Origins of the Protection and Advocacy (P&A) and CAP Systems
There is a federally mandated system in each state and territory of the United States that provides protection of the rights of persons with disabilities through legally based advocacy - they are called protection and advocacy agencies. Protection and Advocacy agencies (P&As) were established in the early 1970s to address public outcry in response to the abuse, neglect and lack of programming in institutions for persons with disabilities. The purpose of the P&As has expanded greatly over the past twenty years, and Congress has created distinct statutory programs to address the needs of different populations of persons with disabilities. The governor in each state designates an agency to be the P&A system, and provides assurances that the system was and would remain independent of any service provider. The Disability Law (DLC) is the private non-profit agency designated by the governor to protect the rights of people with disabilities in Utah.