Disability Rights Texas, like many nonprofit and legal service organizations, has a big job to do with limited funds and staff positions. To be successful and achieve our mission, we must use every dollar and employee in the most effective way we can.

So every four years, our Board of Directors goes through a 6-month process to decide which priorities will direct our work. We start by asking people in the disability community about what is important to them. We get as much feedback from as many people and groups in Texas as we can through paper and electronic surveys, focus groups, and listening sessions. And every year, our staff and Board review our priorities to make sure we are addressing any new issues.

In setting priorities, the Board considers the biggest problems identified by the disability community along with the activities that are most related to our mission. Federal law and our other funders’ requirements play a role in our priorities, too. We are required to serve a wide range of disability populations and offer many types of services. Our priorities come from many hours of serious thinking and hard work to find ways to offer the best services possible to the most people with disabilities we can—with the funding and staff we have.

Our strategic priorities are:

• Accessibility
• Community Living
• Disaster Preparedness and Recovery
• Education
• Employment and VR Services
• Healthcare
• Housing
• Institutional Rights and Civil Liberties
• Supported Decision-Making
• Transportation
• Voting

For detailed information on what we focus on in each of the above areas, please refer to the following document:

DRTx Strategic Priorities Fiscal Years 2023 to 2026

Mental Illness Advocacy

In 1986, Congress authorized the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) program in the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness Act. The PAIMI program is funded through the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Learn more about our PAIMI Program and PAIMI Advisory Council.