Protection and Advocacy (P&A) agencies protect disability rights for people with disabilities of any income, in every U.S. state and territory. Created in 1975 in response to an investigation which revealed shocking conditions in Willowbrook, a New York state institution for people with developmental disabilities, P&As continue to primarily monitor conditions in both public and private facilities that care for people with disabilities, stepping in when needed to remedy poor care.

However, P&As provide a broader range of services today, including advocating for de-institutionalization by helping people with disabilities find the least restrictive living situation possible. Full access to educational programs, financial entitlements, healthcare, accessible housing, transportation and disability employment are covered under the P&A umbrella.

P&A Programs
•    PADD (Protection and Advocacy for People with Developmental Disabilities)
•    CAP (Client Assistance Program)
•    PAIMI (Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness)
•    PAIR (Protection and Advocacy for Individual Rights)
•    PAAT (Protection and Advocacy for Assistive Technology)
•    PABSS (Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security)
•    PATBI (Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury)
•    PAVA (Protection and Advocacy for Voting Accessibility)

Disability Advocacy and the Law
Litigation is frequently brought by P&As to force compliance with the law, and about half of P&A directors are attorneys. All have attorneys and advocates on staff, and some P&As contain separate investigative units. Several statutes give P&As extraordinary power under the law to investigate facilities, including:

•    Routine access to all people with developmental disabilities in service institutions
•    Access within three days to all records pertinent to an investigation
•    Immediate access within 24 hours of request to all records in a case where the P&A determines there is “probable cause to believe that the health or safety of an individual is in serious and immediate jeopardy” or in the event of a death

Going to trial is not the only tool P&As use to enforce disability rights against abuse and neglect. A public report may be made giving findings and recommending action, they may work with facilities for cooperative monitoring, or they may provide training and technical assistance to people with disabilities and institutions.

P&A Funding
Federal monies provide the base of financial support for the programs, most of which are non-profits with typical board management. Funds are allotted based on population, although the smallest states are guaranteed a minimum amount for most programs. While some P&As operate on these federal funds alone, others supplement with other federal or state resources, or even conduct private fundraising.

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