We would like to hear from you! Please tell us where you would like DRI to focus its work by completing the survey found at: https://forms.office.com/r/gZtFPsfH1D If you would like a hard copy of this survey, please call our office at (208) 336-5353, and request a survey be mailed to you. We appreciate your time and effort to help us achieve our mission.
Idaho students with disabilities have a right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). DRI may be able to assist you or your student if there are issues accessing special education and related services. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires states to have a formal process for parents and districts to resolve special education related disputes. The State Department of Education’s, Special Education Department, offers facilitation and mediation of special education meetings, as well as overseeing the state administrative complaints and due process hearings systems. For more information please visit: Dispute Resolution / Special Education / Idaho State Department of Education (SDE)
Disability Rights Idaho helps people facing disability discrimination in the community. If you have been denied service or not given equal treatment by a private business, public or government agency, transportation agency, or a school we may be able to help you. Some examples of this discrimination might be: you were not allowed to eat at a restaurant because of your service animal; your doctor did not provide you an interpreter even though you are deaf and communicate in American Sign Language; you were not able to enter a courthouse because there was no accessible entrance for your wheelchair. These are just a few examples, there are many other situations we might be able to help with.
Disability Rights Idaho can help with some employment related issues. Please contact us if you are a customer or applicant of the Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (IDVR) or the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ICBVI) and are having problems with your application or services. For example, if you are having problems with your IDVR counselor or feel like you were wrongly denied services, we may be able to help you.
Disability Rights Idaho can also help you if you receive disability benefits from Social Security (SSI or SSDI) and are having problems getting, keeping, or advancing in a job due to your disability. For example, if you need accommodations to help you do your job due to your disability, we can help you work with your employer to ask for the accommodations you need.
Disability Rights Idaho’s Client Assistance Program (CAP) provides information, advice, and advocacy to help people who have disabilities so they can understand their rights and get services from:
A CAP Advocate can help you access services from these programs and understand your rights in these programs. CAP can also provide information about your right to be free from employment discrimination:
Disability Rights Idaho understands the importance of maintaining your rights while living in a facility, such as a state hospital, jail/prison, behavioral health center, or other. We are experienced in working with facility staff to ensure your rights are protected.
Disability Rights Idaho provides representation in a wide variety of abuse and neglect cases. Using our access authority, we monitor and investigate allegations of abuse and neglect of people with disabilities in a variety of scenarios, including at treatment facilities, schools, and workplaces. Please note that Disability Rights Idaho does not practice in Family Law and will not provide representation in child custody cases.
Disability Rights Idaho seeks to help people with disabilities live independently and with as much choice in their lives as possible. We may be able to help you if you are the subject of an abusive or unnecessary guardianship. We also may be able to help you avoid having a guardian by helping you make plans to get the support you need in your life using options other than guardianship, such as supported decision-making agreements.
The right to vote is guaranteed by law. No matter if you need to vote by mail or in person, your disability should not prevent you from exercising your right to vote. If you have a disability and are having problems registering to vote, voting by mail, using assistive technology for voting in person, or accessing a polling location, Disability Rights Idaho can help.
Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) is a provision of Medicaid that covers services and medications for children with disabilities not already covered under Idaho Medicaid. If a service is medically necessary for a child, Medicaid must cover it. Disability Rights Idaho provides direct representation of children with disabilities who have been denied EPSDT services in the appeal process. DRI also provides guidance on how to submit a strong EPSDT application.
