Disability Rights Oregon

What it reported doing in 2023

During the year ended september 30, 2024, disability rights Oregon incurred program service expenses in the following major categories: children's rights project: changing education, foster care, and other systems to provide Oregon's children with the academics and support services they need to reach their potential. Efforts include class-action lawsuits on behalf of children in Oregon's broken foster care system and children not receiving fair and appropriate education, legislative advocacy limiting use of seclusion and restraints in schools, and legal counsel for parents and caregivers about special education. When children with disabilities and their families have proper resources early in their lives, they can thrive alongside their peers in classrooms and communities for years to come.project independence: expanding job opportunities and independent living for people with disabilities. We offer advice and tools to protect and assert constitutional rights. Supported by our free-of-charge legal advocacy services, people with disabilities access programs authorized under the rehabilitation act, vocational rehabilitation, assistive technology, independent living, supported employment, and similar services in Oregon. We also work to promote equal access to vaccinations, investigate small institutions and group homes where people with intellectual or developmental disabilities live, promote accessible housing, and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities when seeking healthcare, behavioral health, and related services. Crime survivor project: promoting empowerment and justice for crime survivorseven if the crime has not been reported. People with disabilities are twice as likely to be victims of crime compared to others. We support crime survivors with disabilities by explaining survivor rights, providing free-of-charge legal advocacy services, and helping individuals navigate the criminal justice system. Our services include helping survivors write victim impact statements, accompanying clients to court, advocating for investigations, and filing legal documents. We also help secure protection orders, advocate for reasonable accommodations, and enforce survivor rights in housing, employment, and school.financial protection & empowerment program: people with disabilities should live free of financial exploitation and should experience economic empowerment. We provide independent oversight of social security's representative payee program to protect people with disabilities from financial abuse while also helping social security beneficiaries explore employment and achieve economic independence. In collaboration with the social security administration, we help representative payees understand their obligations to the person they serve, review financial records, and identify and report cases where funds are being improperly used or stolen. We offer guidance for people with disabilities who receive social security benefits and are workingor wish toin Oregon and southwestern Washington state.guardianship and alternatives: everyone should be able to live with as much autonomy and freedom as possible. We represent people with disabilities facing guardianship or conservatorship in Oregon to ensure their rights are upheld. We also offer information statewide about alternatives to guardianship, including declaration for mental health treatment, advanced health care directive, power of attorney, supported decision-making, and family and community support.mental health rights project: people with mental illness deserve access to the supports and services they need to thrive in our communities, and no person should be abused or neglected in a state institution. We combat the criminalization of mental illness and provide free-of-charge legal advocacy services to people with mental health disabilities. We are committed to understanding and addressing the unique challenges faced by different communities, and our work includes advoca

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 72.5%; rating input score 73
• Program expense ratio: 85.4%; rating input score 85
• Fundraising efficiency: $3,495.97 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 15.3%; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.77; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.17; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 13.4%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 22.1% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 23.7% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 30.3% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings