North Dakota Protection & Advocacy Project
Services: Policies: Programs And Services
C: Agency Mission and Philosophy
Mission
Uniting to champion the equality and inclusion of people with disabilities where we live, learn, work and play.
Philosophy
P&A is concerned with asserting the human, civic and legal rights of people with disabilities, especially those who cannot articulate and act to protect deprivations. P&A operates in a manner which is consistent with the belief that people with disabilities have the same legal and constitutional rights and guarantees as every other American citizen. P&A subscribes to a "self actualization" view which stresses that every person be given the greatest possible opportunity to shape his or her personal destiny. P&A subscribes to belief in the least restrictive conditions necessary to achieve the purposes of treatment, leaving the person as much personal freedom as possible.
In line with the above mentioned philosophies, P&A will act for the exclusive benefit of the person with a disability and will advance the interests of that person, and not those of the parent, guardian, or other third-party representative. P&A, thereby, accepts a bond of loyalty and trust with the person and assumes an obligation of representing, as if they were its own, the interests of the individual with the disability.
P&A will provide services in a manner that offers information to the person with the disability about available options; allows the person with the disability to determine which option is preferred; &, then promotes that preferred option within the scope of, and compatible with, the person's legal rights.
P&A makes the assumption that the person with the disability, when properly advised and assisted, is capable of making decisions. Furthermore, when a decision or meaningful choice cannot be or is not expressed by a client, or when consent is not available from or provided by a client or legally authorized substitute, the role of P&A is to act with care to safeguard and advance the interests and rights of the person with the disability.
P&A believes that people with disabilities should be empowered to advocate on their own behalf to the extent possible. Services provided by P&A shall promote consumer control in decision making and focus on the empowerment of people with disabilities in order to foster independence, productivity, and integration into the community.
