Our vision statement: People with disabilities enjoy equality, dignity, power, freedom of choice, independence

Protection & Advocacy, Inc. 1978-2008
Disability Rights California 2009-

History & funding

In 1975, after television news exposed horrific abuse and neglect at Willowbrook, a state institution for people with cognitive disabilities on Staten Island, New York Senator Jacob Javits successfully pushed Congress to mandate and fund Protection and Advocacy systems in each state.

The laws which give Protection and Advocacy systems the special responsibility to protect and advocate for people with disabilities also give those organizations a unique tool with which to accomplish that task: access to facilities or programs providing their care, and access to their confidential records. This access permits Protection and Advocacy systems to conduct abuse or neglect investigations, provide information and training about the rights of individuals with disabilities, and monitor a facility or program's compliance with respect to the rights and safety of people who receive their services. Protection and Advocacy systems are also unique because courts have recognized that the broad Congressional authority allows them to bring actions in their own name to vindicate the rights of people with disabilities.

In May, 1978 California's Protection & Advocacy, Inc. (PAI) was founded to provide the services required under the federal Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 1975. For many years it was governed by a seven member Board of Directors appointed by the Governor and advised by a state appointed Review Committee.

PAI opened its first office in Sacramento in 1978; more regional offices followed: Los Angeles, 1980; Bay Area, 1985; San Diego, 2002; Fresno, 2008. In addition, the organization has satellite offices in 26 locations throughout the state.

The Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness Act (PAIMI) was created in 1986 in response to Congressional findings of abuse and neglect of individuals with psychiatric disabilities in residential care facilities. In addition to providing legal representation to persons with psychiatric disabilities, we expanded our services to include peer/self advocacy and investigations of abuse and neglect.

In 1992, Congress enacted the Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights Act of 1992 (PAIR), extending Disability Rights California’s mandate to people with physical, learning and sensory disabilities.

In 1993, we became a cross disability advocacy agency when Congress expanded the protection and advocacy role to individuals with disabilities who were not eligible for services under other programs. Programs and services were expanded throughout the 1990's with the addition of the Protection and Advocacy for Assistance Technology (PAAT) program, the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PAABS) program, the Protection and Advocacy for Traumatic Brain Injury (PATBI) and Protection and Advocacy for Voting Access (PAVA) program.

Beginning in 1993 PAI worked with other advocates and constituency groups to ensure that state funded advocacy services were independent. In 1993, PAI opened the Office of Patients Rights after legislation made it possible for the state contract with us to provide advocacy services to persons with psychiatric disabilities in state hospitals, and to provide training and technical assistance to county patients rights advocates. In 1998 we established the Office of Clients' Rights Advocacy after the passage of state legislation made it possible for us to contract advocacy assistance, training and technical assistance to clients of the 21 regional centers.

We receive support from the State Bar of California's IOLTA program, which funds legal services for low-income people around California, and from the Equal Access Fund, created by the California legislature to provide individual legal help and system-wide advocacy for indigent Californians. Other funding comes from attorney fees and donations.

In 2008, the Board changed our name to Disability Rights California to more accurately describe our work.

Today, we are the largest disability advocacy agency in the nation, with 220 staff members. The Board of Directors, all of whom are now appointed by existing board members, reflect the diverse constituency of the agency and the ethnic and language community of California.