Human Rights Committees (HRC)

“[I]ndividualized rights are the cornerstone of our existence as citizens of the United States and should not be overlook or negated because a person is identified as “disabled” … The purpose of [a Human Rights Committee] is to lead the organization that is safeguarding, supporting and exercising the human rights of people participating in its programs.”

Steve Baker & Amy Tabor, Human Rights Committees: From Compliance to Cultural Commitment 1 (2016).

What is a Human Rights Committee (HRC)?

A Human Rights Committee (HRC) is a group of volunteers who work together to protect the rights of persons with disabilities.

All community service providers certified by Developmental Disabilities (DD) Division and the Mental Illness & Substance Use (MISU) Division of the Alabama Department of Mental Health (DMH) must have an HRC to protect the rights of the people they serve.

Some HRCs, especially in rural areas, serve more than one provider agency.

What kind of rights are we talking about?

People with disabilities have the same civil rights as people without disabilities and are entitled to the legal protection of those rights.

Rights like:

  • Right to vote

  • Right to privacy

  • Right to choose how you practice your religion

  • Right to marry

  • Right to choose your friends and who you spend time with

  • Right to manage your money

  • Right to have your own personal possessions

A person’s rights cannot be restricted or limited by a DMH service provider without due process; that’s where the HRC comes in. A key HRC role is to review rights restrictions that have been proposed for a person with a disability served by the community provider.

 
 

What are the Duties of an HRC?

Elect HRC officers (Chair, Co-Chair, Secretary). The Chair and Co-Chair cannot be employed by the community program

Develop needed HRC by-laws and operational procedures

Meet at least quarterly

Keep minutes of all meetings and maintain related correspondence

Report all committee activities and recommendations to the program director

HRC required activities include, but are not limited to:

  •  Assisting in the review of rights-related policies and procedures
  • Promoting rights-related education and training programs
  • Reviewing rights restrictions
  • Assisting in monitoring activities
  • Advising the community program director on consumer rights-related grievances
  • Reviewing rights-related issues in behavioral plans.
 

Contacting the HRC that serves a DMH DD community service provider 

The DMH DD Division maintains a master list of all the HRCs operating for DD providers.  

To contact the HRC that operates for a particular provider, contact the DD regional contact from the list below:

Region I: Patricia Bailey, patricia.bailey@region1.mh.alabama.gov

Region II: Erica Eatmon, erica.eatmon@region2.mh.alabama.gov

Region III: LaShoundra Young, lashoundra.young@region3.mh.alabama.gov

Region IV: LaShoundra Young, lashoundra.young@region3.mh.alabama.gov

Region V: Christine Crum, christine.crum@mh.alabama.gov