Oakland settles disability rights lawsuit over disaster preparedness
January 26th, 2010From the Oakland [CA] Tribune:
The city of Oakland, California, has reached an agreement with disability advocates to settle a 2007 lawsuit that charged the city had not made adequate plans to assist people with disabilities in the event of an earthquake or other disaster. The city has promised to make improvements in its emergency preparedness plans.
“This is a victory for people with disabilities in Oakland,” said Karla Gilbride, an attorney for Disability Rights Advocates of Berkeley, the organization that brought the lawsuit. “Oakland has shown itself to be a leader in making sure people will be equally safe … and we’re hoping other cities will follow Oakland’s lead.”
A similar lawsuit filed by Disability Rights Advocates and another organization is pending against the city of Los Angeles.

