Disability Rights Idaho

The Disability Rights Idaho is a private non-profit legal services organization designated by the Governor as the Protection and Advocacy System for the state of Idaho. Founded in 1977, DisAbility Rights Idaho is dedicated to protecting, promoting, and advancing the legal and human rights of people with disabilities through quality legal, individual, and system advocacy. The organization currently operates five federally funded grant programs to protect the legal rights of individuals with disabilities who meet specific federal eligibility categories. Such programs include “Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI),” which serves individuals with mental illness who live in 24-hour care or treatment facilities; “Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PADD), ” a program that serves individuals with developmental disabilities; and “Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights (PAIR),” which serves individuals with disabilities who are ineligible under the PAIMI and PADD programs. Additional programs include the “Client Assistance Program (CAP),” a program that serves clients of Vocational Rehabilitation, ICBVI, and other RSA funded programs, and “Protection and Advocacy for Assistive Technology (PAAT),” which serves individuals who have been improperly denied funding for assistive technology. Co-Ad consists of a network of trained advocates and lawyers who are committed to providing information about services available through agencies in the community, advice about individuals’ legal rights, assistance in resolving disagreements through mediation and negotiation, and individual advocacy services including assistance with administrative and legal proceedings. The organization offers a variety of informational materials and maintains a web site on the Internet that describes its mission and goals, offers information on its programs and services, and provides dynamic linkage to additional disability and legal resources.