On the surface, diverse communities seem to simply exist. In reality, however, constant tending may be needed to prevent the exclusion of community members who lack economic or other forms of power. As Morrison & Foerster lawyers address poor housing conditions, promote physical accessibility, and advocate for services that keep the elderly out of institutions, we help diversity thrive. To learn more about our work building inclusive communities, click
here.
Building Independence from the Ground Up
Bay Area attorneys provided a wide range of assistance to enable the Ed Roberts Campus, a nonprofit consortium of organizations that support independent living for people with disabilities, to realize a dream: construction of a new office building that is integrated with a mass transit station in Berkeley. This new building offers people with disabilities ready access to the sponsoring organizations, as well as others that provide needed services.
Keeping People with Disabilities in Their Homes
Frail seniors and people with serious disabilities in California have long relied on community-based Adult Day Health Care services to enable them to stay in their homes rather than be isolated in institutions. These programs help their clients avoid nursing homes by providing a range of daily medical and rehabilitative services in a single, supportive environment. The California legislature voted several times to end funding for the programs, and each time, lawsuits were filed to stop the budget cuts. MoFo took a lead role in the last of these suits, which finally led to a negotiated settlement that keeps the programs running, and clients in their homes. Our co-counsel were Disability Rights California, the National Health Law Program, the National Senior Citizens Law Center, and AARP Foundation Litigation.