About DRNJ

Disability Rights New Jersey header

Advocating and advancing the human, civil and legal rights of persons with disabilities

formerly known as New Jersey Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (NJP&A)

Incorporated in 1994, DRNJ was subsequently designated by the Governor to serve as New Jersey's protection and advocacy system for people with disabilities. As the protection and advocacy system, DRNJ operates nine federally funded programs: Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PADD); Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI); Protection and Advocacy for Individual Rights (PAIR); Client Assistance Program (CAP); Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS); Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (PATBI); Protection and Advocacy for Assistive Technology (PAAT); Assistive Technology Advocacy Center (ATAC); and Protection and Advocacy for Voter Access (PAVA).

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Each of the above programs are established under federal law and receive funding from the following federal agencies:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Administration on Developmental Disabilities - PADD & PAVA
- Center for Mental Health Services - PAIMI
- Health Resources and Services Administration - PATBI
U.S. Department of Education
- Rehabilitation Services Administration - PAIR, CAP & PAAT
- Rehabilitation Services Administration through New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services - ATAC
U.S. Social Security Administration - PABSS

Protection and advocacy systems are enabled under federal law and are designated in each state and territory of the United States. For more information on P&As visit the web site of the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) at www.ndrn.org.

Disability Rights New Jersey provides services to persons with disabilities regardless of race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, marital status, familial status, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry or disability.

DRNJ's Mission

Advocating and advancing the human, civil and legal rights of persons with disabilities.

DRNJ's Value Statement

DRNJ's mission is to protect, advocate for and advance the rights of persons with disabilities in pursuit of a society in which persons with disabilities exercise self-determination and choice, and are treated with dignity. DRNJ's activities are grounded in its belief in the inherent value and worth of all individuals and their right to equality of opportunity and full participation in their communities.

DRNJ's Services

DRNJ provides:

information and referral,
technical assistance and training,
individual and system advocacy,
legal and non-legal advocacy, and
outreach and education.

Board of Directors

DRNJ is governed by a sixteen-member Board of Directors, the majority of whom are individuals with disabilities or family members of an individual with a disability. The governing board includes representatives from each of the agency's consumer advisory councils and is diverse in terms of race, ethnicity and geography.

The current members of the Board of Directors are:

Richard West (Chair)
Tasha Jones (Vice-Chair)
Mitchell Friedman (Treasurer)
Ellie Byra (Secretary)
Harold Aguilar
Carolyn D. Hayer
Purnima Rathi Hernandez
Rose Kardashian
Sharol A. Lewis
Michaelene Loughlin
Andrew McGeady

Holly Wetscher
Kathleen Wood
Walter Anthony Woodberry

Advisory Councils

To ensure consumer input and participation, DRNJ has four advisory councils: PADD Advisory; PAIMI Advisory; PAIR/CAP/PAVA/PABSS Advisory; and ATAC Advisory.

People with disabilities and family members comprise the majority of each advisory and the agency's Board of Directors. The Board of Directors includes representation from the advisory councils.

Staff

The staff of DRNJ is comprised of attorneys, advocates, support and management and administrative staff. From an initial staff of seven, the agency now has a staff of over forty.

DRNJ staff is diverse as to disability, race, ethnicity and urban and rural residence. Seven of the staff have disabilities, including learning disabilities, deafness, a history of mental illness and Down's Syndrome. In addition, at least four staff are family members of a person with a disability. Five staff are Latino, with fluency in Spanish, and ten are African-American.

Organization Structure

DRNJ undertakes its mission through a team approach, built on an issues foundation defined both by the agency's federal funding sources and its consumer-driven priorities. The teams are:

Institutional Monitoring/Community Integration, which encompasses PADD and PAIMI priorities in public and private facilities, developmental centers, psychiatric facilities, hospitals and nursing homes. The team also encompasses PADD, HCCAP and PATBI priorities in access to services and programs, personal decision making, and transportation;
Individual Rights, which encompasses PAIR and PAVA priorities, including ADA employment, public accommodations, education and housing;
Work and Vocational Rehabilitation, which encompasses CAP and PABSS priorities;
Assistive Technology, which encompasses the priorities of ATAC and PAAT;
Litigation, both systemic and complex; and
Intake, including short-term interventions.

DRNJ's consumer-directed priorities focus case activities in areas most important to consumers with disabilities and their families. They also ensure that protection and advocacy services are provided to traditionally underserved or unserved populations.

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DRNJ is an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides services to all persons with disabilities regardless of race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, marital status, familial status, sex, sexual or affectional orientation, ancestry or disability.
Any concerns regarding the agency’s compliance with these non-discrimination efforts may be brought to the attention of the Executive Director.