This post was updated April 18 at 7:00 p.m.

Two students are suing UCLA and the UC Board of Regents for allegedly discriminating against people with disabilities, thereby violating federal and state law.

The two plaintiffs – third-year student applied mathematics Jake Bertellotti and graduate public health student Taylor Carty – alleged in the lawsuit that UCLA repeatedly failed to address their concerns about inaccessible emergency evacuation protocols, housing and academic facilities, in addition to not maintaining appropriate campus signage and transportation. They also alleged that faculty and staff are not properly trained to address these concerns or communicate with relevant university departments, a problem compounded by significant understaffing of the Center for Accessible Education.

The lawsuit alleged that these issues violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, federal antidiscrimination law, federal and state housing law and California government code.

The complaint requests that the university hire an expert on emergency planning for people with disabilities and conduct an evaluation of its compliance with the ADA. Additionally, it requests more staff for Center for Accessible Education, improved procedures for tracking disability accommodations and revised systems for securing BruinAccess transit.

[Related: Disabled students report chronic delays, frustration with BruinAccess van service]

“UCLA is going to be housing Paralympians in 2028 for the Olympics,” said Michelle Uzeta, one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers and deputy director of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. “Knowing that UCLA now has a disability (studies) major and is really putting itself out there as a university that cares about disability rights, … it’s time for UCLA to hold its feet to the fire and do more than just talk the talk.”

Bertellotti and Carty, who both use wheelchairs, alleged that the university failed to cooperate with their requests for individualized evacuation plans. Adequate emergency preparation – by the United States Department of Justice’s standards – includes appropriate planning, preparedness testing, notification of resources and ongoing disasters, and safe community evacuation, said Jillian MacLeod, a legal fellow at DREDF.

The plaintiffs claimed that the university did not secure appropriate evacuation chairs for residential buildings and train staff on how to use the chairs. Bertellotti also claimed in the lawsuit that in the event of an emergency, he was told to wait in his building stairwell for someone to find him, despite first responders not having a list – to his knowledge – of how many people with disabilities are housed in each building.

[Related: UCLA’s neglect of elevator maintenance limits campus accessibility]

During the Los Angeles County fires in January, Bertellotti left campus early out of fear that he would not be able to properly evacuate, leading him to miss class, said Cat Cabalo, another of the plaintiffs’ lawyers. Cabalo added that she believes universities need to be prepared to deal with the rise in natural disasters due to climate change.

“Even when Jake and Taylor went out of their way to try to develop individualized plans with UCLA, they were met with very little knowledge from people across departments,” MacLeod said.

The lawsuit also alleges that multiple UCLA academic facilities do not have accessible entrances and furniture. The plaintiffs claimed that buildings lack or have incorrect signage about where accessible pathways are, and pathways both indoors and outdoors are often blocked or obstructed – such as when crowd control barriers are used ahead of athletics events.

Additionally, Bertellotti claimed in the lawsuit that he experienced difficulties securing accessible transit via BruinAccess, which requires that students needing a lift for their BruinAccess vehicle reserve a ride at least 24 hours in advance – a request the complaint said is a violation of the ADA.

[Related: USAC passes resolution for increased funding toward BruinAccess transportation]

Bertellotti and Carty both claimed in the complaint that they reached out to CAE and raised concerns that were never followed up on. Bertellotti also alleged that he did not receive sufficient assistance for navigating inaccessible spaces and received incorrect information about accessibility.

CAE’s current staff-to-student ratio is 1 to 1,281, compared to the national average of 1 to 133, according to the complaint.

[Related: ‘It’s just a fact’: Understaffed CAE office fails to meet students’ needs]

A UCLA spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the university is aware of the lawsuit and is dedicated to creating an environment that does not discriminate against any students.

Uzeta said she hopes UCLA takes action to serve as a model – not just for the UC but universities nationwide – of how schools can properly serve diverse populations of students.

“They (the plaintiffs) need real change. They want to be respected. They want an environment that takes the needs of disabled students and people on campus,” Cabalo said. “It’s not just students. These fixes will help disabled faculty – anyone visiting campus, for that matter.”