Community Integration

Vision Statement

MAP will actively promote and work toward community integration
for people with disabilities and against unnecessary institutionalization.

Objectives

1. Influence the development of policies and/or regulations implementing federal and state law requirements for educating students with disabilities.
2. Influence the Office of Public Instruction to conduct monitoring and enforcement activities that result in consistent statewide compliance with federal and state requirements for a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and educational outcomes for students with disabilities.
3. Represent students 16 years of age or older to enforce their right to appropriate transition services before graduation and/or to address graduation practices that deprive students of FAPE.
4. Represent students with serious emotional disturbance and/or mental illness to obtain appropriate educational services to meet their needs.
5. Provide legal representation to students with disabilities in cases that have the potential for systemic impact, in particular those with the potential for establishing significant legal precedent within Montana or the Ninth Circuit.
6. Monitor and enforce the Travis D. class action settlement agreement.
7. Influence the development of policies that increase the availability and choices of community supports and services for adults with developmental disabilities and decrease utilization of the Montana Developmental Center.
8. Represent individuals with disabilities in cases with the potential for establishing legal precedent from the Montana Supreme Court and/or the federal courts enforcing and clarifying constitutional and other legal rights.
9. Support development and delivery of effective training on representation of people with disabilities for new Office of State Public Defender.
10. Children at Pine Hills Correctional Facility will receive cognitive and mental health assessments.
11. Pine Hills Correctional Facility will create policies that promote parental involvement in decisions regarding their children.
12. Investigate and report on the policies and practices of a jail medical service with respect to the services they provide to detention facilities.
13. Statutory revision of Pine Hills Correctional Facility admissions criteria will define mental illness and severe emotional disturbance clearly, broadly, and appropriately so that children with those conditions are diverted away from the facility and into appropriate treatment services.
14. Seek legal authority to publish the Abuse and Neglect report completed by DPHHS in 2006 concerning the Swan Valley Youth Academy (SVYA).
15. CIU will investigate one case that sheds light on how failure of community services to respond appropriately to crisis leads to inappropriate law enforcement involvement and publish a report.
16. CIU will use report on failure of community services under the preceding objective to advocate for reforms to community response to crisis.
17. Children with mental illness and/or serious emotional disturbance (SED) will be diverted from the juvenile justice system.
18. CIU will represent children to obtain mental health services, regardless of whether they are facing juvenile justice proceedings.
19. Determine whether patients at Montana State Hospital are receiving timely, appropriate discharge plans.
20. The SAA’s will be vital, consumer-driven organizations that foster grass-roots leadership and effectively steer the mental health system towards recovery-based, individualized, consumer-driven and fully accountable services.
21. Support people with brain injuries to secure full funding from 2007 legislature for Resource Facilitation Service.
22. Identify obstacles to obtaining appropriate community-based services for people with traumatic brain injuries.

Core Services Unit

Vision Statement

Staff will provide accurate and timely information, referral, outreach, training, advocacy and/or legal services to people who make contact with MAP.

Objectives

1. Provide people with and without disabilities, and persons with disabilities with ineligible issues with reliable, timely information and referral services.
2. Expand and maintain resource library to provide resource information to persons with disabilities and their families.
3. Develop fact sheets and rights manuals for the most requested disability rights-related issues that affect persons with disabilities.
4. Provide short-term assistance for non-priority issues to eligible persons with disabilities.
5. Provide short-term assistance to children in need of special education services. (STA provided in conjunction with the special education team.)

Discrimination and Benefits

Vision Statement

MAP will promote independent living, meaningful employment,
and access to benefits.

Objectives

1. Review cases, provide technical assistance, and represent individuals who have been discriminated against on the basis of disability or denied reasonable accommodations by employers, using such individualized strategies as filing administrative complaints, lawsuits, and appeals.
2. Review cases, provide technical assistance, and represent individuals who have been denied meaningful access to benefits or services or otherwise discriminated against on the basis of disability by public entities, using such individualized strategies as filing administrative complaints, lawsuits, and appeals.
3. Assure that county courthouses are in compliance with the ADA and represent people with disabilities who are denied access to county courthouses and services.
4. Work with Secretary of State, Clerks and Recorders, election officials, disability community and the general public to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to the voting process.
5. Review cases, provide technical assistance, and represent individuals who have been denied meaningful access to effective public transportation.
6. Review cases, provide technical assistance, and represent individuals who have been discriminated against or denied meaningful access to the benefits or services of places of public accommodation, using such individualized strategies as filing administrative complaints, lawsuits, and appeals.
7. Review cases, provide technical assistance, and represent individuals who have been denied assistive technology by Medicaid, Medicare, the educational system, or other entities, using such individualized strategies as filing administrative complaints.
8. Represent qualified individuals in accordance with CAP program requirements.
9. Provide public information and education, technical and short term assistance, and individual representation for high school students seeking transition services.
10. Provide information and referral to SSB about work incentives and employment.
11. Provide assistance and individual representation to SSB who are seeking rehabilitation, employment and other services from an employment network and other service providers, or who are facing barriers to employment.
12. Provide consultation to and legal representation on behalf of SSB with disabilities to protect their rights.
13. Identify and advocate to correct deficiencies in entities providing vocational rehabilitation, employment, and other support services to SSB with disabilities.

Outreach, Education, and Publications

Vision Statement

MAP will promote disability rights and awareness and
keep the public informed of its activities.

Objectives

1. Provide and sponsor disability rights related training events throughout the state targeting minority and under-served persons with disabilities.
2. Produce and disseminate newsletters, publications, and a Fiscal Year 2006 annual report.

Policy

Vision Statement

MAP will promote policies, statutes, and regulations in the State of Montana that are reflective and responsive of the equal, civil, and legal rights
of people with disabilities.

Objectives

1. Monitor law, policy and rule changes affecting the rights and opportunities of people with disabilities, and affecting the ability of MAP to serve people with disabilities.
2. Educate law and policy makers through oral and written communications in legislative and executive branch forums.
3. Coordinate MAP advocacy concerning law, policy, or rules that occurs in other workgroups, in projects and casework.

Civil Right Protection

Vision Statement

 The civil rights of people with disabilities will be protected and defended.

Objective

1. Respond to issues presented when the civil rights of people with disabilities has been violated. This objective may be used only if: 1) the issue presented is compelling and requires a response from MAP, and 2) approval is granted by the executive director and notice given to the Board of Directors.