PRESS RELEASE: Yale University Violates Federal Law in Treatment of Students with Mental Health Disabilities, Lawsuit Alleges, Seeking Court Action to End University’s Discriminatory, Unlawful and Harmful Practices

Suit Filed on Behalf of Current and Former Students Seeks Class Action Status As Concerns About Suicides, Current Yale Policies Remain Despite Advocacy for Change


Introducing the Recite Me Web Accessibility and Language Toolbar

DRCT’s commitment to making its website accessible includes our addition of Recite Me.  Recite Me is a web accessibility and language toolbar (WAT).  The WAT allows visitors to use many tools, like text-to-speech and language translation.  DRCT thanks the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) and our fellow protection and advocacy systems (P&As) for introducing us to Recite Me.

As a cloud-based program, Recite Me allows users to view and use a site in a way that works best for them.  It helps the 1 in 4 people in the U.S. who have a disability, including those with common conditions such as sight and hearing loss, dyslexia, among others.  It also meets the needs of the 1 in 5 people who speak a language other than English at home, by translating on-page content into over 100 different languages.

We are highly encouraged by our community’s early engagement with and enthusiasm for the new toolbar.  In just a few short weeks, we have been better able to meet folks where they are at, and thus, fulfill DRCT’s mission.  Specifically, nearly 350 web pages were viewed while using the WAT.  What’s more, users viewed 5-7 pages per session, which is 1-1.5x times the industry average. 

So how do you access Recite Me?

You can open the Recite Me toolbar by clicking on the “Accessibility & Translations” button at the top center of the homepage or by clicking the accessibility icon, which now appears in the bottom right corner of every page on our website.

The toolbar will then open and display a range of different options for customizing the way our site looks and the ways in which you can interact with its content.

How does Recite Me help me access DRCT’s website?

Again, Recite Me helps people access our site and customize their UX with the content. The toolbar has a unique range of functions. You can use it to:

  • Read website text aloud (including PDFs)

  • Download the text as an MP3 file to play it where and when it suits you

  • Change font sizes and colors

  • Customize background-color

  • Translate text into more than 100 different languages

  • Access a fully integrated dictionary and thesaurus

You can find out more about how Recite Me works from their user guide (https://reciteme.com/user-guide) and/or video tutorial (https://drive.google.com/file/d/13ULlgfGn_zIISX0CPMsZymz4SKzGGYWS/view).

Where can you find additional support for Recite Me?

If you have any questions about using Recite Me, you can contact them by email at info@reciteme.com or by calling (571) 946-4068.

Or as always, please do not hesitate to reach out directly to our team with UX feedback, suggestions, etc.


Interpreter Shortage Challenges Appropriate Medical Care For Deaf Patients

Deaf residents report frequent issues with sign language interpretation at Connecticut hospitals and health care facilities, hindering their ability to understand medical care fully.

And though video remote interpreting (VRI) services are widely available at Connecticut hospitals, patients have reported mixed experiences with the technology.

The issues persist more than 30 years after passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires interpretation for patients and family members under the “effective communication” section of the law. In the last three years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has negotiated four settlements with medical facilities in Connecticut for complaints related to communication with deaf patients.

“At one point, ADA and accessibility seemed to be very good,” said Marissa Rivera, an advocate with Disability Rights Connecticut (DRCT). “And now, in 2022, it has completely collapsed.”


Disability Advocacy Organizations File Federal Complaints Against CT

HARTFORD (January 6, 2022) - Disability Rights CT, the statewide protection and advocacy system for individuals with a range of disabilities, and CLRP, a nonprofit law firm representing people with psychiatric disabilities, today filed two federal complaints against the State of Connecticut with the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights.

The complaints allege violations of various federal anti-discrimination laws requiring equal access.  DRCT and CLRP allege that Governor Lamont’s refusal to require that towns and cities distributing the state’s essential supplies of COVID-19 test kits and N-95 masks during the Omicron wave prioritize individuals who are at high risk, either because of their health status or because of living in congregate settings, for the limited supplies available, violates federal law…READ MORE


Statement by Disability Rights Connecticut

RE: Reversal of Policy by Department of Social Services, Agreeing to Provide Medicaid Coverage for Individuals with Severe Disabilities Needing Robotic Arm

“The Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) finally got it right, reversing previous repeated denials of Medicaid coverage for a robotic arm for severely disabled individuals to assist them with basic activities of daily life and facilitate independent living.

Person using a wheelchair and a robotic arm

Person who uses a wheelchair with a robotic arm.

While it is unfortunate that a misguided, illegal and counterproductive policy was established at all, we are pleased that the Department has rescinded that policy, and is no longer acting in defiance of state and federal law. Most importantly, we are pleased that our client will now be able to utilize the robotic arm that can make a demonstrable difference in her life, and that other individuals with similar disabilities will also have access to this impactful technology, reducing the need for hands-on assistance and the likelihood of institutionalization.

As we have pointed out, maintaining independence is a fundamental goal of the federal Medicaid Act, state Medicaid law, and state and federal disability law. In the absence of such independence, the likelihood of institutionalization increases, which is adverse to the best interests of the individual, constitutes disability discrimination and ultimately harms the taxpayers, who would be impacted by the higher costs of institutionalization.