In 1975, Congress approved the Developmentally Disabled Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, which required that protection and advocacy programs be created in each state as a stipulation to collect a state grant. The protection and advocacy systems (P&A systems) are designed to protect and advocate the rights of people with developmental disabilities and to pursue legal, administrative, and other solutions to ensure the protection of rights for such people. Congress also added the “Rights of the Developmentally Disabled” in 1975, which included congressional findings such as the right to appropriate treatment and services designed to make the most of individual potential, as well as expanding the definition of “developmentally disabled” to incorporate autism and dyslexia, if said dyslexia was the result of one of the other disabilities included in the definition.

One of the most fundamental effects the Developmentally Disabled Assistance and Bill of Rights Act had on the lives of developmentally disabled persons was the creation of P&A state programs. The P&A System advocates for the civil and legal rights of people with developmental disabilities. P&A Offices have been leaders in representing institutionalized people who seek to improve their living conditions or reenter the community. P&A offices may also be able to represent persons who cannot afford a lawyer for an IDEA due process hearing or a discrimination suit. Because some people with cerebral palsy may not be able to protect or enforce their own rights, state P&A systems extend vital protection. Contact the National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems (NAPAS) for the location of your state’s P&A office.