DISABILITY RIGHTS FLORIDA, INC.
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA

By giving, you will help Disability Rights Florida serve more people with disabilities. Disability Rights Florida was founded in 1977 as the statewide designated protection and advocacy system for individuals with disabilities in the State of Florida. Disability Rights Florida is a not-for-profit corporation that has authority and responsibility under eight federal grants. Our services are free and confidential. By giving, you will help Disability Rights Florida serve more people with disabilities. Mission Mission By giving, you will help Disability Rights Florida serve more people with disabilities. Disability Rights Florida’s staff of approximately 55 individuals includes directors, attorneys, advocates, paralegals, advocacy specialists, and other administrative positions. Our staff has experience in a wide range of areas, including client advocacy, litigation, and policy development and implementation. The current Disability Rights Florida staff is depicted on the organizational chart below. The Nominating Committee of Disability Rights Florida is currently recruiting applicants to serve on the Board of Directors. Please consider applying yourself or sharing with colleagues you believe would make good candidates. We look forward to receiving applications from Floridians who have demonstrated leadership and dedication to advancing the legal and human rights of individuals with disabilities. By giving, you will help Disability Rights Florida serve more people with disabilities. The PAIMI Advisory Council is comprised of the following representatives: at least 60% primary mental health consumers with the chairperson being an individual who has received or is receiving mental health services or who has a family member who receives such services. Additional members of the PAIMI Advisory Council are family members of mental health consumers, attorneys, mental health professionals, providers of mental health services, and individuals from the public who are knowledgeable about mental illnesses. If you would like to request an application to be considered for PAIMI Advisory Council membership, please write Disability Rights Florida at 2473 Care Drive, Suite 200, Tallahassee, Florida 32308, or fill out the intake form, and when you are contacted, request an application. By giving, you will help Disability Rights Florida serve more people with disabilities. Disability Rights Florida is accepting applications for an Investigator for north and west Florida to be based in either our Tallahassee or Gainesville office. We are proud that our website meets the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Guidelines, as well as complies with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. We are proud that our website meets the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Guidelines, as well as complies with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. By giving, you will help Disability Rights Florida serve more people with disabilities. How We Can Help Intake is the process Disability Rights Florida uses to gather general information about an individual’s reason for contacting us, along with some demographic information to meet our federal reporting requirements. The information you give us helps us decide what type of assistance we may be able to provide to you. An individual requests general information about Disability Rights Florida and materials. If a call relates to a possible rights violation, an abuse or neglect allegation, or another type of problem within our goals and priorities and there is no attorney already involved, we may request more details about the reason for your contact to assist us with our case evaluation. This helps us understand when the incident took place, where it happened, what happened, who was involved and any steps the caller may have taken to resolve the matter. The following examples of some of our priorities may be helpful: An individual in a facility or institution contacts us to report a need for medical services. The individual has notified staff of the need for treatment but the staff is taking no steps to provide the requested medical attention or assistance. Following an intake interview, our intake staff may refer your information for additional evaluation within Disability Rights Florida to determine if the matter meets the criteria for more in-depth services. In deciding whether we can represent you directly, we will consider: Disability Rights Florida does not represent individuals with disabilities in all legal matters. For example, Disability Rights Florida does not provide legal representation in criminal defense matters, divorce or custody disputes, attempts to obtain guardianship, real estate, property or mortgage issues, Social Security disability eligibility determinations or appeals, professional malpractice, cash assistance or any issue not related to the individual’s disability. Disability Rights Florida may only provide services to individuals who live in Florida. We provide general disability information to callers from other states, but if you live in another state, we encourage you to contact the Protection and Advocacy system in that state. To find help in your state, visit this National Disability Rights Network website or contact us for more information.  You asked for help from Disability Rights Florida but were told you could not get help; You currently are getting help from Disability Rights Florida but are unhappy with the help; or The help you were receiving ended and Disability Rights Florida denied further help.  Request Disability Rights Florida at your Outreach Event If you are contacting Disability Rights Florida about an individual with a disability, we will ask you to have the individual contact us directly, unless you are: This form of communication between Disability Rights Florida and you does not create an attorney-client relationship. The intake process is designed to maintain confidential information within Disability Rights Florida.