In this blog, our Executive Director, Catherine Johnson discusses our 40th Anniversary. DRI has been able to protect and advance the rights of Iowans with disabilities for 40 years. The impact of this work can only be measured by the support Iowans have shown us. We can’t wait to continue serving you for the next 40 years!
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From Catherine E. Johnson, Executive Director
Disability Rights Iowa proudly serves as Iowa’s Protection and Advocacy Center. For Forty years Disability Rights Iowa (DRI) has removed disability barriers, preserved disability rights, provided hope, and created change for Iowans with disabilities. DRI’s advocacy is guided by a vision of creating a changed world where people with disabilities are valued and fully included in their communities, their workplaces, and their schools, where they have equitable access to all opportunities and make their own decisions. The foundation of DRI’s vision relies upon three principles of Advocating for Justice, Advancing human and legal rights, and Protecting Iowans with Disabilities. Each principal represent advocacy on disability rights issues significant to the Disability Community. I am excited to share an overview of some of the advocacy DRI has accomplished in each of these principles.
Principle I: Advocating for Justice:
By advocating for justice DRI has changed the landscape of disability justice in our state. DRI has led the charge in educating policy makers on the impact of proposed policies on Iowans with disabilities, has provided self-advocacy and education on disability rights to Iowa’s Disability Community, and has worked to ensure voting is fully accessible for Iowans with disabilities. In 2024, our policy advocacy team has provided education to policymakers on the impact of proposed legislation on Iowans with Disabilities. DRI provided education on the impact of several pieces of legislation, ranging from Special Education, Voting, Employment, and Home and Community Based Services (HCBS).
Our team of advocates continues to assist Iowans every day with their individual needs – 1300 calls were made in the first six months of 2024 alone. Advocates meet with hundreds of individuals to provide self-advocacy assistance on how Iowans with disabilities can advance and protect their own rights. DRI is an active participant in all 99 counties in Iowa. DRI travels to all 99 counties to provide outreach, training, and education to the community. DRI has a continued presence on our partner agencies – serving on councils and boards that reflect the needs of individuals with disabilities.
DRI Team members frequently give presentations on disability rights topics, Guardianships and Conservatorships, Benefits Planning, Special Education, and Employment. DRI shares our disability rights expertise through annual disability rights conferences, serving as speakers, sharing our flyers, and answering questions between sessions. DRI also hosts disability rights events, ensuring that each event is proactively accessible.
Principle II: Advancing the human and legal rights of Iowans with Disabilities
Through advancing the human and legal rights of Iowans DRI has advanced significant disability rights issues, individual and systems issues and made real change in the lives of Iowans. Our work is organized under three main topic Areas of Focus 1) Accountability of Systems – keeping Iowans safe from abuse and neglect, 2) Civil Rights – ensuring all Iowans with Disability possess the Civil and Human Rights afforded to all, and 3) Community Inclusion – advocating for Iowans with Disabilities live, work, and learn in the community of their choice with necessary support and services. Within these Areas of Focus, DRI provides impactful advocacy on disability rights issues, such as assisting Iowans with disabilities request workplace accommodations, live in the community of their choice with necessary Medicaid long-term services and supports, keeping students with behavioral and emotional disabilities in school all day, ensuring Iowans with disabilities have equal access to Government Services and Programs and places of Public Accommodation among other disability rights issues.
For the past forty years DRI has sought to create change through both individual and systems advocacy. DRI provides assistance to individuals on their specific disability rights issue. DRI also seeks to provide relief through systems advocacy to all Iowans with disabilities impacted by a similar issue or barriers. DRI seeks to provide assistance to the largest number of Iowans with disabilities possible. DRI sought input from the Disability Community and stakeholders on shifting our advocacy more toward systemic advocacy. The overwhelming response from our community was that individual advocacy can only get us so far without addressing the root cause of the issue. This shift has advanced our work. This shift led DRI to identify and address significant systems disability rights issues impacting our community. It directly led to our agency reviewing and updating our mission, vision, core values, and DEIB statement. We are proud of these updates because they were accomplished with our community and with a strong vision for creating change in the lives of Iowans with disabilities.
Principle III: Protecting Iowans with Disabilities
The National Protection and Advocacy System was created to protect individuals with disabilities from abuse and neglect. Protecting Iowans with disabilities is cornerstone in all of DRI’s advocacy. DRI monitors facilities throughout the state to ensure that Iowans with disabilities live and receive services without being abused and/or neglected. DRI will continue to provide this core function of monitoring and investigations for the next forty years. DRI partners with multiple agencies to advance this principle.
DRI has been and will continue to be a beacon of hope for Iowans with Disabilities. Our work has always been guided by the needs of our community. Whether we are fighting for the rights of an individual to live within the community of their choice, educating others about the implications of any topic within the scope of disability rights, or advocating for the protections of individuals with disabilities under the law DRI is here to serve Iowans with Disabilities. At DRI, we are more than a legal nonprofit. We are a community of friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and partners in advocacy and change for Iowans with Disabilities. Your continued support allows us continue moving closer to our vision of a changed world where people with disabilities are valued and fully included in their communities, their workplaces, and their schools, where they have equitable access to all opportunities and make their own decisions.
Thank you, Iowa, for the last forty years!
DRI’s work has only begun. We are ready for our next forty years of Creating Change. We invite you to join us!
Plain Language Summary
For 40 years Disability Rights Iowa (DRI) has served Iowans with disabilities. Team members past and present are proud of serving this community. Guiding this work are the principles of
- Advocating for Justice,
- Advancing human and legal rights, and
- protecting Iowans with Disabilities.
Each principle builds the world we wish to be a part of. These principles are our mission.
Advocating for Justice
We have changed the landscape of disability justice in our state.
DRI has
- led the charge in educating policy and lawmakers,
- developed a comprehensive plan for self-advocacy,
- interacted with and educated the community, and
- changed voting rights for the better.
This year, our team has
- Started a Policy Advocacy team
- educated policymakers
- testified in legislative hearings
- taken over 1300 calls from Iowans
- educated Iowans on self-advocacy
- given referrals and resources to Iowans within their communities
- participated in outreach events across the four corners of Iowa
- served on councils and boards that serve Iowans with disabilities
- presented at over 20 different organizations and conferences
- hosted events and honored disability awareness months, weeks, and days
- empowered Iowans with disabilities to vote
The work doesn’t stop with self-advocacy, it continues on to legal advocacy.
Through advancing the human and legal rights of Iowans we have made real change in the lives of Iowans. Our case work falls under three main topic areas of
- Accountability of Systems – keeping Iowans safe from abuse and neglect,
- Civil Rights – ensuring all Iowans with Disability possess the Civil and Human Rights afforded to all, and
- Community Inclusion – advocating for Iowans with Disabilities live, work, and learn in the community of their choice with necessary support and services.
DRI has mainly worked on individual cases of disability discrimination. We found that through review of the work we’ve been doing, that many of these cases boil down to the same issue. With community guidance we shifted to add systemic advocacy to our work.
This shift has advanced the work we do in the office every day. Because of this, we reviewed and updated our
- mission,
- vision,
- core values, and
- DEIB statement.
We are proud of these updates. They include every Iowan with a disability and redefined disability and break down stigma. With them we continue to be leaders in
- disability advocacy and
- the Disability Rights Movement.
Protecting Iowans with disabilities
is what we have always done and what we will continue to do for the next forty years of our agency. DRI has been and will continue to be a beacon of hope for Iowans with Disabilities. Our work has always been guided by the needs and wants of our community. Whether we are
- fighting for the rights of an individual to live within the community of their choice,
- educating others about the implications of any topic within the scope of disability rights, or
- advocating for the protections of individuals with disabilities under the law –
DRI is here to serve.
At DRI, we are more than a legal nonprofit. We are.
- a community
- friends,
- family,
- neighbors,
- co-workers,
- classmates, and
- partners in advocacy and change for Iowans with Disabilities.
Your continued support allows us to strive for a changed world where people with disabilities are valued and fully included in their communities, their workplaces, and their schools, where they have equitable access to all opportunities and make their own decisions. So, thank you, Iowa, for the last forty years – and get ready for the next forty years of Creating Change.
