Press Releases

"The pen is mightier than the sword." Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1839.

DRW sees professional journalists as an important ally in the advancement of human rights for people with disabilities. We are invested in facilitating this work.

DRW can assist if working on a disability-related story and in need of background information, research, data, or just disability-related story ideas. If we don't have the answers, we will try to connect with someone who does. We may have connections to quotable sources and can also work exclusively on investigative stories, or stories that take a while to percolate or have long gestational periods.

We support responsible reporting, and understand the need to be objective, vet information, and interview sources with alternate views. Know that our angle will always be rights-based, and focused on the individual with the disability. At times, this conflicts with what family members or others deem necessary. We are bound by and adhere to rules of professional conduct and client-attorney privilege. At times we can work with information releases; but there will also be instances where we cannot provide the exact information requested. We will be frank about this, and work to provide relevant information in lieu of what is asked, if possible.

Media inquiries can be directed to Andrea at andreak@dr-wa.org. To recieve news updates and press releases, send an email to info@dr-wa.org

Those with disabilities lost, forgotten in jail, report says

Imagine having a mental health crisis and finding yourself in a county jail, with little or no mental health treatment, isolated with no direct human contact, in a cell with no toilet or furniture...

Too little too late press release

The state’s abuse response system is largely unresponsive to reports of individuals with intellectual disabilities in Supported Living, who are subject to physical harm, psychological trauma, sexual...

State and children's advocacy organizations reach interim agreement in lawsuit over children's mental health

Two state agencies and several advocacy groups have reached an interim agreement to develop a framework for reforms in the mental health system for children and youth enrolled in Medicaid. The...

Washington Supreme Court strikes DSHS rules that discriminate against children with disabilities

Yesterday, the Washington State Supreme Court held that Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services must assess children’s needs for Medicaid personal care services individually, rather...

Brain Injury Council to Speak at State Capitol

OLYMPIA - The Traumatic Brain Injury Council will testify Friday, Dec. 10, in Olympia on the urgent need to retain and improve services to the thousands of people affected by TBI in Washington State...

Lawsuit garners support for those found not guilty by reason of insanity

“I do not want to see [him] go to a prison setting where he would become more vulnerable than he already is. It would be to his detriment to be in a prison setting where it is likely that he will...

Letter to the Editor: Don’t “scoop” funds for those with brain injuries

The Governor has proposed -- and the House and Senate appear poised to agree to -- the scooping of $2,000,000 from the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Account, established pursuant to the Tommy Manning...