Disability Advocate

State of North Dakota; Fargo (ND); On-site; USD 61,000 - 67,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full Benefits

Job summary

The State of North Dakota, through the ND Protection & Advocacy Project, is hiring a Disability Advocate to serve the Fargo region. You will provide information, assistance, and advocacy on disability-related rights issues, investigate alleged abuse and neglect, and offer training and outreach to individuals with disabilities, parents, guardians, and professionals.

Some travel is required. Minimum qualifications include a relevant bachelor's degree and several years of experience helping people

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in special education, social work, psychology, sociology, or other human services related field with three years of professional or lived experience with people with disabilities; OR
• Bachelor's degree in any field with four years of experience working with people with disabilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide information, assistance, and advocacy on disability-related, legal rights issues to people with disabilities; investigate alleged abuse and neglect; and provide training and outreach to people with disabilities, parents, guardians, service providers, and other professionals on disability rights issues.
• Some travel required with occasional overnight stays.
• Collaborate with staff to develop training protocols in areas including ANE, investigations, disability-related law and processes, advocacy, and other rights areas specific to individuals with disabilities.
• Represent P&A on meetings, committees, workgroups, and task forces as requested to address issues of concern to P&A.

Education

Bachelor's degree in special education, social work, psychology, sociology, or other human services related field

Bachelor's degree in any field, and four years of experience working with people with disabilities

Job description

Salary: $5,484 - $6,000 / Month + Full Benefits

Closing Date: October 25, 2026

The ND Protection & Advocacy Project is a statewide agency with the federally mandated purpose of protecting and advocating for the rights of people with disabilities in North Dakota. We are hiring a disability advocate to serve our Fargo region.

Summary Of Work

As a Disability Advocate you must have a passion for ensuring equality and inclusion of people with disabilities. You will provide information, assistance, and advocacy on disability-related, legal rights issues to people with disabilities; you will investigate alleged abuse and neglect; and provide training and outreach to people with disabilities, parents, guardians, service providers, and other professionals on disability rights issues.

Some travel required with occasional overnight stays.

Duties and Tasks

Protective and Advocacy services

• Receives referrals regarding alleged rights violations of individuals with disabilities. Determines eligibility based on federal program, P&A eligibility criteria, and focus areas.
• Works with the client to fulfill unmet disability-related needs and rights violations.
• Receives reports of suspected abuse, neglect, and exploitation (ANE) of individuals with disabilities.
• Investigates, collects, and reviews information to determine probable cause within timelines; completes required documentation and reports per P&A procedures and protocol.

Training and outreach

• Collaborates with other P&A staff to develop training protocols in areas that include ANE, investigations, disability-related law and processes, advocacy, and other rights areas specific to individuals with disabilities.
• Collaborates with other P&A staff to develop and present trainings on disability-related topics to people with disabilities, professionals, parents, guardians, and others.

Systems advocacy

• Collaborates with individuals with disabilities and advocacy organizations to develop strategies and advocate for positive systemic changes.
• Represents P&A on meetings, committees, workgroups, and task forces as requested, to address issues of concern to P&A.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in special education, social work, psychology, sociology, or other human services related field and three years of professional/lived experience with people with disabilities; OR
• Bachelor's degree in any field, and four years of experience working with people with disabilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Work experience that involved advocating for people with a variety of disabilities including developmental disabilities, mental illness, physical disabilities and brain injury, to include co-occurring disabilities.
• Excellent understanding and knowledge of disability-related service delivery systems in ND.
• Work experience that required research, analysis, interpretation, and/or application of rules, regulations, statute, or complex policies.
• Work experience that required investigative type of duties.
• Work experience making presentations to a group.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Competent in using Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and Internet.

About Team ND

"Far and away the best prize life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." - Theodore Roosevelt

More than 7,500 talented, hard-working people across sixty-three agencies have come together as Team North Dakota. At Team ND, we are driven to succeed through gratitude, humility, curiosity and courage. Our purpose is to empower people, improve lives, and inspire success. Join us in being legendary.

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Equal Employment Opportunity

The State of North Dakota and this hiring agency do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), genetics, religion, age or disability in employment or the provisions of services and complies with the provisions of the North Dakota Human Rights Act.

As an employer, the State of North Dakota prohibits smoking in all places of state employment in accordance with N.D.C.C. Sect. 23-12-10.