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Outreach and Education
Effective advocacy must embrace a wide array of strategies. Outreach to clients and their families and advocates is critical to ensure that the agency's mission is both known and supported by others. Rights education allows clients and their advocates to be aware when violations occur and to take steps to self advocate. Playing a supportive role when people with disabilities educate policy makers ensures that their voice will be heard. Collaboration with people with disabilities and their advocates where there is a shared interest in policy development by agencies can prevent unnecessary conflict and litigation.
Outreach to new and existing client populations allows Disability Rights Ohio to present information about the agency to diverse groups.
In FY 2013, Disability Rights Ohio will:
- develop a plan that includes
- aggressive outreach to people who are institutionalized, particularly in psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes, VA facilities, sheltered employment settings, children's facilities, and other settings where people with disabilities are isolated from others;
- marketing its presence through diverse media and outlets, including newsletters, the World Wide Web, Facebook, and other social media.
- ensuring that information on the agency is available at conferences for and other large gatherings of people with disabilities; and
- exploring technological means to expand its reach to people with disabilities and the general public (e.g. Skype, voice over internet protocol).
Education of clients, as well as their families and the general public related to disability rights, is a proactive means to avoid conflict over well established legal rights.
In FY 2013, Disability Rights Ohio will:
- provide direct training to individuals with disabilities and their family members on the areas of emphasis in the programmatic priorities plan.
- explore technological means, such as webcasts, to expand its ability to train people with disabilities and others.
- where appropriate to the issue, develop materials to train clients and others on the rights of people with disabilities, particularly when the materials are developed in collaboration with people with disabilities or their advocates.
- within available resources, provide training to professionals who play an advocacy role, e.g. client rights advocates and the long-term care ombudsman.
Education of policy makers provides Disability Rights Ohio with a chance to support people with disabilities in their effort to be heard on important issues. This also allows Disability Rights Ohio and its clients to build important relationships that create opportunities for meaningful change for people with disabilities.
In FY 2013, Disability Rights Ohio will:
- participate in coalitions, work groups, and task forces with and on behalf of people with disabilities when
- agency participation is mandated by law (examples are Developmental Disabilities Council, University Centers for Excellence Citizen Advisory Boards);
- agency participation is through appointment (examples are the Adult Guardianship Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee on Children Families and the Courts, and the Advisory Committee on Mental Health and the Courts at the Ohio Supreme Court),
- a standing committee regularly reviews and makes recommendations directly affecting Disability Rights Ohio’s work or the issues affecting Disability Rights Ohio’s clients (examples are NDRN technical assistance committees, the Disability Policy Committee, the Brain Injury Association Legal Committee), or
- the issue is addressed by Disability Rights Ohio’s priorities, Disability Rights Ohio determines that the body likely has the capacity to affect the proposed change or implement any recommendations, and the participation is for a fixed time (examples are the Uniform Long Term Care Advisory Committee and its PASRR / level of care sub-committee, and the Mediation Work Group at RSC).
- Monitor pending administrative proposals at both the federal and state level, and provide information to Disability Rights Ohio’s client base on the potential impact for people with disabilities.
- Educate and inform policy makers, including legislators, on the impact of proposals by agencies, the Congress, or General Assembly. Whenever possible, this will be done in collaboration with people with disabilities and their advocates, or others who share their interests such as elder advocates.