Did you know this year marks the 50th birthday of our nation’s Protection and Advocacy network (“the P&As”)? As North Carolina’s P&A, the team at DRNC is firmly committed to our mission of advancing and defending the rights of people with disabilities in North Carolina. We are the only statewide organization that exclusively advocates for people with all kinds of disabilities, including children and adults.
In the work we do, we know disability does not discriminate. Anyone can become disabled at any time and everyone, if they live long enough, will be impacted by disability in some way. It is a natural part of life. Nationally, one in four people, or over 62 million people, report having a disability. In North Carolina, disability is even more prevalent. One in three adults in North Carolinians have a disability. Notably, the number of U.S. veterans with service-connected disabilities is growing. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2022, about 30 percent of veterans had disabilities connected to their service, a big leap from the 15 percent reported by the Census Bureau in 2008.
Congress created the P&A system in 1975 following shocking media reports, complete with video footage, of horrific abuses and neglect of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities at a state-operated institution in New York. Congress worked in a bipartisan manner to make sure disabled children and adults were protected, and President Gerald Ford signed the legislation into law.
Since then, Congress broadened the work of P&As to include protection and advocacy for children and adults with all kinds of disabilities. P&As use our federal mandate to keep people with disabilities safe from harm and ensure they have access to basic life necessities such as healthcare, housing, jobs, and education.
Our team at DRNC is proud of the work we do and deeply appreciates your continued support and partnership. Together, we will keep working to protect and advocate for the health, safety, and well-being of North Carolinians with all disabilities. We are stronger together!