1 00:00:01,236 --> 00:00:03,459 - [Narrator] All people deserve basic human rights. 2 00:00:03,459 --> 00:00:05,007 That's why congress created a system 3 00:00:05,007 --> 00:00:06,970 of Protection & Advocacy agencies, 4 00:00:06,970 --> 00:00:09,468 also known as P&As, to protect and advocate 5 00:00:09,468 --> 00:00:11,519 for the rights of people with disabilities. 6 00:00:11,519 --> 00:00:16,394 Because in the past, they have not been treated equally. 7 00:00:16,394 --> 00:00:18,010 For most of the 20th century, 8 00:00:18,010 --> 00:00:20,191 the phrase out of sight out of mind 9 00:00:20,191 --> 00:00:21,887 was more than just a popular saying; 10 00:00:21,887 --> 00:00:23,326 it was the means for dealing 11 00:00:23,326 --> 00:00:26,123 with an unwanted segment of the population. 12 00:00:26,123 --> 00:00:27,973 People with disabilities were either segregated 13 00:00:27,973 --> 00:00:31,395 from society, locked away in institutions, 14 00:00:31,395 --> 00:00:34,705 or remained isolated at home with absolutely no services, 15 00:00:34,705 --> 00:00:36,538 not even an education. 16 00:00:37,385 --> 00:00:41,154 They were abused, neglected, and forgotten. 17 00:00:41,154 --> 00:00:44,013 Then, in 1973, ABC news cameras 18 00:00:44,013 --> 00:00:46,326 exposed the filthy living conditions 19 00:00:46,326 --> 00:00:48,593 and poor treatment inside Staten Island's Willowbrook School 20 00:00:48,593 --> 00:00:49,849 which housed people with developmental 21 00:00:49,849 --> 00:00:51,856 and intellectual disabilities. 22 00:00:51,856 --> 00:00:53,796 It shocked the nation. 23 00:00:53,796 --> 00:00:55,148 - [Man] The doctor had warned me 24 00:00:55,148 --> 00:00:56,365 that it would be bad. 25 00:00:56,365 --> 00:00:57,698 It was horrible. 26 00:00:59,222 --> 00:01:02,852 - [Narrator] Finally, in 1975 congress acted. 27 00:01:02,852 --> 00:01:05,656 They mandated that every US state and territory 28 00:01:05,656 --> 00:01:08,957 have an official Protection and Advocacy agency. 29 00:01:08,957 --> 00:01:11,850 P&As go by many names, but their mission is the same, 30 00:01:11,850 --> 00:01:13,111 to protect and advocate for the rights 31 00:01:13,111 --> 00:01:16,070 of people with disabilities. 32 00:01:16,070 --> 00:01:17,416 Together the P&As form 33 00:01:17,416 --> 00:01:19,504 the National Disability Rights Network 34 00:01:19,504 --> 00:01:20,859 taking on issues affecting people 35 00:01:20,859 --> 00:01:23,211 with all kinds of disabilities. 36 00:01:23,211 --> 00:01:25,015 No other organizations have the sweeping 37 00:01:25,015 --> 00:01:27,635 access authority that P&As have. 38 00:01:27,635 --> 00:01:28,922 They go anywhere services for people 39 00:01:28,922 --> 00:01:30,978 with disabilities are provided; 40 00:01:30,978 --> 00:01:33,362 From schools to hospitals to prisons and jails; 41 00:01:33,362 --> 00:01:36,058 to monitor conditions and listen to concerns. 42 00:01:36,058 --> 00:01:38,842 They make sure people with disabilities are treated equally, 43 00:01:38,842 --> 00:01:41,033 with dignity and respect, and never have to face 44 00:01:41,033 --> 00:01:44,072 the same kind of mistreatment they saw at Willowbrook. 45 00:01:44,072 --> 00:01:45,518 P&As ask the public for input 46 00:01:45,518 --> 00:01:48,078 on which issues to take on in their communities. 47 00:01:48,078 --> 00:01:49,856 P&As can fight against abuse and neglect 48 00:01:49,856 --> 00:01:53,074 in residential services, to end exploitation at work, 49 00:01:53,074 --> 00:01:55,186 for fair treatment in the criminal justice system, 50 00:01:55,186 --> 00:01:58,202 for equal access to public education and voting, 51 00:01:58,202 --> 00:01:59,850 for accessible communities and services 52 00:01:59,850 --> 00:02:04,707 and assistive technologies, and countless other issues. 53 00:02:04,707 --> 00:02:08,416 That's the Protection & Advocacy system. 54 00:02:08,416 --> 00:02:11,591 Disability Rights Texas is the Protection & Advocacy agency 55 00:02:11,591 --> 00:02:13,559 for people with disabilities in Texas. 56 00:02:13,559 --> 00:02:16,892 Visit www.DRTx.org for more information, 57 00:02:18,672 --> 00:02:20,589 or call 1-800-252-9108. 58 00:02:22,088 --> 00:02:24,755 (upbeat music)