Advocating for Individual Rights and System Change

Advocacy (PDF Version)

Protecting our legal and societal rights

Assisting people to understand Federal and State Laws regarding housing, employment, education, community access, recreation and family and lifestyle.

The rights that citizens hold dear belong to people with disabilities, too.  All staff at the disAbility Resource Center have a fundamental knowledge of civil rights laws as they apply to people with disabilities, and several staff are well versed in laws within their service areas.

Grace Marshall is our General Advocate and Technical Assistance Consultant; Kim Lett and Brenda Wickard are Specialists in Educational rights, and Arva Priola is well versed in communications laws.

Disability Rights and our advocacy services include workshops, individual and group training, and individual consultation on the laws that support our independence including:

The Americans with Disabilities Act ADA

The Virginia Rights for People with Disabilities Act 

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Architectural Barriers and Transportation Act

Fair Housing laws

Employment rights and Equal Employment Opportunity laws

The Elderly and Disabled Voter Access Act

The Virginia Assistive Technology Warranties Act

and many many more.

Speakers, Workshops, Consultation and Community Awareness Activities

• Advocacy Outreach Training Programs tailored to be topic- or issue-specific depending on our audience.  We provide programs to the business community, government agencies, courts, churches, human services providers, physical and mental health professionals, families and care-givers, and other support groups.

 
• On-site Accessibility and Technical Service Consultation provided to ensure physical, programmatic, and communications access to businesses and services.

 
• Source lists for technology and technology vendors for a variety of structural and non-structural, programmatic and physical accommodations.

 
• Facilitating negotiation to attempt a "good faith effort" for reasonable accommodations or when rights have been denied or misunderstood.


• Weekly support group meetings to encourage people to advocate for their own needs and the needs of others to appropriate people and agencies.

 
• Staging awareness events such as an annual celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Deaf Awareness Week, Hard of Hearing Awareness Week, National Employment of People with Disabilities Month, etc.