Welcome to the DLC – Utah’s Protection & Advocacy Agency
Since 1979, the Disability Law Center (DLC) has helped thousands of Utahns with disabilities and their families. The DLC has broad statutory powers to safeguard the human and civil rights of persons with disabilities. We provide self-advocacy assistance, legal services, disability rights education, and public policy advocacy on behalf of the more than 400,000 Utah residents with disabilities. Our services are available statewide and without regard for ability to pay.
More than 75% of our clients say the DLC is the only place they can turn for help.
DLC BLOG POSTS
COMMENT
LauraLee Gillespie
Education Staff Attorney
May 13, 2013
Caroline Connolly
Reporter
KSTU-TV
Re: Discipline the Disabled
Dear Ms. Connolly,
As Utah’s federally-designated Protection and Advocacy agency, the Disability Law Center (DLC) is charged with enforcing and strengthening laws that protect the opportunities, choices, and legal rights of Utahns with disabilities. We pursue our mission through a combination of legally-based individual, systemic, and public policy...
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The April 2012 edition of the National Disability Rights Network publication, “Beyond Segregated and Exploited” stated that the Work Activity Center (WAC) was under investigation by the Disability Law Center (DLC). Since then, the DLC has found allegations of specific wage and hour law violations to be unsubstantiated. Further, as another agency committed to safeguarding the rights of Utahns with disabilities,...
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Before two attorneys from the Disability Law Center did the first health & welfare check on Jeremy Haas, a mentally ill inmate in the Utah State Prison, in 2012, it had been some time since anyone had made such an effort to address inmates’ mental health. It’s no surprise that it’s the DLC that’s now carrying this torch; the organization is made up of people who work tirelessly to advocate for those with disabilities, whether that means tracking pertinent bills in the Legislature and encouraging the community to speak up about...
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PRESS RELEASE
September 28, 2012
For Immediate Release
Rob Denton, Managing Attorney
801-363-1347 or (800) 662-9080
rdenton@disabilitylawcenter.org
www.disabilitylawcenter.org
On September 27th, 2012, the Disability Law Center received a favorable decision in Conley v. Utah Department of Health. The decision will allow a large group of Utahns with disabilities to access augmentative communication devices (ACDs), thereby improving their functional independence...
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Salt Lake Tribune Letter: Filling in the gaps
Before joining the Disability Law Center, I worked with individuals with intellectual disabilities for 12 years. This is why I appreciate Tonya Christensen’s defense of Medicaid as a safety net for vulnerable Utahns and their families (“Medicaid safety net,” Forum, March 27). I also understand the difficult decision to place her daughter in a facility.
There are major gaps in the...
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In a report released today, the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) outlined how federal funding is being used to shuttle people with disabilities into sheltered workshops and deprive them of meaningful employment opportunities.
“There is a total disconnect between what governments say they want to accomplish in terms of employment for people with disabilities and how they are actually spending taxpayer dollars,” said Curt Decker, NDRN executive director.
Beyond...
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Many schools are regularly using restraint and seclusion to control student behavior. Students are suffering, especially very young students. Congress has failed to act. Some states enacted laws and regulations to protect school children, but the progress is slow and the laws are often inconsistent and incomplete.
Read More . . .
