Download Report

On Target • Page 1
Volume 16 • Special Edition
From the Director
2014 Targets: A Special Publication
TARGETS. You’ve heard us talk about them.
Many of you responded to our annual survey
when we asked for your input about them.
And you might have even read the list that we
publish each year.
But why does Disability Rights NC have
Targets and what do they really mean?
We created this special edition of our
newsletter -- aptly named “On Target” -- to tell you about our new
Targets for 2014 and the role that they play in the work that we
do to improve the lives of people with disabilities living in North
Carolina. Our staff and board of directors carefully considered
all of the input and information you provided in response to our
annual survey. The Targets outlined here were the result.
Many, if not all, of our Targets will take longer than a year
to accomplish. In some cases, the State must change the way it
provides services to people with disabilities. In other cases, legal
action is necessary and lawsuits can take years to reach a final
judgment. Regardless of what the Target is, one thing is certain
-- Disability Rights NC needs the help of all of its partners in the
disability rights community to make lasting change happen.
QA
&
Q: I called Disability Rights NC,
but was told that my case did
not fit current targets. How do I
know when it is appropriate to
call?
A: You can always check out the
current targets on our website
and you can also call to speak
with an intake specialist to find
out if we can assist you. Even
if your case does not qualify to
receive direct services from our
attorneys and advocates, you
may receive information and
referral services. You also may
be able to work with one of our
trained volunteers through the
DATE program or a pro bono
attorney program. Check our
website for more information
about these programs.
Vicki Smith, Executive Director
What Is a Target?
Inside This Issue
The Targets adopted by Disability Rights NC are true to the
definition -- a goal to be reached. To achieve full equality and
justice for people with disabilities living in North Carolina, we
need to accomplish many different goals. But we do not have
resources necessary to tackle all of the issues facing people with
disabilities at one time.
Through public input and information received from people
The need for Targets................. 2
Continued on page 2
Work not covered by Targets.... 2
Four core functions................... 3
Public policy advocacy............. 4
Who responded to the survey.. 4
2014 Targets............................. 6
Page 2 • On Target
who call our office for help, we look for problems that are
widespread or that pose the largest threats to the independence
of people with disabilities. Once we identify the problems,
we develop an outcome that represents the resolution or
elimination of the problem. That outcome becomes a Target of
our work.
Why Does Disability Rights NC
Need Targets?
As the federally-mandated protection and advocacy (P&A)
system in North Carolina, we are required to protect the rights of
all people with disabilities residing in North Carolina. Statistics
released by the U.S. government estimate that one in five people
live with some type of disability. Based on North Carolina’s
current population, that’s 1.9 million children and adults living
with a disability in our state.
Disability Rights NC receives most of the funding for its work
from the federal government. With these resources, Disability
Rights NC is expected first to ensure that people with disabilities
live in safe and humane conditions. We must also work to
inform individuals about their legal rights and how to enforce
them; ensure that people with disabilities are not unnecessarily
institutionalized; and enforce the rights of all North Carolinians
with disabilities under federal and state law.
Targets give us the structure within which we can spend our
limited resources. Each year, we carefully plan the expenditure
of the grant funds across the Targets and activities conducted
under the three core P&A functions not included in the Targets.
In addition, the Targets give our funders a measurable
objective with which to gauge our success in achieving the
Target. As with all grant funds, the grant recipient must account
for how it spent the money.
Disability Rights NC
develops Targets for only
one of the four core areas of
its work.
Does Disability Rights NC Do
Any Work Not Covered by the
Targets?
Yes!
The Targets guide the work conducted by our legal teams.
But legally-based advocacy is only one of four core functions of
a P&A system. We do not develop Targets for three of the four
P&A core functions because the work in those areas is narrow in
scope.
On Target • Page 3
Four Core Functions of
Disability Rights NC
Information, Referral and Training
Information is a powerful advocacy tool. Knowing your rights
and how the system works can empower people with disabilities
to get the help they need. For this reason and because we do not
have enough resources to represent everyone who contacts us,
we provide information, advice and/or written materials to every
eligible caller. As part of our established protocols, our goal is
to provide all P&A-eligible callers some level of information and
referral (I&R) when their issue falls outside our annual Targets.
Disability Rights NC provides training on disability rights
including special education, guardianship and rights restoration,
resident/patient rights in facility settings, anti-discrimination
laws in housing and employment, mental health laws, voting
rights, and self-advocacy. We offer training to groups across the
state that builds advocacy skills and knowledge of specific areas
of law.
Monitoring
Disability Rights NC monitors facilities where people
with disabilities live or receive services to prevent, detect,
and address instances of abuse, neglect or exploitation. Our
monitoring activities may include (1) face-to-face interviews
with individuals with disabilities living in the facility, (2) face-toface interviews with at least one staff member working in the
facility, (3) observation and evaluation of the physical conditions
of the facility, and (4) a review of records, when appropriate, in
accordance with applicable federal and state law. Our primary
goal is to ensure the residents’ rights are protected and that they
are living in a safe environment with opportunities to participate
in activities important to them, such as recreational activities and
work. Also during our monitoring visits, we identify individuals
who could live in the community if they had the proper supports
and services.
Investigations
In situations where we believe serious abuse or neglect may
have occurred, we conduct an investigation. The investigation is
a systematic and thorough examination of information, records,
evidence and circumstances surrounding the allegation of abuse
and neglect. Investigations are distinct from advocacy and
require a significant allocation of time and resources for activities
such as interviewing witnesses, gathering evidence, and
generating a written report which may or may not be released
publicly. Because of our limited resources, we focus on
investigations where the outcome is systemic change resulting
in better care for large groups of people with disabilities.
If your group is interested
in rights training on a
particular issue or a general
overview of the work of
Disability Rights NC, call or
email us and ask to speak
with the Outreach Specialist.
What Is a P&A?
The first protection and
advocacy (P&A) program was
created in 1975 after a series
of television reports exposed
the deplorable conditions at
Willowbrook, a large New York state
institution for people with mental
retardation. Similar concerns about
the abuse and neglect in mental
health facilities led to the expansion
of the P&A system to include
people with mental illness.
Safeguarding the well-being
of individuals living in institutions
remains a major focus of the work
of Disability Rights NC. Over the
years, the scope of P&A work has
expanded to include protecting
the rights of people with all types
disabilities, whether they live in
their own home, in a group home
or in an institutional setting. The
P&A laws evolved to give us the
authority to devote resources
to ensure full access to inclusive
educational programs, healthcare,
accessible housing, transportation,
and productive employment
opportunities.
Page 4 • On Target
Legally-based Advocacy Including
Individual and Systems Advocacy
Public Policy and
Legislative Advocacy
In addition to the four core
functions of a P&A, Disability Rights
NC engages in policy advocacy,
including lobbying, to create
systemic change. We cannot use our
federal funds to conduct lobbying
activities. Instead, lobbying
activities are funded by donations
we receive from individuals and
corporations. As an independent
501(c)(3) non-profit organization, all
donations given to Disability Rights
NC are tax-deductible.
Legislative and regulatory
advocacy is a critical piece of our
work because laws and regulations
can be the ultimate cause of the
problems people with disabilities
face. A statute or regulation may
not be protective enough or may be
interpreted incorrectly. We focus on
public benefit programs because,
frequently, those are the only places
people with disabilities can get the
services they need.
We use systems advocacy to
change policies at every level, but
pay special attention to agencies
with enforcement responsibilities.
We also monitor non-governmental
agencies that are paid with federal
or state money. Our advocacy
efforts might be directed at
the local, state, or federal level.
Where we work and what we do
will depend on the nature of the
problem and who has the ultimate
authority over it.
We represent the interests of individuals both individually
and systemically in the courts and other legal tribunals. This is
the work tied to our Targets, and includes the cases we take to
represent one person as well as class action lawsuits we file to
address widespread legal violations.
Special Authority of P&As
Since P&As were created to prevent the abuse and
neglect of individuals with disabilities, Congress gave
them extraordinary investigative authority. For example,
we have routine access to all individuals with disabilities
in facilities providing services. The facility must give us
access to all records of individuals with disabilities and
other records that are relevant to the investigation we are
conducting. We also must have immediate access (within
24 hours of request) to all records related to the death
of an individual living in a facility, or in cases where we
believe there is “probable cause to believe that the health
or safety of an individual is in serious and immediate
jeopardy.”
We can take a variety of actions in response to findings
of abuse and neglect, including litigation to enforce
constitutional and statutory rights of facility residents and
the issuance of public reports describing our findings and
recommendations for corrective action.
Who Responded to the 2014
Target Survey?
What was their relationship to disability?
On Target • Page 5
What was their ethnic background?
any?
m
w
o
H
als
dividu 00
n
i
0
3
8
all 1
ng in lina
i
d
i
s
e
r
Caro
North ties
coun
What disability did they identify with?
What You Said
Working with Adults versus Children
Asked to rank the importance of
working with adults and children,
587 of 799 (74%) individuals
responding to the survey said
serving adults with disabilities
was very important. 540 out
of 771 (70%) individuals said
serving children (birth to 21) with
disabilities was very important.
Ensuring Safety in Facilities
versus Developing
Community Services
Disability Rights North Carolina is a federally mandated protection
and advocacy system with funding from the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Education,
and the Social Security Administration. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization.
“Working to Make Facilities
Safe” was very important to 484 of
794 (61%) individuals. “Developing
or Protecting Community Based
Services” was very important to 567
out of 796 (71%) individuals.
Page 6 • On Target
2014 Targets
Target 1: Barriers to
employment are removed
Why This Is Important
Work is central to community integration.
Work leads to economic stability and ultimately
prevents the need to depend on inadequate and
unpredictable public benefits. Having individuals
with all types of disabilities in work environments
is critical to the full integration of people with
disabilities. Increasing the integration of people
with disabilities in the workplace will help create
a world where disability is not marginalized, but is
viewed as part of the human condition. Visibility
will undermine stereotypes and produce a better
environment for workers with disabilities not
just from a legal perspective, but from a cultural
perspective.
Barriers to employment include discrimination
(e.g. failure to provide accommodations,
discriminatory qualification standards) and
economic disincentives to work.
Immediate Objectives
Provide direct legal services and representation
on reasonable accommodations and other
discrimination issues.
Establish positive case law/precedent regarding
employment rights, including the use of
qualification standards that exclude individuals
with disabilities.
Make the Medicaid buy-in real for all its intended
beneficiaries, removing the potential loss of
Medicaid as an economic barrier to work.
Continue to advocate for a more effective system
of employment services that does not promote
placement in sheltered workshops.
Educate members of the disability and legal
communities on issues related to the employment
of people with disabilities.
Who Benefits
Individuals facing employment discrimination,
including lack of reasonable accommodations and/
or use of impermissible qualification standards.
The implementation of the Medicaid buy-in will
directly benefit the clients in that case, as well as
the hundreds of individuals who are expected to
take advantage of the buy-in in order to work and
maintain Medicaid.
Funding for Target from PABSS, PAIR, PAIMI, and PAAT
Funding Acronyms
The funding for our work on the Targets
comes from seven federal grants and one grant
from the NC State Bar. The grants are for varying
amounts of funding ranging in fiscal year 2013
from $37,740 to $1,080,862. Each year, we
carefully plan the expenditure of the grant funds
across the Targets and activities conducted
under the three core P&A functions not included
in the Targets.
PABSS - Protection and Advocacy for
Beneficiaries of Social Security
IOLTA - North Carolina State Bar Plan for Interest
on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts
PATBI - Protection and Advocacy for Traumatic
Brain Injury
PAAT - Protection and Advocacy for Assistive
Technology
PAVA - Protection and Advocacy for Voting
Access
PAIDD - Protection and Advocacy for Individuals
with Developmental Disabilities
PAIMI - Protection and Advocacy for Individuals
with Mental Illness
PAIR - Protection and Advocacy for Individual
Rights
On Target • Page 7
Target 2 - Equal access to
programs and services
under the ADA are
enforced.
Why This Is Important
People with disabilities are often denied full
and equal enjoyment of the services and facilities
offered by businesses, local governments, and the
state because of physical barriers or policies that
do not take their rights into account. Equal access
is essential for the visibility and full integration of
people with disabilities.
Immediate Objectives
Provide direct legal services and representation
to clients being denied equal access by public
entities and places of public accommodation.
Increase compliance with the obligation of public
entities to designate ADA coordinators.
Address DMV issues of excessive testing and
medical reviews for people with disabilities
through continued policy changes, and
administrative or court action if necessary.
Expand awareness of Title II and Title III rights and
increase advocacy among lawyers and advocates
outside Disability Rights NC.
Who Benefits
Direct beneficiaries will be individual clients. Anyone
with a disability will be indirect beneficiaries of
our advocacy. Barriers to being engaged with the
community will be removed.
Funding for Target from PAIDD, PAIMI, PAIR, PATBI,
and PAAT
“To the staff of Disability Rights
NC -- thank you for your expertise
and dedication to individuals with
disabilities and their families.”
—Target Survey Respondent
Target 3 - Access to health
care including effective
communication with
health care workers.
Why This Is Important
Barriers to healthcare lead to bad outcomes and
health disparities for people with disabilities. People
with hearing loss complain that they are unable to
communicate with their doctors or other healthcare
workers. This has resulted in individuals being
undiagnosed because there were no interpreters
during doctor appointments. Many medical offices
are not equipped with accessible medical equipment
or lifts to aid in moving and treating patients with
limited mobility. Many people with intellectual
disabilities lack providers who are aware of the need
to follow treatment recommendations for all patient
populations (e.g., recommending mammograms for
women with intellectual disabilities). People with
disabilities need a provider system that understands
and adheres to equal access principles. This will lead
to a healthier population overall and better health
outcomes for people with disabilities in particular.
Immediate Objectives
Give at least four presentations about the right to
adequate communication in healthcare settings
for patients who use American Sign Language.
Continue to build relationships with the medical
community and providing education to healthcare
professionals about removing barriers to
healthcare for individuals with disabilities.
Who Benefits
Individual clients will be persons who are deaf or
hard of hearing and unable to access healthcare due
to the lack of interpreter or other communication
aids. Individuals with physical or cognitive
impairments will be provided with information
and education about their right to equal access to
healthcare services.
Funding for Target from PAIR and PAAT
Page 8 • On Target
QA
&
Q: I was denied Social Security Disability
benefits. Does that mean that I don’t
qualify to receive services from Disability
Rights NC?
A: The Social Security Administration uses
one of over 20 different definitions of
disability in federal law. Disability Rights
NC uses the federal definition under the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),
which is the broadest definition and
includes physical and mental impairments
that substantially limit one or more major
life activities.
Disability Rights NC
Board of Directors
Kathy Boyd, Chair (Wake Forest)
Janna Shisler, Chair-Elect (Chapel Hill)
Cheryl Mulloy-Villemagne, Treasurer
(Waynesville)
Sadie Brewington Barbour, Secretary (Clinton)
Rusty Bradstock (Greensboro)
Suzanne Burley (Raleigh)
Pete Clary (Winston-Salem)
Bill Donohue (Winston-Salem)
Lourdes Fernandez (Raleigh)
D. Jones (Greenville)
Paula Munos (Lewiston Woodville)
Jack Register (Greensboro)
Mary Skov (Wilmington)
Kim Taylor (Statesville)
Sheila Wall-Hill, PAIMI Advisory Council Chair
(Charlotte)
Charles Walker (Raleigh)
Deborah Whitfield (Charlotte)
Target 4 – Ability to
exercise greater selfdetermination by
voting, maximizing their
independence.
Why This Is Important
There are numerous flaws in North Carolina’s
guardianship laws and practice. While some of these
problems stem from poor implementation of the
law and are best addressed with the Administrative
Office of the Courts (AOC) or county clerks of court,
many are rooted in the guardianship statutes. During
the 2013 session of the NC General Assembly, there
were proposals to limit the voting rights of people
with disabilities because of their guardianship status.
In the final omnibus election reform legislation
passed in July 2013, the Joint Legislative Oversight
Committee on Elections was specifically directed
to explore how to address the need of voters for
assistance and other issues. We have an opportunity
to explore our guardianship laws in more detail
while ensuring that people with disabilities,
regardless of their guardianship status, are able to
exercise their right to vote.
Immediate Objectives
Monitor legislative intersession meetings and
discussion of bills during the short session related
to access to voting for people with disabilities,
especially those under guardianship
Promote legislative and administrative changes
that improve our clients’ access to voting. Such
changes may include making it easier for voters
to request assistance from a person of his or her
choice at the polls or when voting absentee,
simplifying absentee voting in facilities, and
increasing the utilization of existing protections
such as limited guardianship rather than full
guardianship, as opportunities allow.
Who Benefits
Beneficiaries may include voters and potential
voters with disabilities, especially those under
guardianship; voters who live in facilities; and voters
who need assistance at the polls.
Funding for Target from PAVA
On Target • Page 9
Target 5 – Access to
appropriate community
based services and
supports.
Why This Is Important
Implementation of Olmstead’s integration
mandate has been slow in coming to North Carolina,
where a disproportionate number of individuals with
an ID/DD, mental illness, TBI and/or other disabilities
remain relegated to institutional care. The State’s
overreliance on restrictive settings for individuals
with various disabilities has proven to require
litigation to move the State to comply with the ADA.
The State must abide by its obligation to
serve individuals with various disabilities in more
integrated settings, through shifting and/or
increased funding for community-based care. This
will require a State Plan which allows additional
services or expansive use of existing services and
due process for individuals receiving long-term
services and supports. Any systemic changes in
the way the State manages community services
through Medicaid must include strong oversight and
accountability of its contractors such as compliance
with the ADA and other protections.
Immediate Objectives
Continue litigating current federal lawsuits to
restore and preserve community-based services
and to ensure due process protections.
Educate families/guardians and people
with disabilities about their rights and how
to effectively advocate in a managed care
environment.
Advocate with MCOs and the state on issues that
interfere with a person accessing services or to
provide expansive, inclusive interpretations of
eligibility criteria and service definitions, as well as
procedural safeguards.
Take action on behalf of individuals
inappropriately placed in psychiatric or other
institutions.
Monitor DOJ settlement agreement
implementation, particularly development of new
service definitions, and litigate, if necessary.
Who Benefits
Clients may include people with disabilities who
are facing a high risk of institutionalization, who
are being subjected to a specific violation of their
rights or individuals who are inappropriately placed
in institutional settings. We will continue to focus
on removing particular barriers associated with
different disabilities.
Funding for Target from PAIDD, PAIMI, PAIR, PATBI,
and PAAT
Target 6 - Keep students
with disabilities in school
and ensure transition
planning for meaningful
post-secondary outcomes.
Why This Is Important
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) requires that students with disabilities receive
a free and appropriate public education (FAPE).
However, many of these students are suspended
multiple times during the school year in violation
of their right to receive FAPE. Youth with disabilities
make up a disproportionate number of students
who are suspended from school and who are
referred to the juvenile justice system. The transition
planning currently available is neither meaningful
nor realistic for helping students overcome academic
deficits and achieve post-secondary goals after high
school.
This target keeps students with disabilities in
school by enforcing their rights under IDEA and
corresponding state statutes. These statutes are
used as a tool for reducing school suspensions and
juvenile court referrals.
Immediate Objectives
Obtain compensatory services for our clients when
they are denied FAPE related to school system
suspension practices and Child Find violations.
Require school systems to identify what
specialized instruction our clients will receive
related to their academic deficits.
Require school staff training to prevent future
FAPE violations against our clients and similarly
situated students.
Promote diversion of school-initiated juvenile
petitions against students with disabilities.
Page 10 • On Target
Obtain positive behavioral supports and
alternatives to suspensions.
Who Benefits
Students with disabilities who have experienced
long-term suspensions and/or juvenile court
involvement based upon unmet special education
needs.
Funding for Target from PAIDD and IOLTA
Target 7 - Children with
dual disabilities (ID/DD
or other disabilities and
mental illness) receive
medically necessary
services in the least
restrictive environment.
Why This Is Important
Parents of children with mental illnesses and
developmental disabilities struggle to find the
appropriate mix of services to care for their children
in North Carolina. Children are often able to access
either ID/DD services or mental health services
but not both. In many cases the few available
mental health services are time limited and the
intellectual disabilities services are wait listed. There
is a lack of qualified providers who apply a holistic
family-centered approach to treatment. Many in
this population cycle in and out of institutions or
are sent to institutions out of state far away from
their homes. These children need services and
supports to meet their individualized needs and
to stay in the community. We have been providing
individual advocacy and legal representation to
this population since 2007, which has resulted in
successful outcomes for many individual cases.
Unfortunately, the systemic problem has not been
addressed. These children have the right to receive
medically necessary individualized mental health
and developmental disabilities services in their own
home, a family setting, or the most home-like setting
appropriate to their needs.
Immediate Objectives
Take legal action to enforce the legal rights of
children with dual disabilities.
Who Benefits
Research indicates that there are approximately
550 children in North Carolina who are dually
diagnosed. All of these children will be direct
beneficiaries of this litigation. Indirectly, the
recommended systemic modifications should create
an array of appropriate services by highly trained
providers benefitting all children with disabilities.
The case selection criteria will include all
Medicaid eligible children under the age of 21 who
are dually diagnosed and are having problems
accessing medically necessary services to keep them
in the community and out of institutions.
Funding for Target from PAIDD and PAIMI
Target 8 - Children with
serious mental illness
living in psychiatric
residential treatment
facilities (PRTF) receive an
appropriate education.
Why This Is Important
Children admitted to PRTFs receive inadequate
educational services while in the facilities. While at
the facility they are anxious about falling behind
their peers. After their discharge they are likely to
be held back for their failure to earn any academic
credits while in treatment or for their failure to
satisfy End-of-Grade testing requirements. The
General Assembly has directed the NC Department
of Public Instruction and NC DHHS to correct this
problem, but neither department has accepted the
responsibility for payment for educational services.
A legislative proposal was introduced in the 2013
session, but it was not adopted.
Disability Rights NC has a longstanding interest
in making certain that educational services are
provided to children in PRTFs. With the recent
reduction in the number of Level III and Level IV
Group Home placements (and the corresponding
increase in PRTF placements), more and more
children are being placed in PRTFs. The failure to
address the issue through statute means that a
litigation strategy may be the only option that would
achieve the desired result.
On Target • Page 11
Immediate Objectives
Encourage DPI and DHHS to adopt a workable
permanent solution.
Encourage both departments to implement
interim measures providing educational services
to children in PRTFs while a permanent solution is
developed.
Disability Rights NC Staff
Executive
Vicki Smith, Executive Director
Finance & Operations
Who Benefits
Current residents of PRTFs in the state of North
Carolina. This includes thousands of children with
mental health disorders.
Funding for Target from PAIMI
QA
&
Q: What ever happened to the Governor’s
Advocacy Council for People with Disabilities
(GACPD)?
A: The Governor’s Advocacy Council for
Persons with Disabilities (GACPD) served as
North Carolina’s P&A for more than twenty
years. During that time, GACPD operated
as a State agency. In 2007, Governor Easley
announced the designation of Carolina Legal
Assistance (CLA) as the new Protection and
Advocacy agency. CLA was an independent
organization outside of state government
so they could better protect the interests
of people with disabilities. As the new P&A
agency, CLA was renamed Disability Rights
North Carolina in September 2007.
Q: Can you provide training on independent
living?
A: Our focus is on the legal right to live
independently and not on the actual skills
themselves. The Centers for Independent
Living may be able to provide that training.
North Carolina has seven regional centers.
Find one near you at www.ncsilc.org/centers.
Charlie Barnes, Chief Financial Officer
Janice Willmott, Chief Administrative Officer
Karla Blackwell, Receptionist
Allyson Hilliard, Accounting Assistant
Mavis Jones, Office Manager
Dennis Knight, IT Administrator
Haydee Martinez, Administrative Assistant
Legal & Advocacy
April Giancola, Chief Legal Programs Officer
John Rittelmeyer, Director of Litigation
Cas Shearin, Director of Investigations and
Monitoring
Jennifer Bills, Senior Attorney
Raven DeMonia, Paralegal
Elizabeth Edwards, Attorney
Anthony Garcia-Copian, Intake Specialist
Lisa Grafstein, Senior Attorney
Iris Green, Senior Attorney
Morris McAdoo, Attorney
Kady McDonald, Intake Specialist
Kishona Mimms, Investigator
Lisa Nesbitt, Attorney
Steve Noblitt, Advocate
Susan Pollitt, Senior Attorney
Lisa Rabon, Attorney
Mercedes Restucha-Klem, Attorney
Holly Stiles, Attorney
Kathy Smith, Advocate
Kristine Sullivan, Attorney
Debbie Thome, Advocate
Chris Trottier, Senior Attorney
Policy & Outreach
Elaine Whitford, Director of Development
Corye Dunn, Director of Public Policy
Gabrielle Martino, Outreach Specialist and
Advocate
Page 12 • On Target
Need More Information?
We recently updated the selfadvocacy resource pages available
on the home page of our website.
Resources include our publications,
how-to guides and links to helpful
information published by other
organizations.
Join Us For Our First
Conference in April 2014
Sessions will include information
about MCOs and a step-by-step guide
on how to file a Medicaid appeal;
guardianship; special education;
general self-advocacy skills training;
service animals; and much more! Check
our website for a specific date, location,
and registration information.
QA
&
Q: I called another legal services agency for assistance,
but I was told that I make too much money to qualify for
free services. Does Disability Rights NC have any income
requirements?
A: No. Disability Rights NC may ask about your income
as well as other demographic information for statistical
purposes, but we do not have any income limitations to
qualify for our services.
Q: How many cases does Disability Rights NC take every
year?
A: The amount of cases we take per year varies, however
in 2012, we received calls from more than 4,700 people
with disabilities and provided direct advocacy and/or
legal services to 992 people across the State. There are 1.9
million people in our state who have a disability and we
consider all of those individuals to be our clients.
www.disabilityrightsnc.org
North Carolina’s Protection and
Advocacy System
2626 Glenwood Avenue
Suite 550
Raleigh, North Carolina 27608
919-856-2195
877-235-4210
888-268-5535 TTY
919-856-2244 fax
Upon request, information
is available in alternate formats.
Raleigh, NC
Permit #490
PAID
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE