2022 Annual Report - Year in Review

2022 Annual Report - Year in Review

 

2022 Year in Review

Message from DRC Executive Director and Board President

Dear Friends and Supporters,

During 2022, we continued to advocate for the disability community and fight to protect the rights so all individuals have power and are treated with dignity and respect and can determine the course of their own lives.

As the country and California continue to face challenges, we know more than ever how important it is that we are part of a broader fight for justice, including the unique challenges faced by people who experience the intersection of multiple systems of discrimination.  

Throughout the year, we collaborated, engaged with, and led hundreds of national and local events to connect with disability community members, organizations, and leaders.  We provided resources, education, trainings, and gained feedback from individuals directly impacted to continue to guide our advocacy.  

We advocated on various issues, some including eliminating solitary confinement and opposing CARE Court, and advocated for equal opportunities for individual rights, employment, and education.  We hosted an Education Equity Summit to discuss disparities in education resources and solutions for the most marginalized students by bringing together national, state, and local policy leaders.

We advocated for the health and safety of individuals in detention facilities and state hospitals. As part of this work, we successfully won a groundbreaking settlement in a case to implement essential changes to policies and conditions in the Orange County Jail.  We are hopeful this will impact California’s treatment of all incarcerated people, including people with disabilities and people who identify as LGBTQIA+.  

As we enter our 45th anniversary in 2023, we look forward to continuing to engage with elected officials, community members, coalition groups, leaders, and other organizations to advance human rights and economic dignity. We are hopeful that we can continue to lift up more intersectional disability voices from the community. 

We remain encouraged by the people we serve, their families, caregivers, our employees, and partners committed to disability justice.  Thank you for your leadership and support. We look forward to continuing to work with you to affect change for the disability community across California and the nation!

We hope you enjoy our 2022 annual report.

In service, 

Signature for Andrew J. Imparato Andrew J. Imparato
drc Executive Director
Signature for Sandra Smith Sandra Smith
2022 drc Board President
DRC's team out at a dinner function all seated at a table.
Some members of DRC's legal advocacy team.
Two DRC employees standing in front of a large monitor wh.le giving a presentation.
DRC Staff Jia Min Cheng and Kathy Ho speaking on housing issues in the disability community.
A femal DRC employee holding up her academic certificate.
DRC staff Vanessa Cuellar at a Community Organizer Conference in Chicago.  
DRC speaking out an outside event.
DRC Staff Richard Diaz speaking on ending solitary confinement AB 2632. 
DRC's team out at a dinner function all seated at a table.
Some members of DRC's leadership team gathering for a day of strategy and team building.
Several DRC employees holding signs up denouncing the CARE Court bill in front of the CA State Capital building.
Some of DRC's staff and community members delivering a No CARE Court letter to the Governor with over 500 signatures.
Female DRC employee standing in front of Congresswomen Porter's office.
DRC staff Lili Graham meeting with Congresswomen Porter in Washington D.C.
DRC employees in front of CA State Capitol
Some members of DRC's Public Policy team at an event at the State Capital.   

2022Board of Directors

  • Black, Ralph
  • Brunner, Alison
  • Casto, Lorraine
  • Farinha, Sheri
  • Janz, Jim
  • Krzyzanowski, Richard
  • Kariotis, Imari
  • McClain, Deaka
  • Ochoa, Mariza
  • Parramore, Jillian
  • Perez, Katherine
  • Ramirez, Hector
  • Sauer, Tony
  • Smith, Sandra
  • Thom, Jeff
  • Vargas, Yolanda