Pros
Staff really do want to make a difference, a great place to learn more about the value and necessity of rights for people with disabilities. If you are an activist they give you plenty of opportunities to work in protests which is always fun. A number of the staff have been arrested in protests a few times for their protest tactics. CDR is serious about activism.
Kontras
Management is atrocious. There is quite a bit of nepotism on the part of the board, so nothing really gets improved. CDR has a (well-deserved) reputation for being unprofessional, and authoritarian (to the point of tyrannical). People are constantly miserable, due to the lack of respect given to staff. The previous review of "Constantly made to feel incompetent, even in front of other people" is VERY true, I've seen my supervisor disrespected by the CEO a few times, which is very embarrassing for everyone involved. The lack of training/professional development and turnover (which never gets addressed, I didn't even know one of the managers quit until 6 months after the fact... ridiculous. He wasn't in my department, but it is a prime example of the lack of communication here) is frustrating. I have been here for a short while and things used to be bearable, but it definitely got worse after the COO quit. People quit or get fired if they don't "fall in line with the regime", which leaves a lot of staff who have been here for years and are submissive and terrified, or who lack skills to find a job elsewhere. This all adds to the very desperate nature of the company culture. For all the "bonding" and "fun" that supposedly takes place, it's a pretty sad place to work. I am looking for work outside of CDR, and I know many colleagues who are hoping to leave as well. I have worked here for a few years; I love the people here and my colleagues, and the radical mission of this organization. But I am at the end of my rope, this sense of fear that is pervasive (management can be extremely petty and defensive if you get on the wrong side of them, and they are well connected around the country. So everyone is scared to say something, for fear of not being able to work in disability rights again elsewhere), and the general misery that is here is pushing me out.