Advocate, DRO - Rural Justice Initiative, East, TX

Disability Rights Texas•Houston, TX

About The Position

Disability Rights Texas is hiring an Advocate for its Rural Justice Initiative (RJI), assigned to the East Texas region. This project-funded, time-limited position supports expanded access to civil legal services for low-income Texans with disabilities living in designated rural communities and legal-desert counties. The position is funded for five years, and continued employment depends on the continuation of the project, funding availability, and organizational needs. It is not intended to continue beyond the project or its available funding. The Advocate works under the direction of an Advocate Supervisor and provides supervised, non-litigation advocacy and case support, including client intake and interviews, resource identification, complaint investigation, eligibility assessment, referrals, and short-term assistance. The role also drafts correspondence, complaints, and case notes and contributes to RJI outreach and education activities. The Advocate must live within or sufficiently near the assigned service area to maintain a regular, meaningful local presence and be reasonably available for in-person outreach, legal clinics, community-partner meetings, and other project activities. The service area includes Rusk, San Augustine, Tyler, Chambers, Trinity, Panola, Sabine, Hardin, Liberty, Houston, Shelby, Newton, Orange, San Jacinto, and Anderson counties. The role involves regular travel throughout the area, including communities with limited transportation options, and work in a variety of community and professional settings. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Education, Psychology, Rehabilitation Counseling, Disability Studies, Social Services, or a related field and two years of relevant experience working with individuals with disabilities; alternatively, four years of equivalent related experience.
One year of experience in a field related to outreach work involving a variety of social-service programs.
Knowledge of laws, regulations, and programs affecting individuals with disabilities, or ability to acquire such knowledge within a reasonable period.
Ability to analyze information, identify issues, and support development of effective solutions.
Ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences using varied methods, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a dynamic work environment.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team.
Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and follow-through.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and case-management systems.
Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
Must reside within or sufficiently near the assigned geographic service area to meet local-presence and community-engagement requirements.
Ability and willingness to travel regularly throughout rural Texas, including to communities with limited public transportation and other transportation options, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Ability to attend in-person outreach events and community activities within the assigned service area.
Ability to work effectively with people from diverse socioeconomic, geographic, cultural, linguistic, and disability backgrounds.

Nice To Haves

Experience in public interest, legal aid, disability rights, special education, public benefits, or other civil legal services.
Existing professional or community ties to the assigned RJI service area.
Experience working in advocacy, legal services, or disability-related programs.
Experience delivering presentations or conducting community outreach.
Familiarity with public systems and laws affecting individuals with disabilities and relevant to the issue team.
Spanish bilingual proficiency, written and spoken, as required for this position.

Responsibilities

Conduct client interviews and gather information to assess eligibility, case priority, and service needs.
Investigate complaints, analyze facts, and obtain and review records to identify legal and advocacy issues for attorney assessment.
Develop and implement advocacy steps under the direction and approval of the attorney assigned to the matter.
Manage an assigned caseload, including documentation, follow-up, and case coordination.
Maintain client contact in accordance with client policies and procedures.
Communicate with clients, staff, and external stakeholders about case status and advocacy efforts.
Maintain accurate, timely, and thorough case-management documentation, including required RJI activity, referral, county-coverage, and grant-reporting data.
Provide supervised non-litigation advocacy support, information, referrals, and authorized short-term assistance; coordinate with legal aid and community partners to address service gaps.
Identify resources and programs, assist with applications, and support negotiation, mediation, and service coordination under attorney supervision.
Deliver information, referrals, and short-term assistance to individuals who are not receiving extended services, under attorney supervision.
Support and deliver accessible rural legal education, outreach, and community-based services in coordination with RJI leadership and outreach staff.
Apply relevant laws, regulations, policies, and program requirements in service delivery under attorney supervision.
Prioritize workload and manage multiple responsibilities to meet deadlines and service expectations.
Collaborate with RJI team members and other departments to support effective service delivery.
Participate in ongoing training and professional development on disability rights and related issues.
Identify and document recurring barriers to rural legal access, including distance, transportation, broadband connectivity, communication accessibility, and limited legal-service availability, and elevate patterns to RJI leadership.
Facilitate coordinated referrals and follow-up with legal aid providers, schools, libraries, disability organizations, and other community partners using approved confidentiality and referral procedures.
Participate in accessible legal clinics and community-based client appointments within assigned counties.
Follow RJI case assignment, attorney approval, consultation, escalation, conflict-checking, and case-closure procedures; obtain specialized issue-team consultation when directed.
Assist with tracking project outputs and service gaps, including county-level coverage and referral pathways, as required by DRTx policies and approved RJI reporting measures.
Perform other job-related duties consistent with the position’s scope and level and the purposes of the Rural Justice Initiative.