Employment Litigation

“Work is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life rather than a Monday through Friday sort of dying.”― Studs Terkel

Work provides us all with a sense of meaning, creates opportunities for us to develop relationships, and helps us gain financial independence.  CPR is committed to making this a reality for all people with disabilities.

With training and support, virtually all people with disabilities can work in the community.  This has long been denied to these individuals, and as a result, many are poor, isolated, and have few, if any, relationships with non-disabled persons.

Gainful employment at a living wage not only is good for individuals with disabilities, but it also is good for the economy.  It creates another group of tax payers – individuals who are valued, contributing members of the community who are less dependent on government programs.

In 2012, CPR filed the first lawsuit in the nation challenging the segregation of persons with intellectual disabilities in sheltered workshops in Oregon. Taking an innovative approach, CPR and co-counsel successfully argued that the ADA’s integration mandate extends to employment settings, like sheltered workshops, as well as to residential settings.  The landmark settlement, negotiated in 2015, already has had far-reaching impact, promoting integrated, competitive employment for thousands of individuals with disabilities.  CPR now is advancing the same ADA legal strategy in community integration cases in other states.