Program Updates

WA Supreme Court admits attorney to the state bar, after previously being denied entry without explanation

July 15, 2019In May, DRW joined The Arc of the United States, The Arc of Washington, The Arc of King County, Washington Autism Alliance & Advocacy, The Autistic Self Advocacy Network, and Disability Rights Oregon in filing an amicus brief in support of an attorney with autism who was twice denied entry by the state’s supreme court to the state bar without explanation.

Settlement Approved in Disability Rights Washington v. Sinclair

July 11, 2019In April 2018, Disability Rights Washington and co-counsel Paukert and Troppmann filed a federal lawsuit to challenge the Department of Corrections’ practice of housing inmates with mental health needs in overly restrictive custodial settings at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. Last week a settlement agreement was approved by the federal court in this case.

#WhyDescribe

July 8, 2019Rooted in Rights launched the #WhyDescribe campaign, releasing a series of videos promoting media accessibility. RiR will continue this work and more this summer, joining colleagues in the disability and organizing communities at Netroots Nation and NCIL’s Annual Conference on Independent Living, and implementing a new CRM and training to advance our infrastructure for digital organizing.

RiR Co-Hosts Candidate Forums, and Addresses Seattle Transportation and Accessibility Problems

June 20, 2019Rooted in Rights co-hosted Seattle City Council candidate forums in May of 2019, and also successfully centered disability in local streets and transportation reform in coalition with traditional transit and environmental organizations who have not previously included disability in their work.

DRW releases new report on Rainier School

May 21, 2019In Chaotic and Dangerous, Disability Rights Washington’s latest report on the state-run Rainier School, DRW has found that Washington continues to put people with developmental disabilities at serious risk of harm. The report also identifies systemic failures at the institution, making clear its problems are not caused by a few bad apples, but rather grow from organizational structures that require drastic transformation by Washington State.

Trueblood bill, SB 5444, signed by Governor

May 16, 2019The Trueblood bill, SB 5444, was signed by Governor Inslee on May 9, 2019! We received strong support from advocates throughout the entire legislative process. Changes created through the bill will help transform Washington's mental health system.

May Mental Health Awareness Month

May 15, 2019For Mental Health Awareness month, we released videos with our blog fellow Angela Lemus-Mogrovejo, our Kenyan exchange fellow Noela Luka, and with Megan and Johnny about mental healthcare reform in Washington State. Our Storytellers Fellow Daisy Wislar has already released a video on the importance of consent for youth with disabilities...

DRW and Hagens Berman File Class Action Lawsuit Against Fairfax Behavioral Health

May 1, 2019Attorneys from Hagens Berman and Disability Rights Washington filed a class-action complaint on behalf of a proposed class of hundreds of patients that were arbitrarily strip-searched and/or video recorded while receiving treatment for mental illness at Fairfax psychiatric facilities located in Kirkland, Everett and Monroe, WA.

Congratulations TO DRW’s Kimberly Mosolf

April 24, 2019Kimberly Mosolf, Director of the Treatment Facilities Program at DRW, received a community ambassador award from the National Black Police Association and the Black Law Enforcement Association of Washington for her work with De-Escalate Washington, the community stakeholder group behind successful passage of Initiative 940.

DRW’s AVID Program Responds to KOMO’s “Seattle is Dying”

April 9, 2019Disability Rights Washington has appreciated previous efforts by KOMO to report thoughtfully and fairly about certain injustices faced by people with disabilities in our region. This is why we are deeply discouraged and perplexed by KOMO’s choice to produce and air its sensationalized, inaccurate, and exploitative special report about Seattle’s opioid and homelessness crises, “Seattle is Dying.”

DRW’s AVID Program and Yakima County Jail Reach Agreement to Reform Mental Health Services

January 11, 2019In December 2018, Disability Rights Washington’s AVID Program finalized a settlement agreement with Yakima County to improve the conditions for individuals with mental illness and other cognitive disabilities housed at Yakima County Jail. This settlement agreement was the product of about two years of collaboration and will be monitored by the AVID Program and a neutral expert to ensure the Yakima County Jail’s compliance with the terms of the agreement.

RIAP Grew in 2018

January 5, 2019This past August, the RIAP Program gained two Investigators, Nichole Gibson and Brian McQuay. With their help, the RIAP Program has been able to pursue investigations to ensure that individuals with disabilities have self-determination in personal and financial decisions

Treatment Facilities Team welcomes new member

December 20, 2018The Treatment Facilities Team is happy to welcome Elizabeth Jiménez to our team!

Parties receive final approval for settlement agreement to reform Washington’s forensic mental health system

December 20, 2018On December 11, 2018, U.S. District Court Judge Marsha J. Pechman approved a settlement agreement in the AB vs DSHS (Trueblood) class action lawsuit.