Staff Attorney – Special Education

DRI is seeking a passionate civil rights attorney to protect and advance the educational rights of students with disabilities pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The staff attorney will provide legal advocacy to students subject to exclusionary disciplinary measures based on their disability to ensure their rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 are enforced. The Disability Rights Staff Attorney will be responsible for providing legal service to clients with disabilities in special education issues, including advice, negotiation, representation in administrative hearings, litigation in state and federal court, and administrative and policy advocacy in accordance with program priorities and case handling policies. The Disability Rights Staff Attorney will handle multiple cases and advocacy projects with appropriate supervision depending on experience including leading individual client litigation, administrative practice, appellate advocacy, technical assistance, systemic advocacy, outreach, training, and policy advocacy.

Intake Specialist and Voting Rights Coordinator

The Intake Specialist and Voting Rights Coordinator job responsibilities will be evenly divided between the tasks of both roles. While working as the Intake Specialist, this person will be part of the Intake Team responsible for handling all initial requests for assistance received by DRI. An Intake Specialist works to process all requests, including conducting initial screening for eligibility, providing Information and Referral, and opening cases when approved by the Intake Team. While working as the Voting Rights Coordinator, this person will be responsible for organizing and leading DRI’s Voting Rights Advocacy. This consists of providing information, technical assistance, outreach, and training to promote the full participation of Iowans with disabilities in the electoral process, including registering to vote, casting a vote, and accessing polling places.

Monitoring and Investigation Specialist

DRI is seeking passionate Disability Rights Monitoring and Investigations Specialist to protect and advance the rights of Iowans with disabilities.  The Disability Monitoring and Investigations Specialist will monitor and investigate allegations of abuse, neglect, and rights violations occurring in youth and adult public and private facilities and group homes across the state.  In this role, the Monitoring and Investigations Specialist will conduct thorough, objective investigations of serious allegations of abuse and neglect, including cases involving deaths, promote individual and systemic policy reforms that protect the rights of individuals with disabilities and help prevent future occurrences.  The Monitoring and Investigative Specialist is also responsible for conducting regular monitoring visits to various settings including, but not limited to, residential care facilities, both mental health institutes, the state resource center, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, providers of services for individuals with traumatic brain injuries, youth facilities, and nursing facilities to identify and prevent abuse, neglect, and other rights violations.  Additionally, the Monitoring and Investigations Specialist will be responsible for providing individual advocacy, and self-advocacy assistance to residents who are experiencing rights violations in residential facilities and service settings.