Disability Rights Rhode Island (DRRI) is the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) agency for Rhode Island. The P&A system is a national network of disability rights agencies across the United States and territories.

DRRI Programs

DRRI provides free legal assistance to persons with disabilities. Services include individual representation to protect rights or secure benefits and services, self-help information, education on priority legal issues, and systems change advocacy. We administer nine federally funded advocacy programs, each of which has its own eligibility criteria. These programs are:

Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities (PADD) Program

PADD provides legal assistance to individuals with developmental disabilities and advocacy to remedy abuse or neglect of these individuals. A developmental disability is a severe physical, cognitive, or emotional impairment which begins before age 22, is likely to continue indefinitely, and interferes with three or more major life activities.

Federal administering agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Program

PAIMI provides legal assistance to individuals with mental illness and advocacy to remedy abuse or neglect of these individuals.
Federal administering agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services
Protection and Advocacy for Assistive Technology (PAAT) Program PAAT provides advocacy to individuals with disabilities seeking access to assistive technology devices and services, with emphasis on obtaining funding from public funding sources, e.g., vocational rehabilitation, special education, Medicaid, and Medicare.

Federal administering agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (PATBI) Program

PATBI provides advocacy to individuals with traumatic brain injury, with emphasis on improving access to comprehensive, high quality health care services and increasing the quality, availability, and effectiveness of educational and community-based programs designed to improve the quality of life for these individuals.

Federal administering agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries (Representative Payee) Program

The Representative Payee Program investigates how representative payees are administering funds paid to Social Security beneficiaries. In addition to onsite individual or organizational representative payee reviews assigned by the Social Security Administration, discretionary reviews based on allegations of payee misconduct and educational visits are also conducted.

Federal administering agency: U.S. Social Security Administration

Protection and Advocacy for Voting Accessibility (PAVA) Program

PAVA provides advocacy to individuals with disabilities in order to expand and improve access to and participation in the electoral process.

Federal administering agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Protection and Advocacy for Individual Rights (PAIR) Program

PAIR provides advocacy to individuals with disabilities who are not eligible for other protection and advocacy programs. This program has the same authority as our PADD program to remedy abuse and neglect.

Federal administering agency: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Rehabilitative Services Administration

Client Assistance Program (CAP)

CAP provides advocacy to individuals with disabilities applying for or receiving services from vocational rehabilitation, independent living, and services for the blind and visually impaired. We also can advocate for the employment rights (ADA Title I) of vocational rehabilitation clients.

Federal administering agency: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Rehabilitative Services Administration

Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) Program

PABSS provides advocacy to individuals receiving Social Security disability benefits who are seeking to secure, maintain, or regain employment. In addition to helping beneficiaries seeking to use Social Security Administration (SSA) work incentives, our authority has been broadened to work on a wide array of legal issues that may constitute a barrier to employment.

Federal administering agency: U.S. Social Security Administration

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