Program Description

Provide guidance, referrals, professional assistance, mediation, legal and administrative remedies to disabled persons with respect to programs or services available under state and federal laws.

Objectives

• Provide guidance, services and referrals to 30,000 citizens with disabilities, their families, providers, professionals and the public in general.

• Promote citizen awareness (500,000 citizens) of the rights of disabled citizens, along with programs and services that are available.

• Handle 3,800 requests for service and complete 85% of these, in order to maintain a 90% satisfaction level among clientele.

• Promote, guide and intercede to employ 5,000 disabled citizens, through information services, referrals, technical assistance, visits to employers and distribution of informative material.

• Offer workshops, conferences, and training related to rights, programs and services for the development and education of 13,000 citizens with disabilities.

• Offer legal representation, advice and orientation to disabled citizens and their families.

• Inspect and monitor 650 public and private facilities providing services and implement corrective measures, if necessary, to augment the opportunities of integration, services and access for disabled citizens.

• Continue to prepare and distribute 3,000 informative letters with the theme Directing Resources to guide public or private institutions, associations, municipalities and individuals with regard to the availability of competitive funds through federal, private and local government agencies.

• Offer technical assistance for 65 systematic changes, in order to implement institutional and programmatic policies, directed towards improving the quality of life of disabled citizens.

• Conduct 24 internal formative and summative assessments.

• Provide a minimum of 1,500 hours annually of continuing education to all Office personnel.

• Hold 250 administrative hearings with the objective of solving 85% or the equivalent of 106 resolved cases.

• Hold 4 public hearings to allow the general public to participate and to receive comments about the Agency's work plan.

Statistical Data	2010	2011	2012
Administrative hearings	360	250	250
Attention to legal matters	1,383	1,000	1,000
Educational activities	16,262	13,000	13,000
Information (guidance) and referred	31,331	30,000	30,000
Internal formative and summative assessments	24	24	24
Monitoring and inspection of public and private facilities	875	650	650
Newsletters	12,905	3,000	3,000
Promotion, employment guidance and intercession	8,055	5,000	5,000
Public awareness campaign (beneficiaries)	500,000	500,000	500,000
Public hearings	4	4	4
Requests attended	4,086	3,800	3,800
Staff development	1,767	1,500	1,500
Systemic changes (technical)	64	65	65

The statistical data was provided by the Agency during the Fiscal Year 2011-2012 budget formulation process.

Disabled people in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Human Resources

Authorized and Proposed Positions	2009	2010	2011	2012
Managerial,Technical, Administrative, and Office Staff	74	64	49	48
Judges, Lawyers, and Legal Staff	3	3	2	2
Teachers	4	4	3	3
Other staff	4	4	3	3
Planning, Budget, Statistics, Auditing, and Finance	1	0	0	0
Education and Recreational Services Professionals	4	3	1	1
Families and Community Services Staff	39	38	29	27
Information Systems	0	1	0	0
Total, Positions	129	117	87	84

The adopted consolidated budget for fiscal year 2011-2012 ascends to $4,274,000. The funds include: $1,972,000 originating from the Joint Resolution General Fund, $225,000 from Special Appropriations General Fund and $2,077,000 from Federal Grants.

Operational Expenses reflect a decrease of $168,000 compared with the funds allocated for fiscal year 2010-2011. This is due to a reduction in payroll resulting from the implementation of an early retirement incentive program and other cost control measures.

The funds from the Joint Resolution General Fund will be used to cover operational expenses. In addition, a Special Appropriations General Fund is included for the Educational Campaign related to the Bill of Rights for Disabled People.

Among the federal programs that provide major support are: Rehabilitation Services Client Assistance Program, Program of Protection and Advocacy of Individual Rights, Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness, Protection and Advocacy for Traumatic Brain Injury, Training and Technical Assistance to Improve Voting Access for Individuals with Disabilities, Social Security Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach Program, Assistive Technology and Development Disabilities Basic Support and Advocacy Grants.