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The Incarceration of D.S. - An Investigative Report
In response to reports in The Oregonian newspaper during 2011, Disability Rights Oregon investigated how a man with significant psychiatric disabilities (D.S.) came to be held in Washington County Jail for months without treatment and then was committed to the state hospital without legal authority even though the legal means existed.
Lane v. Kitzhaber: Class Action Lawsuit Seeks an End to Segregated Sheltered Workshops
Advocates for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities filed a class action lawsuit in U.S. District Court on January 25, 2012 challenging Oregon’s failure to provide supported employment services to more than 2,300 state residents who are segregated in sheltered workshops where they perform mundane tasks, such as folding UPS bags. The lawsuit charges state officials with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act by confining individuals with disabilities to segregated settings where they have little – if any – interaction with non-disabled peers. Moreover, they are paid far below the state’s minimum wage of $8.80 for doing rote tasks that offer no training, no skills, and no advancement.
President Obama Appoints Susana Ramirez to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID)
President Barack Obama announced 15 new members appointed to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID). Among the 15 members is Susana Ramirez, Special Education Advocate here at DRO. Read PCPID's 2011 report to the President, PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES: Critical Supports that Promote Independence and Full and Lifelong Community Inclusion.
VRI (Video Remote Interpreting) Services Ease Language Barriers
Sign language users need to be able to effectively communicate with their health care providers, and vice versa. DRO Advocate Rosemary DiSiervi has been instrumental in introducing video remote interpreting (VRI) services to Oregon hospitals, increasing access to health care for people who use sign language, and Spanish speakers too.
Autism Service Dog Granted Access to School
DRO Attorney Joel Greenberg filed a complaint with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in November 2009 after negotiating tirelessly with the Hillsboro School District since April 2008 to allow access to his then eight-year-old client Jordan's autism service dog, Madison. The complaint prompted DOJ to investigate. In March 2011, DOJ secured an agreement from the district to allow Madison to accompany Jordan to class on a trial basis.
Keep School Safe for Everyone: A Report on the Restraint & Seclusion of Children with Disabilities in Oregon Schools
State Representative Sara Gelser (D-Corvallis) has introduced House Bill 2939 in the 2011 Oregon legislature to regulate the use of restraint and seclusion in schools. As the Protection & Advocacy agency for Oregon, Disability Rights Oregon (DRO) believes the passage of this bill is imperative.
DRO’s "Keep School Safe for Everyone" Campaign
We aim to eliminate abusive use of restraint and seclusion in Oregon schools.
How Assistive Technology Fosters Independence
DRO staff attorney Jan Friedman helps a young woman win coverage for a new power wheelchair necessary to maintain her independent life.
5th-Grade Special Education Student Tasered by Police in His Oregon Class Room
An Investigation of Systemic Failure | Written by Joel Greenberg, DRO Staff Attorney
Review of the Mental Health Treatment, Restraint & Death of William James Owens in the Oregon Correctional System
Written by DRO Staff Attorney Jan Friedman
Five Deaths at Dammasch Hospital
A Question of Responsibility | Written by DRO staff members Janice Perciano, Rick Vachio, Jonna Schuder, and Bob Joondeph
Promoting Accessibility in Bend
Bend’s public transportation system is more accessible due to DRO’s advocacy.
Taking the Social Security Administration to Task
People with visual impairments will soon receive accessible Social Security program information.
What if only People with Brown Eyes Got to Sit in the “Good” Seats at Movie Theaters?
Have you ever arrived late for a movie and had no choice but to sit front-row-center, your neck aching because the only possible way to view the movie was to tilt your head as far back as possible? Or, perhaps worse, have you been relegated to the far edge of the front row, where even with your head twisted up and sideways (ouch!) the distorted images on the screen resembled something Picasso might have painted?
Undaunted by Quadraplegia
"Once I came out of my depression, I started to realize that I had a lot of potential, a lot of things to do before I die."
Overcoming Discrimination Based on Medical History
Imagine being dismissed from graduate school mere weeks before graduation, in spite of your excellent academic performance, because you had cancer 10 years ago.
Breaking the Vicious Cycle of Permanent Detention
Staff attorney Joel Greenberg, a former special education teacher, recounts how he helped give a boy a second chance at high school.
From Suspension to Success
Staff special education advocate Susana Ramirez helps a young man with behavioral issues turn his life around.
Ending Eugenics in Oregon
In 1983 DRO played a lead role in stopping forced sterilizations in our state.
“What are my chances?”
The story of the first patient at Oregon State Hospital to use a new administrative procedure to challenge the hospital’s decision to subject her to involuntary medication, by former staff attorney Rebecca Lease.
Keep School Safe for Everyone: A Report on the Restraint & Seclusion of Children with Disabilities in Oregon Schools
A PDF version of our report on the restraint and seclusion of children with disabilities in Oregon schools.
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