Publications
2022 Annual Report
For the past 46 years, Disability Rights Florida (DRF) has been advocating and protecting the rights of children and adults with disabilities to live as they choose, free from abuse, neglect, and discrimination. This past year alone, we received calls from 8,289 people looking for help. Our knowledgeable Intake Team provided them with information, advice, or referral, and our dedicated legal teams took on 1,760 new cases focused on rights violations that adversely affect people with disabilities.
The issues we addressed for our individual clients included access and accountability in healthcare, housing, education, employment, community integration, mental health services and more. We helped individuals like Christopher convince his Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor to allow him to pursue an education to become an anesthesiologist by strengthening his academic and employment plan. And we advocated for Lorenzo’s family with the Agency for Persons with Disabilities to have their bathroom modified for his wheelchair.
In 2022, our attorneys and advocates also successfully fought for systemic reforms that affected thousands of Floridians with disabilities, including students who were not receiving a Free and Appropriate Public Education, renters who needed housing that is accessible for wheelchairs and other mobility devices, and individuals who have been involuntarily confined to mental health institutions and deserve the right to face a judge in person. We monitored the development of state agency rules that affect people with disabilities, and, if the proposed rule adversely affected people who have disabilities, we intervened.
DRF used its legal authority to visit and monitor mental health facilities, group homes, nursing homes, State prisons, and county jails to determine if people with disabilities were being subjected to abuse, neglect, exploitation, or other rights violations. Some of these visits were the result of orders obtained by DRF in court.
DRF’s mission includes providing information and education to people with disabilities, their families, and the public through awareness and outreach events. This year we attended 79 events statewide, to speak to more than 6,500 people about their rights, our services, and how to effectively engage in their own self-advocacy efforts. We also conducted five public forums across the state to collect input that helped shape our goals and priorities.
We are proud of the work we have accomplished this year. Our legal staff, Public Policy and Rep Payee professionals, administrative staff, Board of Directors, and PAIMI Advisory Council are fully committed to our mission and are always acutely aware that what we do affects so many. We hope you’ll be inspired to connect with us, share your ideas, and let us know what is important to you. We have so much more to accomplish as we protect and advance the rights, dignity, equal opportunities, self-determination, and choices for all people with disabilities.
Highlighting Artists with Disabilities: Wheelchair Highwaymen
This year’s annual report features the photo “Ada’s Fairytale” by the Wheelchair Highwaymen.
From left to right: J.R. Harding, Max Lee, Gordon Palmer
The Wheelchair Highwaymen are Florida nature photographers bringing nature back into the lives of people with disabilities through technology. The daily challenges they face and overcome have not stopped them from searching for and capturing these beautiful moments. Their goal is to use drone technology, photography, and nature to inspire and enrich the lives of individuals with and without disabilities. With your support, they hope to photograph other natural wonders throughout their beloved Florida and other areas.
“Ada’s Fairytale” by the Wheelchair Highwaymen
Protecting the Rights of People with Mental Health Conditions at the Florida Supreme Court
One Step Towards Ending Housing Discrimination For Floridians with Disabilities
Holding Flagler School District Accountable for IDEA Violations
Ensuring Access to Essential Items for Foster Care Beneficiaries
Protecting Students’ Educational Rights in Calhoun County
From left to right:
Peter Sleasman, Executive Director
Olivia Babis, Senior Public Policy Analyst
Annette Taddeo, Former State Senator
Kevin Sanderson, Board Secretary
Enrique Escallon, Board and PAC Member
Public Forums
Disability Rights Florida (DRF) held five in-person Public Input Forums between March and June of2022.The purpose of the forums was to collect information directly from individuals with disabilities, as well as their families and service providers, to assist DRF in revising our strategic plan that determines our advocacy platform and priorities for our legal and advocacy work over the next five years. The five-year strategic plan will be in effect for the 2023 – 2027 fiscal years. The Public Input Forums were held in various locations around the state primarily to reach specific geographic locations and target constituents in three key areas: education, veteran services, and employment. We partnered with local disability organizations and held resource fairs in some locations to better reach individuals with disabilities. Most of the forums also featured a speaker related to a specific disability topic. Due to your insightful feedback, these forums helped us set our organization’s priorities with you in mind. Your engagement set our goals demanding access and accountability in housing, transportation, employment, resource access, and mental health. We look forward to pursuing these areas of interest in the years ahead.
Accessible Voting Videos
As we prepared for the 2022 Midterm Elections, we promoted educational voting videos by and for people with disabilities. Our video project, titled “Florida’s Accessible Voting Machines,” explains how the two commonly used accessible voting machines, ImageCast and Express Vote, work. Additionally, these videos discuss how to exercise your civil rights in an accessible way and emphasize the power of the disability vote. These videos brought awareness of accessible voting options to over 25,000 Floridians. Learn about your rights and options through these videos on the “Access the Vote Florida” coalition’s website.
The You First Podcast
Disability Rights Florida’s podcast “You First” had an incredibly successful year with episodes covering many important disability topics and issues. Previously a monthly podcast, we shifted gears in 2022 and took on recording two six-episode podcast series. Our first podcast series was called “Accessibility Outside the Box,” where we interviewed disability activists about less-discussed areas of accessibility, such as video gaming, fashion, and academic research. Our second podcast series was called “Your Voice, Your Vote.” This series was all about disability and voting. We talked with advocates who have made accessible voting possible in Florida, organizations that fight for the disability community and other marginalized communities’ access to vote, and folks who study the impact of the disability vote.
Additionally, we had a fantastic one-off episode all about “The Intersection of Disability and Reproductive Justice” with guests Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, Rebecca Cokley, Keith Jones, and Heather Watkins about how the Roe v. Wade ruling affects them, the disability community as a whole, and other marginalized groups, especially in ways that you may not have ever considered.
Our Blog
Each month this year, we posted at least one blog about timely disability-related news, updates about our legal work and disability advocacy, important information about your rights, cool facets of accessibility, commentary on disability media and culture, and what life with a disability is like - from disabled authors themselves. Our creative team and guest writers discuss popular topics such as disability history, special education, housing, accessibility, mental health, and much more!
Read “17 Black Disability Activists and Advocates” on our blog.
Read “Frida Kahlo’s 6 Disability Themed Paintings” on our blog.
Transition Toolkit Now Available
This year, we created a comprehensive transition toolkit and guide called “Preparing for Your Successful Transition to Adulthood, A toolkit for Florida youth with disabilities!” Within this booklet, you will find resources about assistive technology, employment, healthcare, service animals, housing, and more! Printed copies are available by calling our office at 800-342-0823 and on our website’s publications request form page. Stay tuned in 2023 for an interactive website version of this toolkit dedicated to guiding you through this formative time in your life. You deserve to thrive and easily transition into adulthood, and we want to help make that possible for every teen in Florida.
10 Steps
Effective self-advocacy is the best way to express your needs, have your voice heard, and be treated with respect and dignity. We created this 10-step guide to help you in your self-advocacy journey and help you make your voice heard. We all can be great self-advocates, and we hope this tool provides you with the support needed to take the next step in your advocacy and autonomy. Read yours on our Publications page.
How to Complain
“How to Complain” is a three-part video series created in collaboration with other disability advocacy organizations that teaches you about the importance of self-advocacy. Self-advocates Sofia, Asim, and Corey each bring you through a moment in their lives when they faced a disability barrier and how they used their effective self-advocacy strategies to get a result that worked best for them. Watch How to Complain series on Youtube.
Explainer Videos
Disability Rights Florida worked with an organization of talented disability artists, writers, and videographers to create videos in our series titled “Disability Rights Florida Explains” that educates the disability community about important disability- related topics.
View “What is Competitive Integrated Employment” on YouTube.
View “How Do You Prepare for a Disaster” on YouTube.
View “What are the Rights of a Person in an Institution” on YouTube.
View “What are Vocational Rehabilitation Services” on YouTube.
Download the Report
- 2022 Annual Report (PDF) (original layout)
- 2022 Annual Report (Microsoft Word) (more accessible layout)
Other Publications and Previous Annual Reports
Visit our Publications page for a full list of downloadable publications we offer. If you want to order printed publications, please complete our Request Publication form.
Financial Information
Disability Rights Florida is a non-profit organization funded by a variety of sources. For a complete list of funders, visit our Programs and Funders page.