Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
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The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), located in
Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...
, and
Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
, USA is a national cross-disability
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
law and policy center directed by individuals with disabilities and parents who have children with disabilities. Founded in 1979, DREDF advances the civil and human rights of people with disabilities through legal advocacy, training, education, and public policy and legislative development. The Berkeley office is located in the
Ed Roberts Campus Ed, ed or ED may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ed'' (film), a 1996 film starring Matt LeBlanc * Ed (''Fullmetal Alchemist'') or Edward Elric, a character in ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' media * ''Ed'' (TV series), a TV series that ran fro ...
.


History

An outgrowth of the
Independent Living Independent living (IL), as seen by its advocates, is a philosophy, a way of looking at society and disability, and a worldwide movement of disabled people working for equal opportunities, self-determination, and self-respect. In the context o ...
Movement, which had deep roots in Berkeley, California, DREDF is a national, cross-disability civil rights organization in the United States founded, managed, and directed by an alliance of people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities. The organization derived its name from other historical civil rights groups such as the Women’s Legal Defense Fund, the
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (NAACP LDF, the Legal Defense Fund, or LDF) is a leading United States civil rights organization and law firm based in New York City. LDF is wholly independent and separate from the NAACP. Altho ...
(LDF), and the
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) is a national non-profit civil rights organization formed in 1968 by Jack Greenberg to protect the rights of Latinos in the United States."MALDEF" entry in ''Los Angeles A to Z: An ...
(MALDEF).


The 1980s

DREDF challenges discrimination, prejudice and social exclusion of people with disabilities. Its early efforts focused on: * building alliances with the national civil rights leadership * preventing the
Reagan administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following a landslide victory over D ...
's Task Force on Regulatory Relief's attempts to de-regulate the
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, is American legislation that guarantees certain rights to people with disabilities. It was one of the first U.S. federal civil rights laws offering protection for people with disabilities. It set preced ...
of 1973 * protecting regulations implementing the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (later renamed the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a piece of American legislation that ensures students with a disability are provided with a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that is tailored to their individual needs. IDEA was ...
(IDEA)), the federal law establishing the right to a free, appropriate, public education for all children with disabilities * working for federal civil rights legislation affecting people with disabilities such as the
Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 The Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, or Grove City Bill, is a United States legislative act that specifies that entities receiving federal funds must comply with civil rights legislation in all of their operations, not just in the program ...
, the 1986 Handicapped Children's Protection Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments, and the Fair Housing Act Amendments * writing, co-authoring, and coordinating
amicus curiae An ''amicus curiae'' (; ) is an individual or organization who is not a party to a legal case, but who is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. The decision on ...
briefs on early
disability rights The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all people with disabilities. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocat ...
matters heard by the
U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
including ''Smith v. Robinson, Darrone, and Arline'' * building a national civil rights advocacy network of
people with disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...
and parents by providing in-depth training on the then-new civil rights laws, Section 504 and IDEA After a decade-long record of advocacy training, and legislative, legal, and policy victories, DREDF was uniquely situated to play a significant role in the enactment of the landmark civil rights law, the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 19 ...
(ADA). DREDF's governmental affairs director,
Patrisha Wright Patrisha Wright is a disability rights activist. She is legally blind. She was instrumental in enacting the Americans with Disabilities Act. Activism She was at the San Francisco sit-in to support Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act in April 19 ...
, known as "The General", led the national coalition advocating for enactment of the proposed law, and Arlene B. Mayerson, DREDF's legal director, developed briefing materials, legal memoranda, and legal opinions about the impact of proposed legislation at the request of members of Congress. Policy analyst Marilyn Golden led community organizing efforts. Senator
Tom Harkin Thomas Richard Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as a United States senator from Iowa from 1985 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was the U.S. representative for Iowa' ...
was lead sponsor of the ADA.


The 1990s

Following passage of the ADA, DREDF focused on preserving the new law and shaping its implementation by providing nationwide training and technical assistance and by writing and publishing a legal series that presented ADA legislative history and commentary. In a series of cases, DREDF wins the right of children with disabilities requiring healthcare assistance (such as diabetes and asthma) to receive such assistance in pre-school and recreational settings. In an effort to promote community integration, DREDF works with community and legal groups to challenge the continued institutionalization of disabled residents in San Francisco's Laguna Honda Hospital and to create community-based alternatives. Other ADA litigation also opens doors to movie theaters, hotels, banking services, and gas stations. DREDF represents Members of Congress is a trilogy of cases involving the definition of disability under the ADA. Continuing its commitment to IDEA implementation, DREDF achieves a series of litigation victories that establish a national precedent for full inclusion of children with disabilities in regular classes in ''Holland v. Sacramento City School District'' and establishes educational rights for children with disabilities in East Palo Alto, California. As interest in disability rights gains international momentum, disability rights leaders from 17 countries invite legal and policy staff to consult and collaborate on strategies for advancing policy in their countries.


The 2000s and beyond

DREDF organizes "From Principles to Practice", the first international disability right law symposium to be held in the United States, bringing together 150 attorneys and legal advocates from 57 countries. Transnational Publishers releases ''Disability Rights Law and Policy: International and National Perspectives'', edited by
Silvia Yee Silvia () is a female given name of Latin origin, with a male equivalent Silvio and English-language cognate Sylvia. The name originates from the Latin word for forest, ''Silva'', and its meaning is "spirit of the wood"; the mythological god of ...
and
Mary Lou Breslin Mary Lou Breslin (born in 1944) is a disability rights law and policy advocate and analyst. She is an adjunct faculty member at the University of San Francisco in the McLaren School of Business Executive Master of Management and Disability Services ...
. As traditional barriers to equal participation for people with disabilities begin to bend to the effect of the ADA, DREDF identifies and focuses attention on emerging challenges including thwarting legislative attempts to legalize assisted suicide and increasing access to healthcare services and improving healthcare outcomes. DREDF conducts healthcare research and publishes outcomes in peer-reviewed journals. As the US House and Senate considered enactment of the
Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
(ACA), DREDF advocated for enhanced protections and rights for people with disabilities. Following enactment of the ACA, DREDF advocates for ADA implementation in healthcare programs and services, drafts comments with colleagues on proposed regulations that create accessible medical equipment standards, and collaborates with senior groups as the ACA tests models that combine clinical care and long-term services and supports for low-income people with disabilities and seniors. Litigation against
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
resulted in a landmark settlement that requires captioning for all streaming media the company offers, thus marking progress on applying the ADA to Internet-only businesses. Other litigation succeeds in requiring the US Social Security Administration to provide all notices to beneficiaries in alternative formats.


References


External links


Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF)
{{Authority control Disability organizations based in the United States Disability rights organizations