Disability Rights

The INCLUDE disability law project advances the rights of persons with disabilities through the involvement of law students in the disability rights movement, offering students an array of skills-building pro bono opportunities in the field of disability law. INCLUDE also incorporates research, community education, and policy advocacy.

Law students work with volunteer attorneys at supported decision making (SDM) clinics for students with disabilities in transition to adulthood. Additional activities included a study of the implementation of SDM in Texas, which was enacted by the Texas Legislature in 2015.

Law students assisted the Texas Association of the Deaf in understanding state and federal law and formulating its agenda to promote language acquisition and access by deaf and hard of hearing children in Texas.

A report on adult guardianship in Texas, which contrasts Texas’ current adult guardianship requirements with reforms and changes made in a number of states that have recently modified their guardianship procedures. The report identifies a series of best practices that have emerged in recent years across the U.S., and concludes by highlighting opportunities to further strengthen Texas’ adult guardianship system.

The Justice Center, together with the UT Center for Disability Studies, worked with the Texas state housing finance and Medicaid agencies to develop innovative ways to support persons with disabilities in integrated housing opportunities through a new federal rental subsidy program. The initiative focused on persons with disabilities residing in Texas institutions who have extremely low incomes.