- [Narrator] All people deserve basic human rights.
That's why congress created a system
of Protection & Advocacy agencies,
also known as P&As, to protect and advocate
for the rights of people with disabilities.
Because in the past, they have not been treated equally.
For most of the 20th century,
the phrase out of sight out of mind
was more than just a popular saying;
it was the means for dealing
with an unwanted segment of the population.
People with disabilities were either segregated
from society, locked away in institutions,
or remained isolated at home with absolutely no services,
not even an education.
They were abused, neglected, and forgotten.
Then, in 1973, ABC news cameras
exposed the filthy living conditions
and poor treatment inside Staten Island's Willowbrook School
which housed people with developmental
and intellectual disabilities.
It shocked the nation.
- [Man] The doctor had warned me
that it would be bad.
It was horrible.
- [Narrator] Finally, in 1975 congress acted.
They mandated that every US state and territory
have an official Protection and Advocacy agency.
P&As go by many names, but their mission is the same,
to protect and advocate for the rights
of people with disabilities.
Together the P&As form
the National Disability Rights Network
taking on issues affecting people
with all kinds of disabilities.
No other organizations have the sweeping
access authority that P&As have.
They go anywhere services for people
with disabilities are provided;
From schools to hospitals to prisons and jails;
to monitor conditions and listen to concerns.
They make sure people with disabilities are treated equally,
with dignity and respect, and never have to face
the same kind of mistreatment they saw at Willowbrook.
P&As ask the public for input
on which issues to take on in their communities.
P&As can fight against abuse and neglect
in residential services, to end exploitation at work,
for fair treatment in the criminal justice system,
for equal access to public education and voting,
for accessible communities and services
and assistive technologies, and countless other issues.
That's the Protection & Advocacy system.
Disability Rights Texas is the Protection & Advocacy agency
for people with disabilities in Texas.
Visit www.DRTx.org for more information,
or call 1-800-252-9108.
(upbeat music)