Attach to Form 990 or Form 990-EZ.
Go to
www.irs.gov/Form990 for the latest information.
| (i) Name of supported organization | (ii) EIN | (iii) Type of organization (described on lines 1- 10 above (see instructions)) | (iv) Is the organization listed in your governing document? | (v) Amount of monetary support (see instructions) | (vi) Amount of other support (see instructions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | |||||
|
Total |
||||||
Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2014 | (b) 2015 | (c) 2016 | (d) 2017 | (e) 2018 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any "unusual grant.") .. | 21,458,689 | 21,865,256 | 23,599,108 | 24,960,458 | 27,579,501 | 119,463,012 |
| 2 | Tax revenues levied for the organization's benefit and either paid to or expended on its behalf.... | 0 | |||||
| 3 | The value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge.. | 0 | |||||
| 4 | Total. Add lines 1 through 3 | 21,458,689 | 21,865,256 | 23,599,108 | 24,960,458 | 27,579,501 | 119,463,012 |
| 5 | The portion of total contributions by each person (other than a governmental unit or publicly supported organization) included on line 1 that exceeds 2% of the amount shown on line 11, column (f).. | 0 | |||||
| 6 | Public support. Subtract line 5 from line 4. | 119,463,012 | |||||
Calendar year
(or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2014 | (b) 2015 | (c) 2016 | (d) 2017 | (e) 2018 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Amounts from line 4.. | 21,458,689 | 21,865,256 | 23,599,108 | 24,960,458 | 27,579,501 | 119,463,012 |
| 8 | Gross income from interest, dividends, payments received on securities loans, rents, royalties and income from similar sources... | 41,110 | 58,642 | 47,901 | 94,818 | 257,607 | 500,078 |
| 9 | Net income from unrelated business activities, whether or not the business is regularly carried on.. | ||||||
| 10 | Other income. Do not include gain or loss from the sale of capital assets (Explain in Part VI.).. | 0 | |||||
| 11 | Total support. Add lines 7 through 10 | 119,963,090 | |||||
Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2014 | (b) 2015 | (c) 2016 | (d) 2017 | (e) 2018 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gifts, grants, contributions, and membership fees received. (Do not include any "unusual grants.") . | ||||||
| 2 | Gross receipts from admissions, merchandise sold or services performed, or facilities furnished in any activity that is related to the organization's tax-exempt purpose | ||||||
| 3 | Gross receipts from activities that are not an unrelated trade or business under section 513 ..... | ||||||
| 4 | Tax revenues levied for the organization's benefit and either paid to or expended on its behalf... | ||||||
| 5 | The value of services or facilities furnished by a governmental unit to the organization without charge | ||||||
| 6 | Total. Add lines 1 through 5 | ||||||
| 7a | Amounts included on lines 1, 2, and 3 received from disqualified persons | ||||||
| b | Amounts included on lines 2 and 3 received from other than disqualified persons that exceed the greater of $5,000 or 1% of the amount on line 13 for the year. | ||||||
| c | Add lines 7a and 7b.. | ||||||
| 8 | Public support. (Subtract line 7c from line 6.) | ||||||
Calendar year (or fiscal year beginning in) ![]() |
(a) 2014 | (b) 2015 | (c) 2016 | (d) 2017 | (e) 2018 | (f) Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Amounts from line 6... | ||||||
| 10a | Gross income from interest, dividends, payments received on securities loans, rents, royalties and income from similar sources.. | ||||||
| b | Unrelated business taxable income (less section 511 taxes) from businesses acquired after June 30, 1975. | ||||||
| c | Add lines 10a and 10b. | ||||||
| 11 | Net income from unrelated business activities not included in line 10b, whether or not the business is regularly carried on. | ||||||
| 12 | Other income. Do not include gain or loss from the sale of capital assets (Explain in Part VI.) .. | ||||||
| 13 | Total support. (Add lines 9, 10c, 11, and 12.).. | ||||||
| Section A - Adjusted Net Income | (A) Prior Year |
(B) Current Year (optional) |
||||
| 1 | Net short-term capital gain | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Recoveries of prior-year distributions | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Other gross income (see instructions) | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Add lines 1 through 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Depreciation and depletion | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Portion of operating expenses paid or incurred for production or collection of gross income or for management, conservation, or maintenance of property held for production of income (see instructions) | 6 | ||||
| 7 | Other expenses (see instructions) | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Adjusted Net Income (subtract lines 5, 6 and 7 from line 4) | 8 | ||||
| Section B - Minimum Asset Amount | (A) Prior Year |
(B) Current Year (optional) |
||||
| 1 | Aggregate fair market value of all non-exempt-use assets (see instructions for short tax year or assets held for part of year): | 1 | ||||
| a | Average monthly value of securities | 1a | ||||
| b | Average monthly cash balances | 1b | ||||
| c | Fair market value of other non-exempt-use assets | 1c | ||||
| d | Total (add lines 1a, 1b, and 1c) | 1d | ||||
| e |
Discount claimed for blockage or other factors (explain in detail in Part VI): |
|||||
| 2 | Acquisition indebtedness applicable to non-exempt use assets | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Subtract line 2 from line 1d | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Cash deemed held for exempt use. Enter 1-1/2% of line 3 (for greater amount, see instructions). | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Net value of non-exempt-use assets (subtract line 4 from line 3) | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Multiply line 5 by .035 | 6 | ||||
| 7 | Recoveries of prior-year distributions | 7 | ||||
| 8 | Minimum Asset Amount (add line 7 to line 6) | 8 | ||||
| Section C - Distributable Amount | Current Year | |||||
| 1 | Adjusted net income for prior year (from Section A, line 8, Column A) | 1 | ||||
| 2 | Enter 85% of line 1 | 2 | ||||
| 3 | Minimum asset amount for prior year (from Section B, line 8, Column A) | 3 | ||||
| 4 | Enter greater of line 2 or line 3 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | Income tax imposed in prior year | 5 | ||||
| 6 | Distributable Amount. Subtract line 5 from line 4, unless subject to emergency temporary reduction (see instructions) | 6 | ||||
| Section D - Distributions | Current Year | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Amounts paid to supported organizations to accomplish exempt purposes | ||
|
2
Amounts paid to perform activity that directly furthers exempt purposes of supported organizations, in excess of income from activity |
||
| 3 Administrative expenses paid to accomplish exempt purposes of supported organizations | ||
| 4 Amounts paid to acquire exempt-use assets | ||
| 5 Qualified set-aside amounts (prior IRS approval required) | ||
| 6 Other distributions (describe in Part VI). See instructions | ||
| 7Total annual distributions. Add lines 1 through 6. | ||
|
8
Distributions to attentive supported organizations to which the organization is responsive (provide details in Part VI). See instructions |
||
| 9 Distributable amount for 2018 from Section C, line 6 | ||
| 10 Line 8 amount divided by Line 9 amount | ||
| Section E - Distribution Allocations (see instructions) |
(i) Excess Distributions |
(ii) Underdistributions Pre-2018 |
(iii) Distributable Amount for 2018 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
Distributable amount for 2018 from Section C, line 6 |
||||
|
2
Underdistributions, if any, for years prior to 2018 (reasonable cause required-- explain in Part VI). See instructions. |
||||
| 3 Excess distributions carryover, if any, to 2018: | ||||
| a From 2013....... | ||||
| b From 2014....... | ||||
| c From 2015....... | ||||
| d From 2016....... | ||||
| e From 2017....... | ||||
| fTotal of lines 3a through e | ||||
| g Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| h Applied to 2018 distributable amount | ||||
|
i
Carryover from 2013 not applied (see instructions) |
||||
| j Remainder. Subtract lines 3g, 3h, and 3i from 3f. | ||||
| 4Distributions for 2018 from Section D, line 7: | ||||
| $ | ||||
| a Applied to underdistributions of prior years | ||||
| b Applied to 2018 distributable amount | ||||
| c Remainder. Subtract lines 4a and 4b from 4. | ||||
|
5
Remaining underdistributions for years prior to 2018, if any. Subtract lines 3g and 4a from line 2. If the amount is greater than zero, explain in Part VI. See instructions. |
||||
|
6
Remaining underdistributions for 2018. Subtract lines 3h and 4b from line 1. If the amount is greater than zero, explain in Part VI. See instructions. |
||||
|
7 Excess distributions carryover to 2019. Add lines 3j and 4c. |
||||
| 8 Breakdown of line 7: | ||||
| a Excess from 2014...... | ||||
| b Excess from 2015..... | ||||
| c Excess from 2016..... | ||||
| d Excess from 2017..... | ||||
| e Excess from 2018..... | ||||
| Facts And Circumstances Test |
|---|
| Return Reference | Explanation |
|---|
| Software ID: | 18007218 |
| Software Version: | 2018v3.1 |
Attach to Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Go to www.irs.gov/Form990 for the latest information.
| Return Reference | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Form 990, Part III, Line 4d: Other Program Services Description | OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 4: PROGRAM SERVICES TO PROMOTE THE RIGHTS OF, AND ADVOCACY FOR, PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. OTHER PROGRAMS INCLUDE: PROTECTION & ADVOCACY OF INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS, PROTECTION & ADVOCACY FOR TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY, PROTECTION & ADVOCACY FOR BENEFICIARIES OF SOCIAL SECURITY, PROTECTION & ADVOCACY FOR ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY, PROTECTION & ADVOCACY FOR VOTING ACCESS,STRENGTHENING PROTECTIONS FOR SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFICIARIES,CLIENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, WORK INCENTIVES PLANNING AND ASSISTANCE, STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA IOLTA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY DEPRTMENT OF STATE HOSPITALS, EQUAL ACCESS, AND BANK HOUSING. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Line 11b: Form 990 Review Process | The Form 990 draft is presented to the Finance Committee for review and to the full Board for review and approval prior to filing. Auditors, the Executive Director, and the Finance Director or designee are available to answer questions. Form 990 review materials are provided. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Line 12c: Explanation of Monitoring and Enforcement of Conflicts | CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY, QUESTIONNAIRE AND STATEMENT ARE COMPLETED BY EACH BOARD MEMBER ANNUALLY, AND REVIEWED BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTORS, PROGRAM DIRECTORS, MANAGING ATTORNEYS, OFFICE MANAGERS AND OTHER STAFF AS DETERMINED BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ALSO ANNUALLY AND AS DETERMINED NECESSARY COMPLETE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE FORM. A VENDOR LIST OF MAJOR PURCHASES/SERVICES IS PROVIDED TO STAFF. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Line 15b: Compensation Review and Approval Process for Officers and Key Employees | The Board of Directors annually evaluates the Executive Director. The Board reviews external market comparability data, job performance, and job duties to determine appropriate compensation. Other Officers and Key Employee salaries are based on a Board approved competitive salary scale. Each position in the organization is placed on the salary scale which is based upon external market rates, job duties, and internal comparability. The scale is evaluated for market comparability and cost of living adjustments on a scheduled basis. Annual salary increases for staff are per the salary scale and based on the employees annual evaluation. |
| Form 990, Part VI, Line 19: Other Organization Documents Publicly Available | AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. |
| About Us | Disability Rights California (DRC) advocates, educates, investigates, and litigates to advance the rights, dignity, equal opportunities, and choices for all people with disabilities. We use all of our advocacy tools to ensure that all people with disabilities enjoy the power of equal rights and opportunities; freedom from abuse, neglect, and discrimination; dignity; and respect for their choices based on their own goals and values. As the federally mandated protection and advocacy system, we protect rights and access to services by filing lawsuits, representing clients at hearings, and advocating for policy changes. We conduct investigations and monitor service delivery to prevent abuse and neglect, and empower communities by providing culturally appropriate and accessible self-advocacy publications and trainings.We have more than 27 offices statewide and employ a diverse staff of over 275 dedicated, creative, and passionate attorneys, advocates, and support staff. More than 33% of our staff identify as having a disability, 64% of staff are from diverse racial and ethnic groups, and 12% identify as LGBTQ. |
| Access to Services | Increasing Access to In-Home Nursing for Children:More than 4,000 children across Californian were approved for Medi-Cal in-home nursing care. Yet many of these nursing hours went unfilled, placing an enormous strain on families, and an unacceptable risk of medical complications, hospitalizations and placements outside the family home for these children. In 2018 DRC and our co-counsel filed a class action lawsuit, I.N. v. Kent claiming that the State had failed to fulfill its commitment to provide these children with sufficient Medi-Cal in-home nursing services to keep them safely at home. We settled the case in February 2019.Under the settlement the state will designate managed health care plans, California Childrens Services (CCS) or waiver ggencies as case management service providers for the children and their families and will require those providers to help families obtain in-home nursing. The State Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will oversee the case management, will establish an email address that families can use if they have questions or concerns about their in-home nursing or case management and monitor the case management services delivered by those agencies. Improving Access to Mental Health and Other Services for Individuals With Disabilities Who Are Homeless:DRC and our co-counsel obtained a class action settlement in Ramirez v. County of Orange which ensures mental health services for people experiencing homelessness who were driven out of the Santa Ana Riverbed. The settlement requires the County of Orange and the Orange County Sheriffs Department to use health-care lead approaches when working with unsheltered people and to develop new policies including a reasonable accommodation process that will allow individuals with disabilities to manage their conditions and symptoms while living in shelters or accessing other County services. Orange County will also adopt standards of care for its county funded or contracted homeless shelters which includes mandatory training for shelter staff in areas of harm reduction, trauma informed care, mental health first aid, and non-violent crisis intervention. |
| Individual Advocacy | --------------------- |
| Individual Advocacy | --------------------- |
| Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities | We provide advocacy to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through our Office of Clients Rights Advocacy (OCRA) and staff in our Legal Advocacy Unit funded by the federal Protection and Advocacy for Developmental Disabilities (PADD grant). OCRA is funded through a contract with the Department of Developmental Disabilities and provides advocacy services to people with developmental disabilities who are consumers of the 21 regional centers. In 2019, OCRA resolved 9,764 issues for people with developmental disabilities.Successful Challenge to Termination of Social Security Benefits:When a regional center consumer experienced health challenges, he was laid off from the job he had through a vocational program. He also received a notice from the Social Security Administration saying that he had an $18,472 overpayment and that his social security benefits were ending. His sister helped him appeal but almost a year later, he had not received a response. OCRA contacted a Social Security representative and learned that some necessary paperwork had not been submitted. OCRA helped get the paperwork completed and ensure that proof of his wages were provided. Shortly after this call, the Social Security Administration sent a revised notice which stated that his social security benefits will continue and he does not owe an overpayment. Helping A Regional Center Consumer Keep Her Job:A regional center consumers apartment became invested with bed bugs. She worked with her regional center service coordinator to hire a pest extermination company to kill the bugs and stayed home from her job. She looked forward to returning to work once the exterminators visited and she got a doctors note. Unfortunately, her employer would not allow her to return until the pest control service confirmed in writing that her home was free of bed bugs. The pest control service said they could not give a 100% guarantee. OCRA looked at the employment service policies and found no reason to prevent her from returning to work and then spoke with her employer. Shortly after this call, she returned to work and received back-pay for the 6 weeks of the wages she lost when the employer refused to allow her to return. Living in the Community After 30 Years in Restrictive Settings:A regional center consumer with mild intellectual disability and mental health disabilities had spent most of his life in restrictive settings, including the past five years in a locked acute psychiatric hospital. OCRA worked with his service coordinator for several years to help him move to a less restrictive placement and ultimately the regional center located a group home placement. OCRA and the service coordinator also convinced the psychiatric hospital to refer him for an MRI, which revealed issues with his back that he complained of, but which hospital staff ignored for over two years. He was finally placed at a step-down group home for people with his specific needs. OCRA participated by phone in his 30-day review meeting at which said stated he loved his new home. Our Legal Advocacy Unit, with the support of the Protection & Advocacy for Developmental Disabilities (PADD) grant, served 1,704 individuals with disabilities in fiscal year 2019 and impacted more than 600,000 people through systemic work which is discussed above.Student with Down Syndrome Obtains Equal Access to School Music Program:Leo is a 13-year-old Hispanic student with Down syndrome who has a deep passion for music. He plays the guitar first thing every morning and aspires to learn how to play the trumpet. His mother has advocated for him to participate in music activities at school with his non-disabled peers and this was reflected in his IEP (Individualized Education Program). However, she soon realized he was only attending part of his music class in school. Leos mother realized this when Leo arrived at the year-end music production, did not have a chair on stage, and had to sit on the floor. When his mother asked the director, she learned that Leo had been missing part of each music class for the entire year because students in his special day class (SDC) were required to leave school early to board the bus, so he had not been participating in preparations for the year-end performance. Leo and his family felt this was discriminatory and contacted DRC. DRC helped Leo challenge this exclusion and reached an agreement with the District to provide Leo compensatory music lessons, worked with his IEP team, and required changes to District policy so Leo and other students could participate in the full school day including extracurricular activities. DRC also attended Leos IEP meeting and successfully advocated for more inclusion opportunities, including his participation in student council and yearbook committee. |
| Individuals with Physical Learning or Sensory Disabilities | Ensuring Disability Accommodations at Work:An employee who worked at a retail store for 17 years who is Deaf and has a visual impairment always had received accommodations. One accommodation was a padlock instead of a combination lock for her employee locker as she cannot see numbers on the combination lock. The store upgraded the lockers and replaced all of the locks. The new store manager refused to provide a padlock instead suggesting that the employee place her belongings in the staff break room with no security. When reminded that she previously had the padlock as a disability accommodation, the new manager reduced her working hours by half even though other employees hours were not reduced and the store hired temporary holiday workers. DRC filed a complaint with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the store ultimately agreed to provide to provide an accessible lock and monetary damages. Ensuring Independence for a Nursing Home Resident:A 61 year old nursing home resident with quadriplegia could not use a manual wheelchair to independently move around the facility or go into the community. He requested a power wheelchair but the state Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) denied his request, taking the position that facility staff could push him to get him where he needs to go. DRC wrote a demand letter to DHCS challenging the discriminatory policy that limited nursing facility residents rights to the same independence as individuals in the community. DRC negotiated for approval of a power wheelchair and ensured that DHCS changed its policies to ensure that other Medi-Cal recipients residing in nursing facilities could also receive power wheelchairs. Our client received his power wheelchair and is thrilled with his newfound independence which allows him to navigate independently throughout the facilities, attend facility activities and leave the facility to spend time outdoors, shop, go to restaurants and attend community events.Securing a Modified Vehicle to Maintain Employment:We represented a woman with quadriplegia who works full-time as the coordinator of a school district food services program. The Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) and the client mutually agreed to an Individualized Plan for Employment to support her in maintaining her employment. The DOR agreed to provide her with an assistive technology and a Mobility Evaluation Program evaluation to determine if she was safe to operate a vehicle. The client currently utilizes paratransit services, but due to the nature of the paratransit system she must endue a 3-6 hour commute which puts her at great risk for pressure ulcers. Although the mobility evaluation showed she was safe to operate a vehicle, the DOR denied her request because paratransit was an option. DRC represented the client at a hearing and the Judge concluded that DOR must fund her purchase of a modified vehicle. |
| Protecting Disability Civil Rights | Ensuring Access to Government Agency Information in Accessible Formats:Too often, individuals who are blind or have visual impairments receive notices from government agencies that are not accessible. These inaccessible notices often contain time-sensitive information and may cause individuals to lose benefits or be subjected to penalties. This year, we filed a lawsuit against the IRS for its failure to provide businesswoman, Karen Rose, who is blind, an accessible notice that she owed nearly $25,000 in additional taxes. When she contacted the agency, she learned that she had also incurred an additional $1,500 in interest and penalties because she hadnt responded to the first notice. A representative from an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center helped her appeal the penalties when Karen explained that she couldnt read the printed letters. The appeal was denied. She has since received a check for $77 from the agency but has heard nothing about the request she made to receive future notices in Braille or another alternative format. We and our co-counsel are representing Ms. Rose and two other blind taxpayers who had similar experiences, along with the National Federation of the Blind, in federal court challenging the IRSs failure to provide notices in alternative formats such as Braille, large print, electronic documents, in violation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.Fixing A Decades-Long Elevator Outages in Section 8 Project:Over 100 low-income senior citizens, many of whom have disabilities, live in the upper floors of St. Timothys Tower and Manor. The tower is an eight-story housing project entirely funded by the U.S. government through Section 8. More than half of the residents have disabilities that make it hard to stand, walk or use stairs. Yet, for two decades, the two elevators that serve the tower routinely went out of service. In the year before DRC sued, the owners self-reported 48 outages to the U.S. government. DRC tried repeatedly to get the owners to fix the problem without a lawsuit and sent letters to governmental entities responsible for enforcement. When the landlord refused to fix the problems, we filed a lawsuit. Our expert investigated the site, and determined that the landlords elevator company had bill them for tens of thousands of dollars in work that was either not done at all or not done correctly, leading to the continued failures. We settled the case with the landlord, the property management company, and the elevator company. We obtained extensive procedures for future reasonable accommodation requests including contracting with a third-party evacuation agency in case of a disaster. We also obtained the landlords agreement to use a new elevator repair company and to allow an outside expert to periodically audit the services. |
| Stopping Abuse and Neglect No Matter Where It Occurs | We worked to stop abuse, protect rights and increase access to services in juvenile facilities and jails and to end the use of dangerous restraint practices in schools. Improving Conditions and Access to Education for Youth in Kern County Juvenile Facilities:Our investigation about the treatment of youth with disabilities at two Kern County juvenile facilities found that non-violent youth with disabilities were disproportionately subjected to pepper spray, placed in dangerous prone restraints and held in solitary confinement for days or weeks up to 23 hours a day. Although youth with disabilities had IEPs, they did not receive minimally adequate special education services and were removed from school without due process and required safeguards. To address these concerns and ensure that students received appropriate treatment including access to mental health services and an appropriate education, DRC and our co-counsel filed a federal lawsuit. We agreed to a stay of the federal lawsuit while experts studied the Kern County system and made recommendations. In late 2019, the federal court preliminarily approved a settlement of the case. As part of the settlement, the Probation Department and Superintendent of Schools have already begun to make changes to their programs and services at the Juvenile Hall, Crossroads, and Camp Owen based on the experts recommendations. These changes will continue over the course of the next three years. The changes include more educational opportunities for youth, better special education services, and improved facilities and resources including more programming, trauma informed care and better crisis intervention. Physical interventions, such as pepper spray and physical restraint, will be used less often and only when reasonable and necessary to prevent someone from getting seriously hurt. As a part of the settlement, the experts will monitor the conditions, services, and programs for the next three years to make sure that the settlement is being followed.Improved Conditions and Access to Disability Services at Sacramento County Jail As a Result of DRCs Lawsuit:In July 2018, DRC and its co-counsel filed a federal class action lawsuit on behalf of prisoners in Sacramento Countys jails, Mays v. County of Sacramento. The class action complaint detailed the jails practice of locking hundreds of people alone in dark, cramped, locked cells for 23.5 hours per day. It described the jails persistent practice of using spaces unfit for human habitation to house people in psychiatric crisis. The complaint described dangerous deficits in staffing throughout the jails and the countys failure to provide access to mental health and other disability services and its failure to provide disability accommodations.In early January 2020, the Court approved a settlement on behalf of the nearly 3,700 people incarcerated in Sacramento Countys jails. The settlement resulted from an extensive investigation into jail conditions and intensive negotiations with the County. The settlement requires the County to significantly expand its mental health services, revamp its medical care system, implement improved suicide prevention measures, and ensure that people with disabilities have the accommodations they need and that they can access jail programs and services. Under the settlement agreement, the County also has agreed that a reduction in the jail population is a cost-effective means to achieve constitutional and statutory standards. The County will be subject to the terms of the consent decree for at least five years, and its compliance with the settlement will be monitored by independent court-appointed experts and Plaintiffs class counsel.Preventing the Use of Restraints in Schools Absent an Emergency:DRC used a multi-disciplinary approach to address the serious injuries that can occur to students with disabilities when they are inappropriately restrained in school.We filed a discrimination complaint with federal agencies in 2016 on behalf of a then ten-year-old student with autism. The complaint alleged that the student, who attended a non-public school, was held on the ground in a prone restraint 77 times over the course of several months. In addition, the complaint described how the student experienced lost instructional time and educational opportunities, and experienced a hostile educational environment due to the excessive use of restraint. Early this year, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that the non- public school had restrained the student 92 times, a higher rate of restraint than alleged in the original complaint. Under the settlement agreement, the school agreed to revise its policies and procedures for behavioral interventions of students with disabilities. The DOJ will monitor the nonpublic schools use of restraints for the next three years.DRC also worked to change public policy regarding the use of seclusion or restraint in California schools. Students with disabilities such as autism and mental health disabilities are particularly vulnerable to trauma and injury due to restraint. To bring attention to these concerns, DRC reviewed the use of restraint and seclusion in California and issued a report, Protect Childrens Safety and Dignity: Recommendations on Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Report The Report concluded that students with disabilities should receive equal educational opportunities, and California schools should address behavior needs using proven positive, effective, and safe behavioral interventions, instead of resorting to restraint and seclusion in response to problem behavior. |
| Systemic Advocacy Work | Our systemic advocacy work advanced the civil rights of Californians with disabilities in critical areas to end discrimination and stop abuse and neglect, increase access to housing, healthcare, education, mental health services, and other benefits. Our most significant work this year included efforts to end abuse and neglect no matter where it occurs; end discrimination; and increase access to disability services. |
| What We Achieved in 2019 | Largest Programs: 4a - Program Services: $11,383,2864b - Office of Clients Rights Advocacy: $7,466,6214c - Protection and Advocacy for Developmental Disabilities: $3,614,6874d - Protection & Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness: $2,921,632Overview of Work:In 2019, DRC staff directly served 24,783 individuals with disabilities and our systemic advocacy work impacted millions more. We conducted over 1,973 outreach and training events to over 52,000 Californians. We developed or revised 42 publications and 77 publications were translated into threshold languages. Our disability-related information about rights as well as tools to enforce them, are powerful tools that helped tens of thousands of Californians advocate for themselves or their family members. Many of our publications are posted online at: https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/publications. Publications are available in English as well as the following 12 threshold languages: Armenian, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotian, Hmong, Tagalog, Cambodian, Russian, Spanish, Korean, and Farsi. We have an active online presence that includes our new, fully accessible website www.disabilityrightsca.org, has 214,978 users with 867,427 page views. As of December 2019, DRCs Facebook page had 9,061 followers and 7,037 followers on Twitter. |
| Software ID: | 18007218 |
| Software Version: | 2018v3.1 |