ACDL

What ACDL does

ACDL (the Arizona Center for Disability Law), operating under the related identity Disability Rights Arizona (DRAZ), is a not-for-profit public interest law firm founded in 1974 and headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, with a second office in Tucson. The organization is the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) system for the State of Arizona, providing free legal representation, advocacy, and self-help resources to people with disabilities across a broad practice area that includes abuse and neglect, education, employment, health care, housing, mental health, voting rights, supported decision-making and guardianship, representative payee services, and the rights of incarcerated people with disabilities.

Its core 'products' are legal services and educational resources delivered through direct client intake (online application plus phone-based intake at both offices), a multilingual resource library on disabilityrightsaz.org, community-facing programs such as the African-American Conference on Disabilities (AACD), and a PAIMI Advisory Council. The underlying technology surface is a content-managed public website with social channels (YouTube, Facebook), a newsletter subscription funnel, and a donation page; there is no proprietary software product, no app, no API, and no documented AI capability.

The business model is that of a federally and state-funded legal aid nonprofit: revenue is generated through government grants supporting the P&A designation, supplemented by donations and program sponsorships (including the AACD). Services are provided at no cost to beneficiaries. Customer segments are Arizona residents with disabilities and, secondarily, community organizations and sponsors engaged through conferences and educational programming. The organization employs between 11 and 50 staff and is led by CEO J.J. Rico.

Name

ACDL

Legal name

Disability Rights Arizona

Website

https://azdisabilitylaw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ACDL (Disability Rights Arizona) is a federally mandated nonprofit public interest law firm, founded 1974, providing free legal advocacy and resources to people with disabilities across Arizona.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Legal Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Legal Services (5411), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Rights & Accessibility Advocacy (BPAGAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accessibility, Accommodations & Assistive Services (EDALAFAN), Academic Accommodations & Access Planning (ADA/504) (EDALAGAA)

Keywords

• Disability legal advocacy
• Public interest law
• Civil rights representation
• Protection and advocacy
• Special education law

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Core offering

ACDL, operating as Disability Rights Arizona (DRAZ), is a not-for-profit public interest law firm that provides free legal advocacy and representation to people with disabilities across Arizona. Founded in 1974 as a federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) system, the firm handles individual cases and systemic advocacy on issues including abuse and neglect, education, employment, housing, health care, voting rights, and rights of incarcerated individuals. It also hosts the annual African-American Conference on Disabilities (AACD) to support the African-American disability community in Arizona.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• African-American Conference on Disabilities (AACD): An annual conference focused on disability rights serving the African-American community in Arizona, held virtually and in-person with sponsorship opportunities.

Products and services

• Legal Assistance and Advocacy Services Free legal assistance and advocacy for people with disabilities in Arizona, with intake via online application or phone call to the Phoenix or Tucson offices.
• African-American Conference on Disabilities (AACD) An annual conference operated by ACDL/Disability Rights Arizona that focuses on disability rights issues affecting the African-American community in Arizona, delivered virtually and in-person with free tickets and sponsorship opportunities.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law: National nonprofit legal advocate for people with mental disabilities — overlapping practice areas (mental health, education, housing) and similar impact-litigation and policy-advocacy approach.
• Equip for Equality: Illinois's designated P&A system, providing the closest comparable state-P&A operating model to ACDL, including intake, litigation, and policy work across disability categories.
• National Disability Rights Network (NDRN): The national membership association for the P&A system; ACDL is a member P&A. NDRN provides the federal coordination, training, and funding-channel function that ACDL operates within.
• Disability Rights New York: Another state-level P&A system with a comparable comprehensive legal-services-and-advocacy mandate, serving as a benchmark peer in funding scale and program breadth.
• Disability Rights Advocates (DRA): National nonprofit disability rights legal center that pursues high-impact impact litigation and policy advocacy — same mission and direct legal-services model as ACDL.
• Disability Rights California: California's P&A system — the most direct state-level peer to ACDL in terms of mandate, funding model, and breadth of disability-rights legal practice areas.
• Center for Disability Rights: Rochester-based disability rights and independent living organization with overlapping advocacy on community-based services, healthcare, and civil rights enforcement.

Broad incumbents

• National Federation of the Blind: Large nationwide disability advocacy and service organization with overlap in education accommodations, employment, and accessibility — broader scope but intersecting client population.
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — Disability Rights Program: National civil liberties organization with a dedicated disability rights program; broader portfolio but directly overlapping in areas like voting rights, incarceration, and education.

Emerging players

• ADAPT: Grassroots disability rights organization focused on community integration, Medicaid, and accessibility — adjacent rather than direct competitor, but overlapping advocacy issues.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBAJ8Dn00GP_e-FC_9LwJ-g
• Facebookfacebook.com/azdisabilitylaw
• Xx.com/azdisabilitylaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ACDL