Harper v. DTA

Attached are papers from the Harper v. DTA litigation, including:

• Complaint
• Settlement agreement
• Appendices to the settlement agreement
• Settlement NOtice
• Summary of Settlement Notice

Harper v. DTA.  Harper v. DTA is  a federal civil rights case brought against the welfare department, DTA, for disability discrimination.  The plaintiffs were represented by Greater Boston Legal Services. Three individuals with disabilities sued DTA in 2007, saying that DTA discriminated against individuals with disabilities in its cash and Food Stamps programs, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.  The proposed settlement represents major progress towards improving access to vital benefits for individuals with disabilities by making significant changes to how DTA handles cases, including:

• screening for disability related barriers;
• explanation of disability rights;
• improved policies regarding accommodation;
• revision of written materials to be easier to understand;
• designation of staff to troubleshoot and provide additional assistance; and
• a pilot to examine the efficacy and efficiency of taking steps prior to imposing adverse actions on certain cases.

Class certification materials can be found here:  http://www.masslegalservices.org/content/harper-v-dta-class-certification-mateirals

For more information and advocacy tips when helping clients with disabilities, click here.