PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Multnomah County and the City of Portland have violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal complaint against the two jurisdictions has alleged.
In the lawsuit filed on Tuesday, Disability Rights Oregon led the American Civil Liberties Union and Disability Law United in accusing officials of failing to protect community members with disabilities amid emergencies. The plaintiffs primarily cited the 2021 heat wave in which 69 Multnomah County residents died of heat-related causes, with disabled people “overrepresented” among those deaths, according to plaintiffs.
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The allegations come as communities across Oregon are facing even more emergencies, with KOIN 6 meteorologist Kelley Bayern recently reporting the state is on pace to experience its most significant wildfire season to date.
“We’re in a wildfire emergency right now statewide and people with disabilities cannot be an afterthought,” Disability Rights Oregon Executive Director Jake Cornett said in a statement. “We often hear about victims with disabilities in the aftermath of disasters — and that’s not good enough. “We need the city and county to have an inclusive plan to evacuate and shelter people with disabilities long before a wildfire, flood, earthquake, or some other disaster strikes.”…