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PADD
Program
What
is PADD?
The PADD
program was created by the Developmental Disabilities Assistance
and Bill of Rights (DD) Act of 1975. P&A's are required by the
Act to pursue legal, administrative and other appropriate remedies
to protect and advocate for the rights of individuals with disabilities
under all applicable federal and state laws.
Administration
for Children, Youth and Families, Administration on Developmental
Disabilities (ADD) in the federal Department of Health and Human
Services administers the PADD program.
PADD
Services
The PADD
program offers the following services to people with developmental
disabilities:
-
information
and referral regarding available programs and services for people
with developmental disabilities;
-
legal
representation and non-legal advocacy to enforce rights under
federal and state laws and to ensure access to services to which
people with developmental disabilities are entitled;
-
technical
assistance and advocacy services to assist individuals in accessing
appropriate programs and services, and;
-
education
and training programs on disability rights and laws.
Who
is Eligible for PADD Services?
PADD
clients must meet the definition of developmental disabilities in
the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act
as a severe and chronic disability, attributing to a mental and/or
physical impairment that must be evidenced prior to the age of twenty-two.
The impairment must be expected to be life long and result in substantial
limitations in three or more of the major life areas: self-care,
receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction,
capacity for independent living and economic self-sufficiency.
The PADD
program advocates for the rights of people with developmental disabilities
to receive services and support that enable them to:
-
make informed choices
and decisions;
-
live in homes and
communities in which they can exercise their full rights and
responsibilities as citizens;
-
pursue meaningful
and productive lives;
-
contribute to their
family, community, State, and Nation;
-
have independent
friendships and relationships with others; and
-
achieve full integration
and inclusion in society, in an individualized manner, consistent
with the unique strengths, resources, priorities, concerns,
abilities, and capabilities of each individual.
Useful
Links
New
Jersey Department of Human Services
http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/
New Jersey
Disability Determination Services
http://www.state.nj.us/labor/dds/ddsindex.html
New Jersey
Division of Developmental Disabilities
http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/ddd/
New Jersey
Division of Developmental Disabilities - Fact Sheets
http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/ddd/news/publications/factsheets.html
The Arc
of New Jersey
http://www.arcnj.org
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