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Human Rights Committee
About Our Human Rights Committee:
Since 1983, Home & Community Connections has supported individuals to live their lives they choose. By having an active and robust Human Rights Committee, our effort to protect, affirm, and honor the rights of the people we support continues. In accordance with Department of Developmental Services regulations, the purpose of this committee is to work together to ensure the safety of each person’s rights, and to ensure that regardless of public or administrative indifference, the rights of the people we support will not be compromised. Committee members are comprised of concerned, independent citizens, and individuals supported, who volunteer their time to focus on issues from the perspective of the rights of people supported by Home & Community Connections.
Our Human Rights Coordinator officiates committee meetings which are held regularly and are composed of a minimum of five members. Of these members, at least three are individuals supported, family members or advocates as well as a physician or nurse, attorney or law student and clinician.
Duties of the members include:
• Being educated about and familiar with the human rights of the individuals supported.
• Reviewing and monitoring the contents of behavior modification plans, how they are developed and the process by which they are implemented and monitored.
• Investigating grievances and allegations of mistreatment.
• Reviewing and monitoring any restrictions of movements or possessions.
• Reviewing and monitoring research projects.
• Reviewing and monitoring the means by which H&CC informs people supported, caregivers/family members and employees of human rights.
• Reviewing and monitoring H&CC policies as they relate to human and civil rights and with regard to DDS regulations.
• Training individuals supported in the exercise of their rights and to provide opportunities to exercise rights to the fullest extent of one’s capabilities and interests.
• Making recommendations to H&CC and DDS to improve the degree to which human and civil rights of persons’ are envisioned and enforced.
• Ensuring that H&CC team members, caregivers/family members and the people supported are informed of the purpose of the Human Rights Committee, as well as any procedures which the Committee has developed and how to access the Committee with complaints, grievances or ideas.
• Filing or assisting individuals to file complaints at their request.
• Using its best efforts to see that an attorney or advocate is made available to an individual at their request.