Amplifying Voices of Incarcerated Individuals with Disabilities (AVID)

Focusing on ending abuse and neglect of people with disabilities who are incarcerated.

AVID works to end the abuse and neglect of people with disabilities who are currently incarcerated in Washington State, while also supporting long-term efforts toward disability justice. We strive to partner with those who are most harmed by ableism and racism, to center their experiences, and support their leadership in movements for collective liberation.

Program Updates

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.

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.

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.
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