Disability Rights DC Needs Your Help

A dangerous proposal is circulating in Washington, DC that would slash funding for programs that protect the rights, safety, and dignity of people with disabilities and older adults.

This includes devastating cuts to the very agencies that stand up for our most vulnerable neighbors—like Disability Rights DC. DRDC fights every day to prevent abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and to ensure that people with disabilities have access to the services and supports they need to live in their communities.

Without this funding, people with disabilities and aging adults will have fewer supports and greater barriers to autonomy and community living. We risk returning to an era where disabled people are isolated, institutionalized, and ignored.

DRDC’s work is often the last line of defense—and for many, it’s the only place they can turn. These programs save lives.

Help us protect this essential work. Use this form to email your members of Congress and tell them to preserve funding for DRDC and other vital disability and aging programs. Please share it with your friends and family to raise awareness and help protect your local P&A!

TAKE ACTION NOW!

What are Protection and Advocacy Agencies?

The Protection and Advocacy (P&A) network was created by Congress in 1975 to advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. There is a P&A agency in every state, territory, and right here in Washington, D.C.!

Disability Rights DC at University Legal Services (DRDC) is the P&A agency for the District.  As such, we advocate for the human and right rights of people with disabilities to be protected from abuse and neglect and to receive services and supports in their communities.

What Does DRDC Do?

P&As like DRDC are often the only independent watchdogs working to address abuse and neglect in institutions, schools, jails, and group homes. We have statutory l authority, under federal law, to investigate facilities and entities that provide services to people with disabilities. This is important because it allows us to uncover abuse and neglect that would otherwise go unseen.

DRDC advocates for access to health care, housing, education, and employment. We fight for the civil and human rights of people with disabilities and ensure they can live safely in their communities—not locked away or forgotten.

Many of DRDC’s clients have been mistreated by the services and service providers that were supposed to help and protect them. When systems fail, P&As like DRDC step in—not only to help individuals recover, but to hold those systems accountable and push for change so the same harm doesn’t happen to someone else.

DRDC provides free representation and advocacy to individuals with  disabilities who have had their rights violated,  have been denied access to services or threatened with a reduction or termination of their much needed and often life-sustaining services and supports.

DRDC exists because people with disabilities deserve more than broken promises and unsafe systems. They deserve dignity, protection, and the chance to thrive. We are here to make sure no one is ignored, silenced, or left behind. Our work is a fight for justice, and that fight continues every day. Because lives depend on it.

Our Recent Advocacy Efforts

Earlier this year, Disability Rights DC released a report documenting troubling conditions at the Youth Services Center (YSC), a secure juvenile detention facility run by the DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS).

Our investigation uncovered evidence of physical and emotional abuse, inappropriate use of restraints and seclusion, and  mistreatment that endangered the safety and well-being of youth with disabilities in DYRS custody.

As the District’s Protection and Advocacy (P&A) agency, DRDC holds unique authority to monitor and investigate institutions like YSC—power that is essential in exposing abuse and neglect that might otherwise remain hidden. Too often, young people with disabilities who are placed in locked institutional settings can be mistreated by the systems meant to support them. When that happens, we try to expose the rights violations that we see, demand accountability, and push for the systemic changes needed to prevent future harm.  

In a significant step forward, the DYRS has agreed to follow up with several actions in response to Disability Rights DC’s recent report on the Youth Services Center (YSC). DYRS published a policy directive that all prone restraints are categorically prohibited and updated its incident response protocols to avoid unnecessary staff intervention. Additionally, DYRS began work with a trauma-informed care expert to consult on staff training.

Because we have independent access to YSC, we’re able to advocate for the rights of young people with disabilities. Our presence in this space allowed us to uncover serious concerns that may have otherwise remained invisible. This work directly led to improvements in how DYRS trains its staff and approaches interactions with the youth in its care.

We are encouraged by DYRS’s willingness to engage in dialogue and make meaningful changes. Ongoing access, oversight, and accountability are essential to creating safer environments for all youth in the District’s custody.

Email Congress NOW by clicking here.

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