BILL OF RIGHTS » DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES

Consumer Rights
As stipulated in the DD Act, every person with a developmental disability who receives services funded through the Division of Disabilities and Aging Services has the right to:

  • Be free from aversive procedures, devices and treatments.
  • Privacy, respect, dignity, confidentiality and humane care.
  • Associate with individuals of both genders.
  • Communicate in private by mail and telephone.
  • Communicate in his or her primary language and primary mode of communication.
  • Be free from retaliation for making a complaint, voicing a grievance, recommending changes in policies or exercising a legal right.
  • Maintain contact with family, unless contact has been restricted by court order.
  • Refuse or terminate services, except where services are required by court order.
  • Have access to, read and challenge any information contained in their record and to file a written statement regarding any portion of the record with which the person disagrees.

In addition to the rights stipulated in the DD Act, UCS Developmental Services Division believes individuals have the following additional rights:

  • Right to access and to be represented in the legal system.
  • Right to buy, own, and sell property.
  • Right to equal educational opportunities.
  • Right to equal employment.
  • Right to fair and equal treatment by public agencies.
  • Right to protection and due process.
  • Right to worship.
  • Right to marry, reproduce, and raise children.
  • Right to privacy.
  • Right to vote and participate in the democratic process.
  • Right to services provided in the least restrictive environment.
  • Right to be free from physical, psychological, and fiduciary abuse.
  • Right to be free from humiliation, neglect, and exploitation.
  • Right to informed consent or refusal and expression of choice regarding service delivery, release of information, concurrent services, and composition of the support team.
  • Right to access self-help and advocacy support services.
  • Right to an investigation and resolution of alleged infringement of rights.
  • Right to supports that are designed to be sensitive to the physical, developmental and abuse history of the individual.

Every family that receives services in the context of supporting a family member with a developmental disability has the right to:

  • Receive services without relinquishing custody of a child or children except when custody is terminated in accordance with Vermont law.
  • Privacy and confidentially
  • Communication
  • Be free from retaliation for making a complaint, voicing a grievance, recommending a change in policy or exercising a legal right.