The Disability Rights Legal Center - DRLC (formerly Western Law Center for Disability Rights) is an independent non-profit public interest law office located on the LLS campus and a satellite office on the University Of La Verne College Of Law that provides free legal services to persons with disabilities. Utilizing a legal and administrative staff, law student externs and volunteer attorneys, the Center provides much needed assistance to persons with disabilities through impact litigation, individual representation, telephone assistance trainings, and meaningful referrals to other agencies. These efforts, contributing significantly to the ability of persons with disabilities to secure their legal rights, are undertaken through the following projects:
The Cancer Legal Resource Center (CLRC) is a community-based joint program of the Disability Rights Legal Center and Loyola Law School. The CLRC provides free and confidential information and resources on cancer-related legal issues to people with cancer, their families, friends, employers, health care professionals, and others coping with cancer.
The CLRC has a national toll free Telephone Assistance Line (866-THE-CLRC) where callers can receive information about relevant laws and resources for their particular situation. The CLRC volunteer panel of attorneys and other professionals provide more in-depth information and counsel to CLRC callers.
The CLRC has extensive resources on a broad range of cancer-related legal issues, including health insurance, employment, government benefits, estate planning, advance health care directives, family law, and consumer assistance.
CLRC staff members speak at workshops and outreach programs in the cancer community, including cancer support groups and in-service trainings for health care professionals. The CLRC regularly hosts informational booths at health fairs and other events in the cancer community. If you would like a CLRC staff person to attend your next event, please call us at (866) 843-2572.
The Civil Rights Litigation Project provides representation for low-income individuals with disabilities facing discrimination. We concentrate on cases that will establish important legal principles or benefit large groups of people with disabilities. We provide legal services without charge to its clients.
Our cases challenge discriminatory practices by government agencies, businesses, and educational institutions. Examples include, inaccessible newly constructed or altered buildings, refusal to provide sign language interpreters or alternative format materials, inaccessible government programs, discriminatory insurance and health care systems, inaccessible transportation services, and policies that exclude people with disabilities. To file a disability discrimination claim call, (213) 736-1334.
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The Community Outreach Program provides Basic and Advanced Self-Advocacy Trainings. We also provide custom trainings on disability bias, disability rights and responsibilities, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and others. We also participate in outreach activities to ensure that people know about the services provided by the Disability Rights Legal Center and other disability resources.
We created the statewide - RespectABILITY Disability Action & Advocacy Conference, which brings together nearly 500 people with disabilities and disability rights advocates from throughout California. The Conference participants discuss the major issues facing the California disability community, set the Disability Rights agenda, and collaborate on strategies. The next RespectABILITY Conference will be held on October 12th & 13th, 2007 in Los Angeles. The DRLC is now working with other organizations to organize the Respect-ABILITY Coalition. To learn more about the Disability Rights Agenda, or how to join the RespectABILITY Coalition call, (213) 736-8365.
The month of October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. As part of NDEAM, the Disability Rights Legal Center participates and acts as the local coordinator for National Disability Mentoring Day which is commemorated on the third Wednesday in October each year. Disability Mentoring Day promotes career development for students and job seekers with disabilities through job shadowing and hands-on career exploration. DRLC helps coordinate this annual event which brings students with disabilities from all over Los Angeles together with businesspeople, private, nonprofit, governmental and educational organizations for a day of learning. For more information on how to participate in Disability Mentoring Day as a mentee or mentor please call, (213) 736-8365.
The Education Advocacy Project has worked to ensure that quality legal representation is available to traditionally underrepresented communities needing special education services. Students of color and low-income students with disabilities are often left out of special education, which leads to segregation, ineffective educational services, failure in school, and involvement in the juvenile justice system.
The Education Advocacy Project has worked to ensure that quality legal representation is available to traditionally underrepresented communities needing special education services. Students of color and low-income students with disabilities are often left out of special education, which leads to segregation, ineffective educational services, failure in school, and involvement in the juvenile justice system.
The EAP focuses it advocacy on remediation of the denial of a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and discrimination against children with disabilities in education by identifying systemic special education and related issues and addressing these issues through impact and individual litigation as well as appearing as amicus curiae in special education cases raising significant systemic educational issues. Current systemic issues include, but are not limited to: the denial of FAPE to children and youth in the juvenile and adult criminal justice system, the denial of adequate transition services, the denial of FAPE to and expulsion of children with behavioral disorders, among other issues. The EAP often co-counsels these cases with other local law firms and nonprofit legal agencies.
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The Inland Empire Program - The Inland Empire is one of the fastest growing areas in California and covers nearly 30,000 square miles. Yet legal services are dismayingly scarce for low-income people with disabilities. Therefore, the Disability Rights Legal Center has expanded its offices to serve San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. We are accepting special education and civil rights cases in those counties.
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Lawyer Referral Service - We operate a State Bar certified Lawyer Referral Service, which refers callers with disability-related cases to experienced private attorneys in Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties. The service provides four subject-matter panels: Labor and Employment, Access to Public Accommodations and Commercial Facilities, Administrative Law, and Higher Education.
Options Counseling serves as the front door to the Disability Rights Legal Center. The Options Counseling method of intake reflects our deep conviction that many options outside of litigation are available to individuals with disability related disputes. Options Counseling works hand-in-hand with the Disability Mediation Center, Education Advocacy Project, and Civil Rights Litigation Project to conduct intake. The aim of Options Counseling is to assist and empower those involved in conflicts to evaluate the options available to resolve their disputes. The service focuses on informing callers of all their options - including litigation, mediation, and self-help - helping the callers decide which options to pursue, and identifying appropriate resources and referrals. We also offer Ask-A-Lawyer events at local Independent Living Centers.
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Pro Bono Program - Each year, the DRLC receives thousands of requests for legal assistance from people with disabilities-more than 5,400 such requests last year. While our committed staff and student externs work to capacity providing legal assistance, the need for our services far exceeds our resources. As a result, we rely heavily on our pro bono partners.
For more information about the Disability Rights Legal Center (formerly Western Law Center for Disability Rights), call (213) 736-1031.