Disability Rights Texas
Disability Rights Texas is the federally designated Protection and Advocacy agency for Texans with disabilities, providing free legal representation, impact litigation, and digital self-advocacy tools. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit, headquartered in Austin, is funded by federal grants and donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Disability Rights Texas does
Disability Rights Texas (DRTx) is the federally designated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) agency for Texans with disabilities, operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded under the congressional P&A system created in the 1970s (firmographic year_founded: 1977), the organization delivers free legal representation, systemic advocacy, and impact litigation on behalf of Texans with disabilities across abuse and neglect, education (IDEA), employment, housing, healthcare, transportation, voting rights, and community integration matters. Its core products are organized around legal advocacy services — individual representation, systemic advocacy, and impact litigation — supplemented by a growing suite of digital self-advocacy tools (Voter Accommodation Request Tool, Workplace Accommodation Request Tool, Early Lease Termination Letter Tool, Opioid Use Disorder Accommodation Request Tool, Supported Decision-Making Agreement tools, and an Emergency Ready Sheet), substantive publications (90-page IDEA Manual, Texas Medicaid Waiver Comparison Chart, Hurricane Preparedness Guide), and multilingual content in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. Technology is delivered via a WordPress-based website with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility efforts, ReachDeck accessibility toolbar, Google Analytics, and ASL video content on YouTube.
The organization is funded primarily by federal grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Administration for Community Living and SAMHSA), the U.S. Department of Education (Rehabilitation Services Administration), and the U.S. Social Security Administration, plus grants from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, individual and monthly recurring donations, and pro bono litigation partnerships with firms such as Winston & Strawn LLP and Brown Goldstein & Levy. Services are provided at no cost to eligible clients (freemium pricing model); revenue is not derived from fees or commercial contracts but from appropriations, foundation grants, and philanthropy. GTM motion is community-led, relying on a statewide intake infrastructure (phone 1-800-252-9108, video phone for ASL users, online intake portal), community partnerships, educational content, and engagement events rather than paid marketing. The organization is a member of the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) and operates programs including the PAIMI (Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness) program.
Disability Rights Texas firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Disability Rights Texas
- Legal name
- Disability Rights Texas
- Website
- https://disabilityrightstx.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Disability Rights Texas is the federally designated Protection and Advocacy agency for Texans with disabilities, providing free legal representation, impact litigation, and digital self-advocacy tools. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit, headquartered in Austin, is funded by federal grants and donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Disability Rights Texas industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Disability Rights Legal Advocacy
- NAICS
- Human Rights Organizations (813311), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Disability Rights & Accessibility Advocacy (BPAGAFAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)
Keywords
Where Disability Rights Texas is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Disability Rights Texas business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Government Grants and Funding: Primary funding from U.S. federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Administration for Community Living and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), U.S. Department of Education (Rehabilitation Services Administration), and U.S. Social Security Administration.
- Texas Access to Justice Foundation: Initial creation of website and some additional functionality funded by grants from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation.
- Donations: The organization accepts donations via secure online portal. Donors can make one-time or monthly recurring gifts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free legal advocacy services for eligible Texans with disabilities |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Disability Rights Texas product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Disability Rights Texas is the designated protection and advocacy (P&A) agency for Texans with disabilities, providing free legal representation, advocacy, and self-help tools. The organization pursues individual representation, systemic advocacy, and impact litigation to protect people with disabilities from abuse and neglect and to enforce their rights in education, employment, housing, healthcare, voting, and community living. It also publishes self-advocacy resources, sample letters, and accommodation-request tools.
Product overview
Disability Rights Texas operates as the designated protection and advocacy (P&A) agency for Texans with disabilities, providing legal advocacy services and self-help tools. The organization offers a unified suite of services centered on legal representation and advocacy, complemented by digital self-advocacy tools including sample letter generators, accommodation request tools, and publication resources. Key offerings include the IDEA Manual for special education rights, Texas Medicaid Waiver Comparison Chart, Supported Decision-Making Agreement tools as an alternative to guardianship, Voter Accommodation Request Tool, and the ReachDeck accessibility toolbar. The organization also provides resources for disaster resilience, employment accommodations, housing rights, and community integration through publications, videos, and ASL content.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Legal Advocacy and Protection Services Core free legal representation and advocacy services for eligible Texans with disabilities, using individual representation, systemic advocacy, and impact litigation to protect against abuse and neglect and enforce community inclusion.
- PAIMI Program Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness program providing dedicated advocacy services and an advisory council for Texans with mental health disabilities.
- IDEA Manual A 90-page guide for Texas parents and students explaining special education rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, available in multiple formats.
- Texas Medicaid Waiver Comparison Chart Comparative reference tool showing the services provided by various Texas Medicaid waiver programs including STAR+PLUS, CLASS, HCS, DBMD, TxHML, MDCP, and YES.
- Supported Decision-Making Agreement Tools Interactive tools and sample forms enabling individuals with disabilities to create Supported Decision-Making Agreements as an alternative to guardianship.
- Voter Accommodation Request Tool Online tool that generates accommodation request documents for voters with disabilities to share with election workers regarding accessibility accommodations.
- Workplace Accommodation Request Tool Tool that helps individuals request workplace accommodations to remove barriers at work.
- Early Lease Termination Letter Tool Tool that generates letters for requesting reasonable accommodation to terminate a lease early without fines or penalties.
- Opioid Use Disorder Accommodation Request Tool Tool helping individuals in recovery request landlords to overlook criminal history for housing accommodation purposes.
- Emergency Ready Sheet Tool helping people with disabilities keep important emergency information in one place for disaster or emergency situations.
- Hurricane Preparedness Guide for Texans with Disabilities Comprehensive guide updated for 2026 to help Texans with disabilities prepare for and recover from hurricanes.
Quantifiable outcome
- Successfully advocated for accessible vote-by-mail options for blind voters in Bexar County through federal lawsuit
Companies that use Disability Rights Texas
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Disability Rights Texas technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Disability Rights Texas partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Winston & Strawn LLPcoreCo-counsel in federal lawsuit against Bexar County to secure accessible vote-by-mail options for blind voters, represented alongside Disability Rights Texas and other plaintiffs. The partnership resulted in a Permanent Injunction Order requiring accessible electronic voting systems.
- Brown Goldstein & LevycoreCo-counsel representing blind voters in lawsuit against Bexar County, working with Disability Rights Texas to secure accessible vote-by-mail options under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)coreNational organization representing protection and advocacy agencies for people with disabilities. Disability Rights Texas is a member of this network.
- Texas Bar FoundationminorRelated organization providing support for legal aid and access to justice initiatives in Texas.
- Texas Law HelpminorRelated organization providing legal resources and self-help tools for Texans.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Disability Rights Texas competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Disability Rights Advocates (DRA): A national nonprofit disability rights legal center that pursues high-impact impact litigation and policy advocacy. Comparable to DRTx in mission and legal strategy orientation, though operating at national scope rather than state-level.
- Coalition of Texans with Disabilities: A statewide cross-disability advocacy organization that was a co-plaintiff in the Bexar County voting case with DRTx. Directly comparable in Texas-based disability advocacy mission and cross-disability service focus.
- Disability Rights New York: New York's state P&A system providing free legal and advocacy services to people with disabilities. Mirrors DRTx's mission, federal funding model, and statewide service delivery approach, making it one of the closest direct functional peers.
- Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law: A national legal advocacy organization dedicated to advancing the rights of people with mental health conditions. Comparable in its legal-advocacy-and-policy orientation and overlaps with DRTx's PAIMI program serving individuals with mental illness.
- Disability Rights California: California's federally designated Protection & Advocacy agency for people with disabilities. Operates the same congressionally mandated P&A model as DRTx but at a much larger scale, providing direct comparability on funding structure, legal advocacy services, and disability rights focus.
Broad incumbents
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas: The Texas affiliate of the national ACLU, pursuing civil rights and civil liberties litigation. Overlaps with DRTx in impact litigation strategy, particularly on voting rights, disability access, and institutional rights.
- National Disability Rights Network (NDRN): The national umbrella membership organization of which DRTx is a member. Operates in the same P&A / disability rights space at a broader, federated scale, providing coordination, training, and policy advocacy across all state P&As.
Regional players
- Texas RioGrande Legal Aid: The largest provider of free legal aid in Texas, serving low-income and rural communities. Comparable in its Texas-specific, federally funded, free legal services model and the need to serve a large, geographically dispersed population.
- Texas Civil Rights Project: A Texas-based nonprofit civil rights organization providing legal services and advocacy. Operates in the same Texas geography and shares an overlap in civil rights litigation, though its scope is broader than disability rights alone.
Emerging players
- National Federation of the Blind of Texas: A Texas-based advocacy organization for blind residents, which co-litigated the Bexar County vote-by-mail case alongside DRTx. Comparable in targeted disability advocacy focus, though narrower in scope to blindness-related issues.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Disability Rights Texas social profiles
Digital presenceDisability Rights Texas financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Disability Rights Texas leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Disability Rights Texas funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Disability Rights Texas M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Disability Rights Texas
What does Disability Rights Texas do?
Disability Rights Texas is the designated protection and advocacy (P&A) agency for Texans with disabilities, providing free legal representation, advocacy, and self-help tools. The organization pursues individual representation, systemic advocacy, and impact litigation to protect people with disabilities from abuse and neglect and to enforce their rights in education, employment, housing, healthcare, voting, and community living. It also publishes self-advocacy resources, sample letters, and accommodation-request tools.
Is Disability Rights Texas a public or private company?
Disability Rights Texas is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Disability Rights Texas founded?
Disability Rights Texas was founded in 1977. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Disability Rights Texas based?
Disability Rights Texas is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Disability Rights Texas make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government Grants and Funding is the primary driver. The others are texas Access to Justice Foundation and donations.
Who are Disability Rights Texas's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Disability Rights Advocates (DRA), Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, Disability Rights New York, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and Disability Rights California. Broad incumbents are American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas and National Disability Rights Network (NDRN). Regional players are Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and Texas Civil Rights Project. National Federation of the Blind of Texas is listed as an emerging player.
Does Disability Rights Texas have an API?
No public API is recorded for Disability Rights Texas.
What industry is Disability Rights Texas in?
Disability Rights Texas's product category is Disability Rights Legal Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAF, Disability Rights & Accessibility Advocacy, with a secondary code of BPAGALAM, Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech). Its NAICS code is 813311 and its SIC code is 8300.