Disability Rights Bureau

Nearly one quarter of adults in California have a disability.¹  It is the public policy of the State of California to ensure equal access for all Californians with disabilities.  The Disability Rights Bureau (DRB) within the Civil Rights Enforcement Section protects and advances the rights of all people with disabilities in California.

Investigative Authority

DRB handles investigations pursuant to Government Code section 11180 et seq. and cases addressing systemic failures, a pattern or practice of violations, and/or discriminatory policies, procedures, or practices that broadly impact people with disabilities.

DRB does not handle individual complaints or inquiries, and does not represent individuals or provide individuals legal advice.  DRB is not mandated to pursue cases involving isolated violations of law, matters against state-level public entities, or out-of-state conduct, but rather pursues systemic violations of law by local governmental entities or companies directly impacting the general public or large groups of individuals. 

For individual matters, please submit a complaint with California’s Civil Rights Department (formerly California Department of Fair Employment and Housing) here: CRD File a Complaint.

Enforcement Areas

DRB has broad jurisdiction to enforce all state laws protecting people with disabilities from discrimination, including:

• California’s civil rights laws, including the Unruh Civil Rights Act and Disabled Persons Act;
• California Fair Employment and Housing Act;
• California Government Code; and
• California Education Code.

DRB focuses its enforcement and advocacy efforts on several areas, including:

• Public services, programs, and activities, including voting rights
• Housing
• Education
• Employment
• Law Enforcement, including conditions of confinement
• Business establishments/Public accommodations

The work of DRB intersects with many other areas of expertise within the Civil Rights Enforcement Section, including the Bureau of Children’s Justice and Racial Justice Bureau. It also converges with the work of other sections within the Department of Justice, including consumer protection and healthcare.

Contacting DRB

If you have a potential matter for DRB’s consideration, please contact DisabilityRights@doj.ca.gov.  Please note that DRB may follow up to request further information, however, it cannot respond to every inquiry and cannot provide ongoing updates regarding an investigation and/or litigation, even to individuals who provided information regarding those matters.  The information provided to DRB should include as much detail as possible about the facts of the matter.  All inquiries will be kept confidential to the extent permitted by law.

You may also contact the Public Inquiry Unit with your inquiry:

• Against a business or company: https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company
• Against another entity: https://oag.ca.gov/contact/general-comment-question-or-complaint-form

Other resources for people with disabilities can be found here: https://oag.ca.gov/civil/resources-ada-people.

Recent Matters

Publications

• Introduction to State and Federal Disability Rights Laws
• Access to Businesses and Other Public Accommodations for People with Disabilities
• Disability Rights in Employment
• Disability Rights in Housing
• Disability Rights in K-12 Education
• Access to Healthcare for People with Disabilities

Information Bulletins

• Information Bulletin 2023-DLE-05 to California local law enforcement agencies reminding them of their obligations under state law to enact policies and procedures to help improve reporting, enforcement, and education regarding crimes against seniors and persons with disabilities

Comment Letters

• Multistate Comment Letter in Response to U.S. DOJ’s Proposed Revisions to Title II of the ADA’s regulations concerning accessibility of web information and services of state and local government entities
• Comment Letter on Section 504 Education Regulations recommending revisions to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973’s implementing regulations to "strengthen and protect" the rights of students with disabilities

Guidance Letters

• Guidance to All District Attorneys, City Attorneys, and County Counsel in California RE: Enforcement of State Disability Access Laws in Business Establishments and Public Accommodations
• Guidance to All City and County Building Officials in California RE: Accessible Design Standards for People with Disabilities
• Guidance to All Cities and Counties in California RE: Ensuring Access for People with Disabilities to Public Meetings of Local Agencies
• Guidance to All Cities and Counties in California RE: Addressing Land Use and Zoning Barriers to Fair Housing for People with Disabilities
• Multistate Letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs RE: Rescission of the Veteran Service Officer (VSO) 48-Hour Review Policy
• Letter RE: Oversight and Enforcement of Laws Related to Discrimination in School Discipline in California

Amicus Curiae Briefs

• Brief of Amici Curiae the California Civil Rights Department and the California Department of Housing and Community Development in Support of Appellant and Reversal in The Ohio House, LLC v. City of Costa Mesa, No. 8:19-cv-01710-JVS-GJS, supporting a group home for persons with disabilities and explaining how California law protects people with disabilities from housing discrimination
• Brief of the California Attorney General as Amicus Curiae in Support of Respondents in South Eliseo Neighborhood Alliance, et al. v. Marin County Community Development Agency, et al., No. CIV 2200788, defending a proposed project that would convert a former nursing home in Marin County’s Greenbrae community into a permanent supportive housing facility for people with disabilities experiencing homelessness
• Amicus Curiae Brief of the State of California in support of Plaintiffs-Appellants in Raines v. U.S. Healthworks Medical Group, No. 21-55229 (2021), explaining the state’s anti-discrimination protections under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act and Amicus Curiae Brief of the Attorney General in Support of Petitioners in Raines v. U.S. Healthworks Medical Group, No. 21-55229 (2022), further reiterating the potential harms to all Californians, and particularly those with disabilities, if FEHA’s strong anti-discrimination provisions are undermined
• Amicus Brief of the Attorney General in Support of Appellant Sacramento County Board of Education in Natomas Unified School District v. Sacramento County Board of Education, No. 34-2019-80003194, explaining that suspensions and expulsions are disproportionately imposed on specific groups of students, including students with disabilities, and outlining students’ right to due process when facing expulsion from their public school

Investigations and Lawsuits

• Complaint, Stipulated Judgment with County of Los Angeles, and Stipulated Judgment with the Los Angeles County Office of Education filed in 2021 to improve the county’s juvenile halls, including conditions of confinement for youth with disabilities
• Complaint and Stipulated Judgment filed on August 25, 2020 against Barstow Unified School District resolving investigation finding systemic discriminatory treatment of students based on race and disability status
• Complaint and Stipulated Judgment filed on August 25, 2020 against Oroville City Elementary School District resolving investigation finding systemic discriminatory treatment of students based on race and disability status
• Complaint and Stipulated Judgment filed on August 25, 2020 against Oroville Union High School District resolving investigation finding systemic discriminatory treatment of students based on race and disability status
• Complaint and Stipulated Judgment filed in 2020 against Mojave Unified School District to remedy shortfalls in the district’s discrimination and retaliation policies and practices, including those related to disability
• Complaint and Stipulated Judgment filed on August 19, 2020 resolving investigation of PresenceLearning, an online for-profit provider of speech and occupational therapy, behavioral and mental health services, and assessments for special education students
• Multistate Lawsuit filed on July 20, 2020, against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Alex M. Azar II, and Roger Severino, case no. 20-cv-05583 (S.D.N.Y. 2020), challenging the Trump Administration’s rule undermining Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, and age in federal health programs
• Complaint and Stipulated Judgment filed on January 18, 2019 and February 19, 2019 against Stockton Unified School District and its police department resolving investigation finding discriminatory treatment of minority students and students with disabilities
• Stipulated Judgments filed in 2006-2009 against companies that constructed apartment complexes that failed to comply with state and federal accessibility laws
• Voting access lawsuits filed on October 17, 2005 against Kern County and Santa Cruz County
• Stipulated Judgment filed in 2003 against City of Del Mar requiring the city to take steps to correct its alleged inadequate enforcement of state disability access laws and regulations