Staff blog - Disability Rights Texas

DRTx is your place to go for COVID-19 disability rights issues – but what about other legal matters?

Posted on April 3, 2020

If you are facing disability discrimination during the coronavirus pandemic, you already know Disability Rights Texas is your place to go for legal help. But what about other issues not related to your disability? As the coronavirus pandemic shakes the lives of Texans, causing uncertainty about their healthcare and economic futures, the state’s legal service… Continue reading DRTx is your place to go for COVID-19 disability rights issues – but what about other legal matters?

Is the Census Cancelled Because of Coronavirus? No!

Posted on March 25, 2020

Many people are wondering if the 2020 census is being cancelled because of COVID-19. The answer is a clear NO! Though the public interaction through field census staff is suspended for now, households can still respond by mail, phone or online. The Census is still important to complete because data collected is crucial for emergency preparedness… Continue reading Is the Census Cancelled Because of Coronavirus? No!

In Austin: Free Wheelchair Accessible Rides to the Polls by Lyft

Posted on March 3, 2020

Update from Molly Broadway, DRTx Voting Rights Training Specialist: In partnership with Lone Star Transportation, Lyft is providing free Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) rides to the polls in Austin, Texas, on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020, from 7 am to 7 pm Central Standard Time. Please call Lone Star Transportation at 512-323-0160 to schedule or… Continue reading In Austin: Free Wheelchair Accessible Rides to the Polls by Lyft

Class Time Instead of Hard Time

Posted on October 23, 2019

More than 1,000 young people in Texas are getting the services they need to be successful in school, instead of being “mis-incarcerated.” Read more about the students we have been able to serve through a unique partnership with Harris County, and about similiar programs in other states in this special report from the National Disability Rights… Continue reading Class Time Instead of Hard Time

New School Year, New Laws, News Rights

Posted on September 1, 2019

This past spring, the Texas legislature passed several laws related to special education, student mental health, school funding, student safety, and more. For a complete overview, see our 2019 Texas Education Legislative Summary. If you don’t quite have time right now to read our 22-page extremely thorough legislative summary, you can watch our video series… Continue reading New School Year, New Laws, News Rights

How Two Women Changed Thousands of Lives

Posted on June 17, 2019

This week marks the 20th anniversary of a very important legal decision regarding the rights of people with disabilities. On June 22, 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in “Olmstead v. L.C.” that Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits the unnecessary institutionalization of persons with disabilities. The case involved Lois Curtis and… Continue reading How Two Women Changed Thousands of Lives

How We Advocate for People with Mental Illness

Posted on May 1, 2019

With May being National Mental Health Awareness Month, we’d like to take this opportunity to tell you about the work we do at Disability Rights Texas (DRTx) to protect and advocate for people with mental illness. DRTx is a protection and advocacy agency for people with disabilities. A federal law passed in 1977 said that… Continue reading How We Advocate for People with Mental Illness

How You Can Get Involved in DD Awareness Month

Posted on March 5, 2019

by Edie Surtees, Communications Director March is Developmental Disabilities (DD) Awareness Month. Though we’ve come along way in breaking down barriers for people with DD to live and work and play in the community, we still have more to do. Here are some things you can do to encourage inclusion: Employ people with disabilities and… Continue reading How You Can Get Involved in DD Awareness Month

Agency 2018 Report Card

Posted on January 13, 2019

Each one of you is more than a number to us. We feel privileged to have assisted you in some way last year to ensure you have equal access and opportunites in our community. But we did want to show you these numbers so you can see how hard we were working for you in… Continue reading Agency 2018 Report Card

One Year Ago, Feds Reported Unprecented Findings Against Texas Public Schools

Posted on January 10, 2019

by Steven Aleman, Attorney and Policy Specialist Today Disability Rights Texas marks the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) report on the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The federal report on TEA contained unprecedented findings against a state for major violations of special education law…. Continue reading One Year Ago, Feds Reported Unprecented Findings Against Texas Public Schools