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Dear Supporter,

Why We Filed the Class-Action Lawsuit

Every child deserves a safe place to live and call home, and nearly everyone who enters foster care has been physically or emotionally hurt and needs healthcare. Yet thousands of children across Oregon—children who have already endured abuse or neglect severe enough to remove them from their families—have been bounced from institution to institution, and from home to home. They’ve lived with strangers who know nothing about them, and they’ve been denied care from doctors, nurses, and dentists. This abuse had to stop!

What Oregon Has Promised

Now the State and Department of Human Services (DHS) have promised to work with Disability Rights Oregon and A Better Childhood to fix Oregon’s broken foster care system. With federal court oversight, during the next decade we’ll be working to keep kids safer, deliver health care and develop case plans faster, improve placements and services, and more. Communications between DHS and families, case workers, and children should also improve—especially when a child has been hurt. 

Holding the State Accountable

Disability Rights Oregon will make sure the State delivers on providing the care and resources children need to thrive. We will be monitoring progress with our partner, A Better Childhood, for at least the next decade and regularly meeting with an expert who works for the federal court to oversee the process. We will hold Oregon to its promise of improving the foster care system for thousands of children and youth. 

And don’t worry, if there is ever disagreement about what Oregon is doing—there is a way for us to go back to the federal court to hold the state to what it promised. 

Get Details about the Settlement Agreement >

Attention Children and Teens in Foster Care:
We Need to Hear from You!

The nearly 5,000 children and teenagers in Oregon’s foster care system—including young adults who have “aged out” since we filed in 2019—have the right to share feedback on the settlement agreement. These are their lives after all, and they deserve to be heard. There are three ways class members can share thoughts or ask questions: 

• Attend the hearing and tell your story to Honorable Judge Aiken in person. She wants to know if if you think the settlement is fair:
  • When: Thursday, September 12, 2024, at 9:00 am
  • Where: Wayne Lyman Morse United States Courthouse, 405 East 8th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon
• Email Disability Rights Oregon at WyattSettlement@droregon.org 
• Mail us a letter at 511 SW 10th Avenue, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97205

We hope to hear from current and former foster youth, and we hope everyone is as excited as we are about the settlement. There is a lot to do and, working together, we can create a safer, healthier and better foster care system so every child can reach their full potential!

🗓️ Opportunities & Announcements

• Olmstead Listening Sessions: Are you a person with a physical disability in Oregon who receives long-term care support paid for by the State? Have you had difficulties receiving the care you need in the home you prefer? We want to hear your story! Join a small group listening session to share your experiences in a safe space alongside your peers. We're limiting attendance to five people per session and providing free snacks and refreshments. Email Pamela Domingo at pdomingo@droregon.org or call 503-243-2081 ext. 230 to secure your spot at one of these locations—or for an online session.
  • Tomorrow! June 26: Grants Pass (morning, afternoon and online sessions)
  • July 1: Bend (afternoon and online sessions)
  • July 2-3: Pendleton (morning, afternoon and online sessions)
• ADA Celebration Lunch & Learn Webinars: July marks the 34^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the landmark law that protects our community from discrimination made possible by people with disabilities pushing for needed changes for decades! To celebrate, we’re co-hosting a month-long webinar series with the Oregon Disabilities Commission and Northwest ADA Center. Free online seminars will be from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm Pacific Time on Tuesdays throughout July, and members of the public are welcome. Advanced registration is required on Zoom, and accommodations requests can be emailed to OregonDisabilities.Commission@odhsoha.oregon.gov.
  • July 9: History and Success of the Olmstead Case
  • July 16: Talents of Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing communities
  • July 23: History of the ADA, featuring DRO Legal Director Emily Cooper
  • July 30: Boards and Commissions in Action
• 2024 Easy Voting Guide! We’re currently updating the Easy Voting Guide, our non-partisan version of the Oregon Voter’s Pamphlet designed to be as accessible as possible to people with disabilities and people with low literacy. The publication provides user-friendly information about who is running for state and national offices, your voting rights, and any proposed ballot measures—while being careful not to endorse candidates. Guides will be mailed in October for the November general election, and you can order your free copy today >
• Banning Shock Devices: We were proud to join the National Disability Rights Network and 29 of our sister organizations across the nation in submitting comments to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ban torturous electric shock devices. For decades, disability professionals, provider associations, family groups, consumer-run organizations, State legislatures, and even the United Nations have fought the use of contingent electric shock for the care and treatment of people with disabilities! These devices are used by just one facility in the U.S., and it is time to put an end to it! Read the letter >

• June is Pride Month in recognition of the struggle for equality and the contributions to our society of LGBTQIA+ people. Just as LGBTQIA+ status cuts across every demographic group—gender, age, race, sexual orientation, etc.—so does disability. People in both communities face alarmingly high rates of sexual assaults and other violent crimes. Disability Rights Oregon’s team will be celebrating Pride Month, and we invite you to do the same. Learn more about events throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington >
   

🗞️ In the News

Several Oregon media outlets did a great job reporting the foster care settlement agreement. In case you missed them, here are a few stand-out stories:

• OPB’s Lauren Dake: Listen to and read her story > 
• Oregon Capital Chronicle’s Ben Botkin: Read his article >
• KGW’s Pat Dooris: Watch the feature >

I hope your summer is off to a great start and you’re enjoying the warmer weather. Thank you for being part of the disability rights movement! 

P.S. Your steadfast support makes successes like transforming Oregon’s foster care system possible, and any size gift matters. Thank you for considering a donation to Disability Rights Oregon >

© 2024 Disability Rights Oregon