AVID - Amplifying Voices of Incarcerated Individuals with Disabilities
Journey to Justice Bus Tour
September 24, 2025In September, Disability Rights Washington's AVID Program partnered with the Survivors Opposing Solitary (SOS) Coalition, Look2Justice, and Unlock the Box, to host the Journey to Justice bus, which is on a cross-country tour to raise awareness about the harms of solitary confinement. The bus contains art, writings, and literature about solitary as well as a VR experience of solitary and a mock solitary cell. Learn more about the project here.A Guide for Transgender People in the Washington Department of Corrections
December 12, 2023This guide provides general suggestions for how transgender people can request gender-affirming care and services in the Washington Department of Corrections (DOC).
DRW v. DOC
On October 11, 2023, Disability Rights Washington (DRW) filed a complaint and settlement agreement in federal court to resolve allegations that the Washington Department of Corrections (DOC) is violating the U.S. Constitution, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Rehabilitation Act in its treatment of incarcerated people with disabilities who are transgender. The court entered a consent decree ordering DOC to comply with the agreement on October 17.
DRW Reaches Agreement with DOC to Improve Care For Transgender People with Disabilities
October 11, 2023On October 11, 2023, Disability Rights Washington (DRW) filed a complaint and settlement agreement in federal court to resolve allegations that the Washington Department of Corrections (DOC) is violating the U.S. Constitution, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Rehabilitation Act in its treatment of incarcerated people with disabilities who are transgender.Changing your name while incarcerated in a Washington State prison
January 27, 2023This resource guide, written by DRW’s Trans in Prison Justice Project, provides information about how individuals who are currently incarcerated in a Washington state prison can access a legal name change.Report: Many Faces of Solitary
January 10, 2023Read the latest AVID report on the current state of solitary confinement in Washington State and the call for reform.
The Many Faces of Solitary Confinement in Washington Prisons
In December 2022 the AVID program released a report outlining the current state of solitary in Washington prisons and calling for reform. The report was accompanied by a video featuring a person currently in solitary, explaining the harms of solitary and the need for change.
Summer 2021: AVID Update
September 10, 2021In the summer of 2021, DRW’s AVID program staff and legal interns conducted monitoring in five of the Washington State Department of Corrections’ main prison facilities. During our trips we focused on solitary confinement units and missioned housing such as the residential treatment unit, the assisted living unit, the senior unit, and the unit for people with cognitive disabilities.Attorney General tells law makers that no statute limits people with disabilities from living in their communities
July 28, 2021In its July 27, 2021 opinion, the Attorney General’s Office smacked down the notion that there might be some legally permissible way to draft zoning or other local laws that would create categorical limits or exclusions of people with disabilities from certain communities in our state. The opinion is a long awaited response to a request made by a state legislator and a letter sent by DRW and other organizations in 2019.
Doe v. Washington State Department of Corrections
In 2021, Disability Rights Washington and co-counsel sued the Washington Department of Corrections to prevent it from releasing information through the Washington Public Records Act about transgender, non-binary, and intersex people with disabilities in DOC custody. DRW enjoined the disclosure and won a federal consent decree in 2023. The case was closed in 2024 after DRW monitored DOC to ensure compliance.