The mission of the Disability Rights Project is to support legal work to empower and strengthen the rights of individuals with disabilities. By engaging our students through legal research and writing, as well as educational outreach work, DRP hopes to provide students with diverse opportunities to learn about the different areas of disability rights law and its intersectionality with other important issues ranging from mental health advocacy to youth justice.
We will be working with three organizations this school year: the Disability Rights California’s (DRC) Mental Health Practice Group, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), and the Youth Law Center (YLC).
For students working with DRC’s Mental Health Practice Group, they will receive substantive training in the field of disability law and its intersection with mental health, as well as working with attorneys on legal research and relevant political advocacy during the fall semester. During the spring semester, students will work on a wider range of substantive projects that encompass both legal research and direct service work.
For students working with DREDF, their work will mainly be in legal research and will cover a wider range of policy areas. Students will help DREDF translate documents used with clients, like retainer agreements and other legal forms, into plain language (4th to 6th grade reading level). Other potential projects include researching legal questions, creating toolkits for unhoused individuals, and drafting public records requests.
For students working with YLC, they will receive relevant training, conduct legal research, and work on updating the organization’s report on state policies on non-family foster care settings.
All groups of students will have an opportunity to discuss their projects and learn from one another.
Supervision: Students in DRP will receive training and be supervised by attorneys at Disability Rights California (DRC), Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, and the Youth Law Center.
Time Commitment: About 10-15 hours a semester
For more information, please contact drp@berkeley.edu.