The Native American Disability Law Center provides advocacy, referral information, and educational resources to all Native Americans with a disability living anywhere in the Four Corners area who feels that they have been:

• discriminated against because of their disability
• abused or neglected, or
• wrongly denied a service

If you or anyone you know has experienced these issues, please call our toll free number (800) 862-7271 or visit our office to speak with a Law Center employee. The employee will provide you with information and resources to help you advocate for yourself. If your problem falls within our priorities and we have available resources, you will be referred to an attorney or advocate for representation. Anyone who has been denied services by the Law Center or is in any way unhappy with the Law Center's services or programs may file a grievance.  For online information on your legal rights, please see our Resources page.

Our Priorities

 Statement of Priorities & Objectives

October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026

A - Intake & Outreach

Goal: Efficiently provide timely services to new clients & increase awareness of the Law Center’s services through community & media-based outreach, providing training & information.

Objective 1: Access to Available Benefits. Assist seniors and individuals with disabilities to receive appropriate services by helping them access programs that pay for healthcare, food and energy.

Objective 2: Promoting Vocational Rehabilitation Services. Increase awareness of vocational rehabilitation services through developing & distributing public awareness information and materials.

Objective 3: Promote Self-Advocacy & Understanding of Rights.  The Law Center will participate in local outreach events & two conferences or training events to increase:

the understanding of Native Americans with disabilities & their families of their rights to services, supports, & employment; the ability of Native Americans with disabilities & their families to advocate for their needs & services; the understanding of the issues facing Native Americans with disabilities; &awareness of the Law Center & its services.

B - Children’s Education & Safety

Goal: All Native American children in the Four Corners region will have access to appropriate education & services designed to keep them safe & meet their unique needs in the least restrictive environment.

Objective 2: Promote Self-Advocacy. Provide technical assistance to families of twenty (20) students with disabilities to empower them to advocate for their children to obtain appropriate education and related services in the least restrictive environment.

Objective 3: Direct Representation. Provide direct representation in meetings, informal settings, and/or administrative proceedings to fifteen (15) children with disabilities who are not receiving a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment, with priority given to students who are excluded from school or who are not receiving appropriate transition services.

Objective 4: Systemic Advocacy. Through systemic advocacy, ensure that the federal & state education systems meet the educational needs of Native American students with disabilities enrolled in their schools by addressing their education needs.

C - Community Integration

Goal: Native Americans with disabilities will be free from abuse and neglect, whether they live in the community, residential facilities, or correctional institutions, & receive appropriate supports & services to enable them to live in the most integrated, least restrictive settings appropriate to their choices and needs.

Objective 1: Monitoring Facilities and Services. Monitor facilities and institutions at least every six (6) months & more frequently depending on the services provided & the needs of the residents.  Monitoring will focus on instances of abuse and neglect, distributing educational materials, and providing advocacy services for individuals who are allegedly being abused or neglected.

Objective 2: Promote Civil Rights & Community Access. Provide direct assistance to individuals with disabilities in their efforts to protect & enforce their civil rights based on their disability & obtain appropriate community services, such as housing, voting, vocational rehabilitation services or employment.

Objective 3:  Advocate for Improved Access to Services. Pursue three systemic initiatives to improve access to public services, prevent abuse & neglect, & improve services & access for Native Americans with disabilities.

Types of Service

Examples of problems the Law Center can help with

The Law Center helps Native Americans with disabilities to solve disability-related problems. If you have a disability and qualify for services, the Law Center can help you with problems like:

• Rights to basic support, personal care, therapy and health care - like Supplemental Security Income (SSI), In-Home Supportive Services, Medicare and Medicaid.
• Discrimination in housing, transportation, employment, and access to public and private programs and services.
• Abuse, neglect, and rights violations in a nursing home or other institution.
• Dignity, privacy, choice, and other basic rights.
• Special education rights.
• Mental health and support services.
• Services that promote independence -- such as supported living and family supports.
• Access to technology -- like communication devices and power wheelchairs.
• Provide information on Alternatives to Guardianship.

NADLC does NOT provide legal services in the following areas

• Any issue or problem not directly related to your disability
• Anything that is not the wish of the person with the disability
• Bankruptcy
• Criminal Law
• Family Law (divorce, child custody, etc.)
• Identity Theft
• Malpractice
• Mortgage Foreclosure
• Personal Injury
• Probate
• Property
• Social Security Determination or Appeals
• Wills

If we can't help you ourselves, we can try to refer you to other sources of help. Contact us to find out more.

When you support the work of the Native American Disability Law Center you are a partner in the fight for justice!

Donate Online

Your tax-deductible donation helps us continue to provide free legal services, information, outreach and training to Native Americans with disabilities in the Southwest.

The Law Center is the only agency in the country devoted solely to protecting the legal rights of Native Americans with disabilities. We guard Native Americans with disabilities against abuse and advocate for their basic rights. Our advocacy ensures accountability in health care, education, employment, housing, transportation and juvenile justice.

Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the Law Center today. The Law Center will use your donation to ensure that Native Americans of all abilities are treated with equality, dignity and respect.

You can donate online or use our printer-friendly donation form (PDF) to mail your donation. Thank you for your support!

CY PRES AWARDS

Please consider the Native American Disability Law Center for your CY PRES distribution. The award can be directly incorporated into the class action settlement agreement and the Law Center will work with counsel to prepare the necessary documentation. Please contact the Law Center’s Executive Director, Therese Yanan, at or call (505) 566-5880.

The Law Center's mission is to advocate so that the rights of Native Americans with disabilities in the Four Corners area are enforced, strengthened and brought in harmony with their communities.

Our advocates work to ensure that Native Americans with disabilities have access to justice and are empowered and equal members of their communities and nations. The issues we address include civil rights, special education, health care, and rights to public and private services. Our staff investigates abuse and neglect in care facilities, and provides rights-based training for people with disabilities, their families, educators and service providers.

Core Values

These core values guide the Native American Disability Law Center's staff and Board as we interact with clients, the community and each other:

• We share a deep commitment to Native Americans with disabilities.
• We respect the individual, the community and the laws we seek to uphold.
• We value the histories and choices of the individuals and communities we serve.
• We are responsive to the needs of the community.
• We use resources wisely and ethically.
• We are transparent in our actions.