson standing together inside the Central Islip location of the Eastern District Court of NY after the final approval hearing in Jackson v. Queens Borough Public Library
Architectural Barriers
In October, a federal court granted final approval to a landmark class action settlement that will ensure the Hunters Point Library in Queens is accessible to visitors with mobility disabilities. With this victory, visitors with mobility disabilities will be able to visit, benefit from, and enjoy the library to the same extent as non-disabled visitors. (Press release ([link removed]) and Gothamist coverage ([link removed]) )
Healthcare
In October, a federal court granted final approval to a groundbreaking class action settlement for the case we filed against the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and three counties for failing to provide Medi-Cal notices in accessible formats such as Braille. The settlement requires significant changes to ensure the DCHS is able to provide effective communication to Blind individuals. (Press release ([link removed]) and Los Angeles Daily Journal coverage ([link removed]) )
Pedestrian Access
In September, DRA filed a major class action lawsuit against the City of Chicago challenging its widespread and ongoing failure to make its sidewalks, curb ramps, and other public pedestrian rights of way accessible to people with mobility disabilities. These access barriers make it difficult or impossible for people with mobility disabilities to travel freely and participate equally in public life. (Press release ([link removed]) and Chicago Tribune coverage ([link removed]) )
Transportation
After years of hard-fought litigation, last year a federal court approved a historic class settlement improving access at the Middletown Road Station in the Bronx, and in October, the MTA broke ground on the Middletown Road subway accessibility project. When completed, New Yorkers with mobility disabilities will be able to use the station equally and independently. (The City coverage ([link removed]) )
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