What Does Disability Rights TN Do?

Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) works to protect the rights of people with disabilities and/or mental illness in Tennessee. Because we have limited resources, we focus on the most important issues identified by the community. Every year, we ask community members to tell us what areas we should work on. This input helps us decide the types of advocacy and legal cases we take on. We appreciate all feedback and use it to plan our services each year and every five years for strategic planning. Our goal is to make sure people with disabilities in Tennessee are included, supported, and safe in their communities. We connect them with the services and resources they need to succeed.

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Areas of Work

DRT focuses its work in the following strategic areas: Freedom from Harm, Freedom from Discrimination, and Freedom to Participate in the Community. Each strategic area promotes the values set forth in the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act), which created the Protection & Advocacy System:

• Disability is a natural part of the human experience
• Disability does not diminish the right to live independently or to exert control and choice in life