Rubin Solis, a Waxahachie resident with Huntington's disease, made mental health and disability training a condition to dropping a lawsuit against the Ellis County Sheriff's Department, as reported by KERA.
Mr. Solis was walking home from his daughter's home when he was violently arrested by Ellis Co. deputies — receiving a black eye, dislocated thumb, and kidney bruising. He had told the deputies about his Huntington's disease, but they did not know how to or failed to accommodate his disability.
After his arrest, Solis took action. With help from the Texas Legal Services Center, he filed a lawsuit against Ellis County which claimed the deputies violated his rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
As a condition to dropping the lawsuit, the department agreed to receive additional training through The Arc of Texas. The training focuses on four areas: identifying disabilities, communication, accommodations and support.
"Ellis County is going to be a better, safer place for people who have disabilities."
Roughly 30,000 people with disabilities live in Ellis County, including Ruben Solis. He said he’s proud of standing up for his rights and making his community safer.
Listen to the full story here.