Have you ever ended up on one side or the other of a lawsuit related to disability? If so, KPFA listeners want to hear from you!
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The business community likes to complain about disabled people who make a living suing them for the lack of accessibility. Have you ever been one of these people? Ever sued your landlord or a government agency for not allowing you to live in an apartment or participate in civil life? If so, what was that like?
We also want your thoughts on suits that take on government agencies or corporations on behalf of the larger disability community. Often these suits are filed by disability non-profits with social change in mind. Has a suit like this helped you out? Have you seen changes come about as a result of them?
We’ve been looking at Smith v. Oakland, filed by Disability Rights Advocates against the City of Oakland in 2019. That suit seeks to allow disabled persons to live in rent-controlled units, even though a state law called Costa Hawkins prohibits rent control for anything built after 1983. The suit claims that the Federal ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) supersedes the California law.