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Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc. (MPAS) Protects the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

by Linda Wacyk, Communication Specialist

Where can students with disabilities and their families turn when they need help? For many, the answer is Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc. (MPAS). MPAS is the organization in Michigan designated by the Governor to implement the federal and state mandated rights protection and advocacy system. MPAS promotes, expands, and protects the human and legal rights of people with disabilities through information and advocacy. It accomplishes this work both by improving systems and by helping individuals.

Changing Systems

MPAS protects and advances the rights of people with disabilities so they can live, work, and learn in safe, affordable, accessible environments, enjoying all the rights guaranteed by law. For example, MPAS staff were involved in the coalition of advocates calling for inclusive educational practices that prompted the State Board of Education to establish a work group on universal education. If implemented, the universal education concept will bring more consistent and quality education to students with disabilities, the homeless, the gifted and talented, and others who have had limited success in general education.

The MPAS Education Team also participated in and supported changes in the due process hearing, compliance complaint, and mediation systems at the Michigan Department of Education (MDE). The team provided critical information to policymakers and the public on challenging issues related to students with disabilities in charter schools. Also, MPAS worked with other advocates to initiate a public discussion on the issues of seclusion and restraint in schools.

Changing Lives

MPAS believes that people with disabilities are their own best advocates. Therefore, MPAS provides information, training, advice, and written materials to assist people in speaking for themselves. They can also refer callers to other agencies or services. Occasionally MPAS will directly represent eligible callers whose disability issue falls into one of the agency’s priority areas: Abuse/Neglect Prevention and Investigation, Assistive Technology, Community/Institutional Services, or Education.

The MPAS Education Team works on education issues that affect students at school. During 2003, the team celebrated a number of accomplishments, including:

• Launching a comprehensive training and outreach campaign to reach juvenile justice facilities and advocates for students with mental health needs.
• Making a difference in the lives of dozens of students threatened with expulsion or increased segregation.

MPAS continues to address a number of challenges today, including providing
education and other services to those living in foster care, inclusively serving students in a climate of accountability, and coping with pressures from shrinking budgets and changing federal education laws.

“The protection and advocacy system is such a marvelous system. It’s there to advocate for the expressed choices of individuals and to level the playing field for people who are seeking the services to which they are entitled,” says Liz Bauer, Michigan State Board of Education.

For more information, contact: Mark McWilliams, Education Advocacy Director, MPAS, Inc. 4095 Legacy Parkway, Ste. 500, Lansing, MI 48911, (800) 288-5923, (517) 487-0827 fax, mcwill@mpas.org, or visit www.mpas.org.

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