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Disability Rights Maryland and Consumers for Accessible Ride Services  Participate in Week Without Driving and Invite Decision Makers to Experience Transit and Sidewalk Challenges Firsthand

Contact: Daria Pugh, DRM Attorney, DariaP@DisabilityRightsMD.org, (443) 692-2487

Baltimore, MD – Disability Rights Maryland (DRM) is proud to announce its participation in Week Without Driving, a national campaign taking place September 29 – October 5, 2025. The initiative challenges drivers to go without driving for one week to better understand the barriers faced by people who cannot or do not drive.

Whether due to age, ability, or financial circumstances, nearly a third of Americans cannot drive. Transportation access remains one of the most significant barriers to employment, healthcare, and community participation for Marylanders with disabilities who do not drive.  Week Without Driving is a chance to see the world differently. Participants are encouraged to complete their normal daily routines without driving, using alternative forms of transportation instead.

As part of the week, DRM and Consumers for Accessible Ride Services (CARS) are inviting drivers and decision- makers across the state to participate in the challenge and share their journeys traveling on alternative modes of transportation. CARS is a grassroots organization of paratransit riders in the Baltimore area that advocates for improved service. DRM staff and CARS volunteers are  inviting local, state, and national decision makers to join them on walks around their neighborhoods and on a paratransit ride to see what it is like to navigate their community as a person with disabilities. These firsthand experiences will highlight the daily realities Marylanders with disabilities face when traveling through their communities using our sidewalks, streets, and public transportation networks.

“People with disabilities need safe sidewalks and streets. They need reliable, accessible public transportation to be connected to their communities – their friends and families, employment, medical care, grocery stores, and cultural interests.” said DRM Attorney, Daria Pugh. “By participating in the Week Without Driving, joining us on a paratransit ride or neighborhood walk, decision-makers can see for themselves how gaps in infrastructure and services limit opportunities for people with disabilities across Baltimore and the state.”

Leading up to Week Without Driving, DRM will share stories from CARS members and discuss how their transportation options impact most aspects of their lives.  

Details:

  • Week Without Driving: September 29 – October 5, 2025
  • Instead of driving, use the bus, sidewalks, bike, etc. to get to work, live, and play. Share your experience on social media and tag @DisabilityRightsMD.
  • Decision makers (elected officials, state and local transportation and planning professionals, government appointees) interested in committing to the Week Without Driving, or joining a walk or ride, can contact Daria Pugh at DariaP@DisabilityRightsMD.org or (443) 692-2487 to schedule.

For more information on DRM’s participation in Week Without Driving or to arrange media coverage, please contact Daria Pugh at DariaP@DisabilityRightsMD.org or (443) 692-2487.

About Disability Rights Maryland

Disability Rights Maryland (DRM) is the federally mandated Protection & Advocacy agency for people with disabilities in Maryland. We advance the civil and legal rights of people with disabilities through individual advocacy, impact litigation, and systemic reform. Learn more at DisabilityRightsMD.org.

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Voting Events: Your Guide to Staying Informed and Engaged

With the election just around the corner, it’s essential to stay updated on key voting dates, registration deadlines, and local events. Whether you’re a first-time voter or a seasoned participant in the democratic process, our goal is to keep you informed and engaged.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

PG County Workforce Fair (in person)

Thursday
October 17, 2024
10:30-1pm

New Carrollton Branch Library
7414 Riverdale Rd
New Carrollton, MD

The Maryland Senate Candidate Forum (Virtual)

Tuesday
October 22, 2024
12:00 PM – 1:15 PM. 

Registration is required to receive an event link. https://zfrmz.com/KElYVOpakXTC9u7hXnad

Importance of Voting/Brief KYR Panel Discussion with Maryland Department of Disability (Virtual)

Thursday
October 24, 2024
4pm-5pm

Request a link from Yesheva Kelly via email (yesheva.kelly@maryland.gov) or phone at 410-767-3659

Check back here and on our Instagram and Facebook pages for additional events and information on voting.

 

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Focus Group Participants Needed

photo of people in group. Young Black woman talking

The Schaefer Center at the University of Baltimore is conducting focus groups of Maryland renters who were represented by an attorney in an eviction case. The focus groups are a part of an evaluation of the Access to Counsel in Evictions program administered by the Maryland Legal Services Cooperation (MLSC).

Focus groups will be held around the state of Maryland. If you are interested in participating, please click the link below to see if you qualify. You can also call 866-986-7649 to speak with someone about the focus groups. Space is limited.

During the survey, we will determine eligibility and provide more information on date and time of the focus group. Qualified participants will receive a $75 gift card upon completion of the focus group. 

 Click Here for Eligibility Survey

For more information, please call the Schaefer Center at 866-986-7649. The phone lines will be open Monday- Friday from 10am- 8pm. 

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Keyonna Mayo, Susan Goodlaxson & Janice Jackson Recipients of the 2022 Excellence in Advocacy Leadership Award

Keyonna Mayo, Susan Goodlaxson & Janice Jackson Recipients of the 2022 Excellence in Advocacy Leadership Award

Images of Keyonna Mayo, Susan Goodlaxson, and Janice Jackson. Behind each image is a blue, yellow, orange, and red box/border.

Baltimore, MDDisability Rights Maryland’s (DRM) clients Keyonna Mayo, Susan Goodlaxson, and Janice Jackson, who filed a class action lawsuit with the Image Center against Baltimore City for safe and equal access to the City’s sidewalks and streets for individuals with mobility disabilities, have been named the recipients of DRM’s 2022 Excellence in Advocacy Leadership Award, which will be presented to them at the 2022 Breaking Barriers Awards Gala on Thursday, May 12, 2022.

Excellence in Advocacy Leadership awardees are DRM community partners, who, in collaboration with DRM, act as agents of change through legislative, policy or litigation initiatives. They demonstrate outstanding determination and resolve in defending and enhancing the rights of people with disabilities to full inclusion and community access. Awardees bravely, selflessly, and publicly, leverage their own personal experiences to rectify the inequities of discrimination against people with disabilities by taking on the “system” fearlessly to secure equitable participation in all aspects of society.

Keyonna Mayo, Susan Goodlaxson, and Janice Jackson, are on the forefront of citizen-based disability advocacy to make Baltimore’s sidewalks accessible to all residents. “Two years ago, only 1.3% of our more than 37,000 City curb ramps were in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act,” stated Robin C. Murphy, DRM Executive Director. “The work to provide people with disabilities their basic right to freely travel outside of their home is well past due, 30 years overdue.”

DRM looks forward to celebrating with you the extraordinary accomplishments of its exceptional honorees as well as the life-altering work its staff does every single day of the year at our 2022 Breaking Barriers Awards Gala on Thursday, May 12. To learn more, click here.

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Alice Wong, Gregg Beratan & Andrew Pulrang are the 2022 Gayle Hafner Grassroots Leadership Awardees

Alice Wong, Gregg Beratan & Andrew Pulrang are the 2022 Gayle Hafner Grassroots Leadership Awardees

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Baltimore, MDDisability rights activists Alice Wong, Gregg Beratan, and Andrew Pulrang are the 2022 recipients of the Gayle Hafner Grassroots Leadership Award which will be presented to them at Disability Rights Maryland’s (DRM) Breaking Barriers Awards Gala on Thursday, May 12, 2022.

The award’s namesake, Gayle Hafner, was a trailblazer DRM civil rights attorney whose zealous advocacy for full inclusion in every aspect of community life improved the quality of life for people with disabilities.

Established in 2015, the award honors those who have successfully brought about substantial positive change through grassroots activism for people with disabilities. Gayle’s extensive knowledge of Medicaid law enabled her to offer hope and tangible assistance to a significant number of people with disabilities so they could reside independently outside of nursing homes increasing their opportunities to live with self-determination.

In honoring Alice Wong, Gregg Beratan, and Andrew Pulrang, DRM applauds and acknowledges their lifelong commitment to building communities of care at a grassroots level to advance the rights of people with disabilities. Through their joint digital campaign, #CripTheVote, they have designed an impressive and ever-expansive network of voters and provided them with a platform to share their experiences and needs on a national political level. Their creative and innovative ideas, work, and commitment to amplifying the voices, faces, and individual narratives of people with disabilities have brought depth, dimension, and digital proximity to the disability rights revolution.

Please join us at the 2022 Breaking Barriers Awards Gala on Thursday, May 12, in honoring Alice Wong, Gregg Beratan and Andrew Pulrang for their extraordinary and groundbreaking service to people with disabilities. Subscribe to our newsletter below to receive updates as the other awardees are announced, and to reserve tickets.

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