Utah Disability Law Center
Encyclopedia
The Utah Disability Law Center (DLC) is a private non-profit organization based in Salt Lake City, Utah
, USA. The DLC was founded in 1978 and provides self-advocacy assistance, legal services, and disability rights education.
The DLC also advocates for public policy and due to the DLC’s status as a protection and advocacy agency for people with disabilities, the law center has statutory powers to defend and protect these individuals. The Disability Law Center tries to seek order in a society where all individuals have the opportunity to be treated as equals with dignity and respect.
The DLC particularly focuses on four long-range goals:
The DLC works to prevent abuse and neglect in private health care facilities by investigating reports, making independent reports, and engaging in prosecution when necessary.
Access and right
The DLC strives to increase the access people with disabilities have to services, programs and facilities open to the public. Additionally, the DLC works to reduce discriminatory barriers related to voting
, employment
, transportation and housing
. These areas of focus are especially problematic in rural
Utah.
Community services
The DLC works to ensure that all people with disabilities have access to appropriate medical services within the community. These services include, but are not limited to: assistive technologies
, mental health treatment for juveniles and assistance for persons with mental retardation
and mental illnesses in the Utah State Hospital.
Education
The DLC works to ensure that all Utah children with disabilities have access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) designed to meet their unique needs. To achieve this goal the DLC focuses on the areas of eligibility, services and transition based on the individual’s needs. Additionally, periphery issues such as juvenile justice, self-advocacy training, technical assistance and systematic policy are addressed.
Employment
The DLC provides assistance to people with disabilities in order to maximize their independence and remove barriers to employment. Information on self advocacy and access to appropriate services, vocational rehabilitation and independent living centers is distributed. Additionally, the issue of underemployment
in rural areas is addressed.
Institutions
The DLC works to reduce and eliminate abuse and neglect in Utah's state institutions and ensure that appropriate accommodations, access to programming and mental health services are provided to people in these institutions.
(UDOT). These cases affected people with disabilities state-wide. In Hubble v. Medicaid, the DLC appealed and overturned a series of laws which denied assistive devices for people with hearing impairments. In Decker v. UDOT, the DLC filed a class action lawsuit
that required local city governments in Utah to abide by ADA standards for public accessways. Additionally, the DLC worked with Disability Rights of Washington (a sister organization) in the release of the Investigative Report of the Ashley Treatment
.
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, USA. The DLC was founded in 1978 and provides self-advocacy assistance, legal services, and disability rights education.
The DLC also advocates for public policy and due to the DLC’s status as a protection and advocacy agency for people with disabilities, the law center has statutory powers to defend and protect these individuals. The Disability Law Center tries to seek order in a society where all individuals have the opportunity to be treated as equals with dignity and respect.
Purpose
According to the mission statement of the Utah Disability Law Center, the aim of the organization is to safeguard choices and legal rights of people with disabilities by pushing for legislation that provides open and equal opportunities for these individuals.The DLC particularly focuses on four long-range goals:
- People with disabilities will be free from abuse and neglect.
- People with disabilities will receive appropriate services.
- People with disabilities will be free from discrimination.
- People with disabilities will have equal employment opportunities.
Projects
Abuse and neglectThe DLC works to prevent abuse and neglect in private health care facilities by investigating reports, making independent reports, and engaging in prosecution when necessary.
Access and right
The DLC strives to increase the access people with disabilities have to services, programs and facilities open to the public. Additionally, the DLC works to reduce discriminatory barriers related to voting
Voting
Voting is a method for a group such as a meeting or an electorate to make a decision or express an opinion—often following discussions, debates, or election campaigns. It is often found in democracies and republics.- Reasons for voting :...
, employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
, transportation and housing
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
. These areas of focus are especially problematic in rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
Utah.
Community services
The DLC works to ensure that all people with disabilities have access to appropriate medical services within the community. These services include, but are not limited to: assistive technologies
Assistive technology
Assistive technology or adaptive technology is an umbrella term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and also includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them...
, mental health treatment for juveniles and assistance for persons with mental retardation
Mental retardation
Mental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
and mental illnesses in the Utah State Hospital.
Education
The DLC works to ensure that all Utah children with disabilities have access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) designed to meet their unique needs. To achieve this goal the DLC focuses on the areas of eligibility, services and transition based on the individual’s needs. Additionally, periphery issues such as juvenile justice, self-advocacy training, technical assistance and systematic policy are addressed.
Employment
The DLC provides assistance to people with disabilities in order to maximize their independence and remove barriers to employment. Information on self advocacy and access to appropriate services, vocational rehabilitation and independent living centers is distributed. Additionally, the issue of underemployment
Underemployment
Underemployment refers to an employment situation that is insufficient in some important way for the worker, relative to a standard. Examples include holding a part-time job despite desiring full-time work, and overqualification, where the employee has education, experience, or skills beyond the...
in rural areas is addressed.
Institutions
The DLC works to reduce and eliminate abuse and neglect in Utah's state institutions and ensure that appropriate accommodations, access to programming and mental health services are provided to people in these institutions.
Landmark cases
The efforts of the DLC have proved fruitful in advocating for people with disabilities. In doing so, the DLC has gained recognition state and nation-wide. Among their most prominent cases are Hubble v. Medicaid and Decker v. Utah Department of TransportationUtah Department of Transportation
The Utah Department of Transportation is an agency of the state government for the U.S. state of Utah. The agency is usually referred to by its initials UDOT . UDOT is charged with maintaining the network of state highways in Utah. The agency is headquartered in the Calvin L. Rampton state office...
(UDOT). These cases affected people with disabilities state-wide. In Hubble v. Medicaid, the DLC appealed and overturned a series of laws which denied assistive devices for people with hearing impairments. In Decker v. UDOT, the DLC filed a class action lawsuit
Class action
In law, a class action, a class suit, or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued...
that required local city governments in Utah to abide by ADA standards for public accessways. Additionally, the DLC worked with Disability Rights of Washington (a sister organization) in the release of the Investigative Report of the Ashley Treatment
Ashley Treatment
The Ashley Treatment refers to a controversial set of medical procedures undergone by a Seattle child, "Ashley X". Ashley, born in 1997, has severe developmental disabilities due to static encephalopathy of unknown etiology; she is, and will remain, at an infant level mentally and physically...
.