Disability Rights Louisiana.

Disability Rights Louisiana (DRLA) protects and advocates for the human and legal rights of all children, adults and seniors with disabilities. Our work aims to empower the disability community to live an integrated life, free from abuse, neglect and exploitation.

For over 47 years, we have protected, empowered, and advocated for people with disabilities who live throughout Louisiana.

In 2024, we provided individual advocacy to over 2,300 people, each of whom were
- Empowered to access critical services, facilities, housing and other spaces in their communities.
- Empowered to maintain or expand their ability to exercise autonomy and make decisions about their own lives.
- Empowered to remain in school, with access to the services they need to succeed in school and graduate.
- Protected from discrimination, and empowered to access resources and training so that they could secure competitive jobs.
- Empowered to access healthcare services so that they could thrive in the community or receive the care they need in institutions.
- Protected from abuse and neglect, in both institutional and community-based settings.

Over 30,000 individuals with disabilities were empowered and protected through our impact litigation, investigations, and policy advocacy efforts in 2024, which primarily aimed to improve healthcare access and address abuse and neglect. Thousands more will benefit from these systemic changes in the future.

Testimonials

"DRLA employees saved my life, gave me back my dignity, and has awakened the spirit of advocacy 14 going on 15 years of my life." - a quote from a former DRLA client who joined DRLA's Board of Directors.