Special Education: A Right, not a Favor!
Looking for our work on special education? Look no further! You can scan or click the QR code below to check it out!

Special Education: A Right, not a Favor |
Keep up with us on social media
2023 Proposed Priorities - Comments Needed!
Click the button below to comment on our 2023 priorities!
A 5-part graphic - 4 colorful squares with a circle in the middle that reads "FY23 Proposed PAIMI Priorities." Squares from right to left: "Protection from Abuse and Neglect: Individuals living with serious mental illness (SMI) or serious emotional disabilities (SED) will be free from abuse and neglect and live in healthier, safer, or otherwise improved facility or community settings. Supporting Self-Determination: Individuals with SMI or SED will be able to make every decisions about their lives, including matters related to where they live, how their money is managed, and their healthcare. Educational Opportunities: Youth with SED will be provided a free appropriate public education in their least restrictive environment. Community Access: Individuals with SMI or SED will have access to services and opportunities that will enhance their ability to live and work independently, as active and equal members of their communities."
A four-part colorful graphic. The first box reads, "Housing, Employment, Healthcare Access, and Treatment and supports in the least restrictive environment." The second box is an image of several tiny wooden houses on a blue background. The third image is an abstract image of a person's head, with "mental health" written inside a brain-shaped bubble. Image is surrounded by colorful pieces of paper. The fourth box reads, "Community Access: Individuals with SMI or SED will have access to services and opportunities that will enhance their ability to live and work independently, as active and equal members of their communities."
A four-part colorful graphic. The first image features a young Black child painting with two brushes on a canvas. The second image reads, "Provide individual special education advocacy services to families of children with SED, Engage in systems change activities to ensure that youth with SED are afforded equal educational opportunities." The third image reads, "Educational Opportunities: youth with SED will be provided a free appropriate public education in their least restrictive environment." The fourth image shows a young teenager in black glasses and a hoodie waving at the camera.
A four-part graphic series. The first image shows to hands grasped together. The second reads, "Supporting Self-Determination: Individuals with SMI or SED will be able to make everyday decisions about their lives, including matters related to where they live, how their money is managed, and their healthcare." The third image reads, "Advocate for the expansion of peer supports, Pursue lesser alternatives to guardianship." The fourth is an image of a stack of papers and a judge's gavel, and the papers read "Probate" in bold letters.
A four-part graphics series. The first image reads, "Protection from Abuse and Neglect: Individuals living with SMI or SED will be free from abuse and neglect and live in healthier, safer, or otherwise improved settings." The second image is of a page of a book, with most of the text relatively blurry, and the word "Abuse" in black, bold letters. The third image is of shattered glass on a floor. The fourth image reads, "Investigate and monitor in facilities and community settings, Seek individual and systemic corrective actions to identified abuse and neglect, and Protect the well-being of individuals with SMI involved in the criminal justice system."
Join us in congratulating the 2021 Jeff Ridgeway Award Winners!
You can read more about the winners at our Awards page!
ADAP Comments on AL Settings Rule ComplianceThe Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP) is the Protection and Advocacy (P&A) System for the State of Alabama. As the federally-funded agency tasked with protecting the rights of Alabamians with disabilities, it is our responsibility to ensure that all Alabamians with disabilities are free from abuse, neglect, and discrimination based on their disabilities in the settings where they live and in the services which are supposed to meet their needs.
Further, when policies and regulations affecting Alabamians with disabilities are proposed, promulgated, or implemented, ADAP should provide commentary, critique, and guidance to the state agencies and providers, as well as giving feedback on the implementation process to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Read full article here. |
Desperation without Dignity:
|
Washington County Jail
Inmates of the Washington County, Alabama jail have filed a class-action lawsuit to address the oppressive and inhumane conditions of the jail, which have placed the detainees there at serious risk of harm or death. The inmates are represented by the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program and private counsel. The federal lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, details how detainees are subject to abjectly inhumane treatment. The deteriorated conditions within the jail have resulted in dangerous, life-threatening events, as detailed in the linked press release. |