The Disability Rights Legal Center operates two key programs central to our mission to champion the rights of people with disabilities through education, advocacy, and litigation.
The Disability Rights Legal Center operates two key programs central to our mission to champion the rights of people with disabilities through education, advocacy, and litigation.
Each program is central to DRLC’s mission to champion the rights of people with disabilities through education, advocacy, and litigation.
Civil Rights Litigation
DRLC’s Civil Rights Litigation program provides holistic legal assistance to people with disabilities and advocates for equity, inclusion, and access. These cases create systemic changes that benefit people with disabilities nationwide by reshaping attitudes, challenging perceptions, and influencing future policies, procedures, and structures.
DRLC’s cases and work within the Civil Rights Litigation Program address the following issues: Education access; pedestrian rights of way; health and safety for incarcerated people; reasonable modifications to state and government policies and practices; translation services in hospital settings; effective communication in public services; housing access; criminalization of the unhoused; service animals; children in foster care; voting rights; access to benefits; and juvenile justice.
Cancer Justice
DRLC’s Cancer Justice program answers legal questions for people with cancer—because cancer patients and their families deserve to have clear, accessible, and exceptional legal resources.
Founded in 1997 as the Cancer Legal Resource Center, Cancer Justice empowers people to navigate legal challenges with confidence. Our direct services model has served over half a million people through outreach and education.
Cancer Justice educates and supports cancer patients, their families, healthcare professionals and advocates on matters like maintaining employment through treatment, accessing healthcare and government benefits, taking medical leave and estate planning.
Contact our team at info@theDRLC.org.
For more on our programs and services, contact us.
The Disability Rights Legal Center maintains two key programs:
Civil Rights
Litigation Program
The Civil Rights Litigation Program provides holistic legal assistance to people with disabilities and invests in otherwise neglected communities by advocating for equality, inclusion, and access. These cases aim to create systemic changes that benefit the entire disability community by reshaping attitudes, challenging perceptions, and influencing future policies, procedures, and structures to effect positive change for people with disabilities nationwide.
DRLC’s cases and work within the Civil Rights Litigation Program address the following issues: Education access; pedestrian rights of way; health and safety for incarcerated people; reasonable modifications to state and government policies and practices; translation services in hospital settings; effective communication in public services; housing access; criminalization of the unhoused; service animals; children in foster care; voting rights; access to benefits; and juvenile justice.
Cancer Legal
Resource Center
DRLC’s Cancer Legal Resource Center (CLRC) addresses legal issues faced by people with cancer, whose needs are unique in the disability community. Since its creation in 1997, CLRC has reached more than half a million cancer-affected individuals, including those with limited access to legal resources, through its national telephone assistance line, outreach programs, and community activities.
CLRC educates and supports those affected by cancer. Individuals with cancer must manage and navigate many unique legal issues in addition to managing their healthcare. CLRC helps by providing resources and information to address workplace rights and accommodations, estate planning after a cancer diagnosis, managing medical debt, housing rights, and navigating health insurance. CLRC maintains a panel of pro bono attorneys for callers needing legal counsel. CLRC also provides key and supportive information through its Patient Legal Handbook to individuals, community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, community partners, hospitals, and clinics. In 2023, CLRC enhanced its service model and launched the Legal Self-Help Clinic, a mobile resource that travels to medical facilities in Southern California to provide legal resources directly to those in need.
For more information on the Cancer Legal Resource Center, please click here.
The Disability Rights Legal Center maintains three programs:
Civil Rights
Litigation Program
The Civil Rights Litigation Program provides holistic legal assistance to people with disabilities and invests in otherwise neglected communities by advocating for equality, inclusion, and access. These cases aim to create systemic changes that benefit the entire disability community by reshaping attitudes, challenging perceptions, and influencing future policies, procedures, and structures to effect positive change for people with disabilities nationwide.
DRLC’s cases and work within the Civil Rights Litigation Program address the following issues: Education access; pedestrian rights of way; health and safety for incarcerated people; reasonable modifications to state and government policies and practices; translation services in hospital settings; effective communication in public services; housing access; criminalization of the unhoused; service animals; children in foster care; voting rights; access to benefits; and juvenile justice.
Cancer Legal
Resource Center
DRLC’s Cancer Legal Resource Center (CLRC) addresses legal issues faced by people with cancer, whose needs are unique in the disability community. Since its creation in 1997, CLRC has reached more than half a million cancer-affected individuals, including those with limited access to legal resources, through its national telephone assistance line, outreach programs, and community activities.
CLRC educates and supports those affected by cancer. Individuals with cancer must manage and navigate many unique legal issues in addition to managing their healthcare. CLRC helps by providing resources and information to address workplace rights and accommodations, estate planning after a cancer diagnosis, managing medical debt, housing rights, and navigating health insurance. CLRC maintains a panel of pro bono attorneys for callers needing legal counsel. CLRC also provides key and supportive information through its Patient Legal Handbook to individuals, community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, community partners, hospitals, and clinics. In 2023, CLRC enhanced its service model and launched the Legal Self-Help Clinic, a mobile resource that travels to medical facilities in Southern California to provide legal resources directly to those in need.
For more information on the Cancer Legal Resource Center, please click here.
Community Outreach,
Resources & Education
(CORE) Program
The Community Outreach, Resources, & Education (CORE) Program serves as DRLC’s front line, ensuring two-way communication between our teams and community. CORE seeks to map existing resources and to connect community-based organizations to work synergistically alongside established and emerging leaders, avoid silos, and remain responsive and attuned to the community. CORE staff works closely with the litigation team to investigate impact cases that may be filed in federal and state courts and administrative forums. CORE also educates the community, conducting community training on issues that affect individuals with disabilities, and advocates for those with disabilities.