Disability Rights Monitoring and Investigation Specialist

Agency Description

Disability Rights Iowa (DRI) is a well-established, innovative, legally based non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the rights of Iowans with disabilities. DRI is the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy agency (P&A) for individuals with disabilities in Iowa. DRI works to achieve equality and justice for people with disabilities through quality representation, advocacy, investigations of abuse and neglect, peer/self-advocacy services, community partnerships, regulatory advocacy work, education, and outreach. DRI strives to pursue litigation and advocacy that addresses current pressing needs of the Disability Community, proactively identities future needs and constructs innovative solutions that continue to expand the human and legal rights of individuals with disabilities. DRI’s legal work includes individual and impact litigation. For more information, go to www.driowa.org.

Salary/Benefits

Current salary is $41,000.  DRI offers a comprehensive benefit plan for eligible employees. Benefits include health insurance, dental insurance, basic life, short-term and long-term disability insurance, a 403(b) retirement plan, and flexible spending accounts. Flexible spending accounts feature reimbursement for both medical and dependent care.

Time-off

DRI offers generous holiday time off, paid sick time and vacation accrual package to full-time employees.

Disability Rights Monitoring and Investigation Specialist Job Description

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.

Job Responsibilities

1. Investigate incidents of abuse or neglect of individuals with disabilities occurring in residential facilities, congregate care facilities, and service settings if the incidents are reported to DRI or if there is probable cause to believe that the incidents occurred;
2. Monitor residential facilities and home and community based service settings to ensure compliance with respect to the rights and safety of individuals with disabilities;
3. Provide advocacy to individuals with disabilities to defend and promote their human and legal rights;
4. Interview people with disabilities to understand their concerns and identify rights violations;
5. Develop creative solutions when needed to address issues experienced by individuals with disabilities;
6. Remain familiar with the federal statutes and regulations related to DRI’s access authority;
7. Stay up to date with state and federal statutes, regulations, and policies governing care and treatment of people with disabilities;
8. Write thorough, accurate, and well organized internal and external reports regarding findings, conclusions and recommendations resulting from investigations or monitoring activities;
9. Conduct outreach on protection and advocacy services available from DRI;
10. Create informational materials and perform trainings on the rights of individuals with disabilities;
11. Collaborate with other DRI staff regarding ongoing investigations and monitoring, as well as trends, issues, and agency activities;
12. Participate on teams of attorneys and advocates with respect to any advocacy, monitoring or litigation conducted by DRI;
13. Manage and maintain client files, project files, and other files;
14. Represent DRI on councils, commissions, work groups, and stakeholder groups, as assigned by supervisor;
15. Work in conjunction with other DRI staff in preparing annual program and performance reports, as assigned;
16. Travel throughout the state of Iowa as needed in order to conduct investigations, monitoring and provide advocacy;
17. Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

1. Bachelor’s degree in a health or human service field, including but not limited to social work, counseling, psychology, education, criminal justice.
2. Two years of direct experience with or general knowledge of services and issues affecting individuals with disabilities.
3. Strong organizational skills.
4. Strong writing skills.
5. Experience in public speaking and developing effective presentations.
6. Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building and collaboration skills to be able to work with others inside and outside of the organization.
7. Ability to analyze complex problems and develop creative solutions.
8. Ability to advocate timely for individuals with disabilities in person and in writing.  This includes but is not limited to the following;  presenting identified concerns immediately to facility leadership as issues present during monitoring, ability to persuasively explain the concern, the proposed remedy sought, being professionally assertive in furtherance of the individual’s goals when needed and the ability to follow-up as needed to ensure the issue(s) of concerns have been addressed. 
9. Ability to conceptualize and develop initial and ongoing case strategies.
10. Ability to remain impartial when conducting investigations.
11.  Ability to maintain professionalism when working with individuals who may be in a crisis.
12.  Ability to be flexible to changing work assignments and processes.
13.  Ability to maintain confidentiality.
14.  Ability to conduct self in a professional manner.
15.  Ability to maintain thorough and complete records, including electronic database and client files.
16.  Ability to work independently with appropriate supervision.

Desirable Qualifications

1. Experience in conducting investigations, such as those performed by law enforcement, journalists, regulators, or other types of investigations.
2. Experience in disability law, including but not limited to Medicaid, special education, the Americans with Disabilities Act and/or other federal or state laws impacting people with disabilities.
3. Experience in a legal services, nonprofit, or public interest environment.
4. Demonstration of understanding of disability rights values in daily work (self-determination, person-centered services, informed consent, equal opportunity, independence, and inclusion.)

Equal Opportunity Employer

DRI is an Equal Opportunities Employer. It is the policy of DRI to prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type and to afford equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants, without regard to race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, pregnancy, medical condition or genetic information, veteran status, national origin, disability, marital or other protected status.

DRI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities who are applicants or employees. Applicants interested in seeking reasonable accommodations for the application process please contact Katie Vande Vorde, Operations Manager, Disability Rights Iowa   kvandevorde@driowa.org.

Applications Process

Please send cover letter, resume, writing sample and three professional references to DRI Managing Attorney for Investigations and Intake, Whitney Driscoll, at apply@driowa.org. No telephone calls please.