Goal: Right to Access Government Services and Programs
Enforce the right of individuals with disabilities to have equal opportunities to access state and local government services, programs, and activities.
Iowans with disabilities are entitled to access government services, programs, and activities under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Including people with disabilities necessitates a wide and comprehensive approach, one which gives people with disabilities the opportunity to be included in every avenue of community life. Integration means the full weaving of disability into the greater communal narrative.
Individual cases DRI may consider to achieve this goal:
- Individual and statewide legal advocacy concerning denial of equal access to state/local government services or other Title II public entities.
- Individual advocacy to enforce the right of students with disabilities to reasonable accommodations necessary for equal access to programs, services, and activities, excluding accommodations related to an IEP pursuant to IDEA.
Goal: Right to Places of Public Accommodation
Enforce the right of individuals with disabilities to places of public accommodation.
People with disabilities are entitled to equal access to all places of public accommodation. Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act protects people with disabilities from discrimination based on disability in places of public accommodation such as grocery stores, restaurants, sporting events, etc.
Individual cases DRI may consider to achieve this goal:
- Individual legal advocacy or representation concerning denial of requests for accommodations or denial of equal access to places of public accommodation.
Goal: Unnecessary Substitute Decision Making
Self-Determination: Reduce the number of Iowans with unnecessary substitute decision makers.
People with disabilities are at disproportionate risk of having their right to make their own decisions and control their own lives stripped by courts or family members who believe their disability makes them incapable of doing so or exposes them to risk of harm or exploitation. Although guardianships and conservatorships are intended to be limited and imposed only as a last resort, less restrictive alternatives and the legal obligations of guardians, conservators, their attorneys, and courts, are too often overlooked in practice.
Individual cases DRI may consider to achieve this goal:
- Individual legal representation to individuals to assist with terminating, modifying, or resisting establishment of unnecessary or abusive guardianships/conservatorships or other substitute decision makers.
- Draft Powers of Attorney for individuals as an alternative to guardianships and/or conservatorships.
Other activities DRI may consider doing to achieve this goal:
- Outreach to schools, providers, and families to educate families of children with disabilities turning 18 about alternatives to guardianship and supported decision-making options.
Goal: Voting
Voting: Ensure voting is fully accessible for people with disabilities.
More than 300,000 Iowans have some kind of disability. They represent 11.7% of the civilian, non-institutionalized population. Although many issues affect their lives, many Iowans with disabilities do not vote.
Individual cases DRI may consider to achieve this goal:
- Individual assistance to help Iowans with disabilities participate in the electoral process.
Other activities DRI may consider doing to achieve this goal:
- Educate individuals with disabilities about their voting rights.
- Collaborate with other organizations to increase advocacy regarding the need for accessible absentee ballots and accessibility of polling places.
- Collaborate with the Secretary of State to produce poll worker training materials on accessibility.
- Conduct surveys of polling places to ensure accessibility, including voting equipment.
- Explore accessibility barriers and options of caucuses and voter identification requirements.
DRI receives funding from the Social Security Administration to provide oversight of representative payees and their services to beneficiaries, as well as giving them support to better understand their role and responsibilities. This document is funded through a Social Security grant agreement. Although Social Security reviewed this document for accuracy, it does not constitute an official Social Security communication.
We developed this website at U.S. taxpayer expense.
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