Job details
Salary $23.34 - $34.20 an hour job type full-time
Full job description
If you require an accommodation due to a disability to complete this application or you are experiencing issues submitting your application and accompanying
Materials please e-mail talent@disabilityrightsca.org.
*this position is bilingual in spanish or asian language & english**
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Individuals who are deaf or disabled are encouraged to apply.*
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Salary range (depending on experience):
Community organizer: $23.34 - $34.20 per hour
Senior community organizer: $25.67 - $37.60 per hour
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Location: *sacramento, oakland, san diego, los angeles, or work from home
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Hiring: * we are hiring 1 position, a community organizer or a senior community organizer.
Who we are
Disability rights california (drc) is the protection & advocacy (p&a) system for the state of californiaWe are a nonprofit agency with a mandate under federal and state law to defend, advance, and strengthen the rights of people with disabilitiesDrc works to create a world where all people with disabilities have power and are treated with dignity and respect by being included in their communities, afforded the same opportunities as people without disabilities, and respected to make their own decisions.
In order to be effective advocates for people with disabilities, we address systemic discrimination in all its forms and we acknowledge the unique challenges faced by people who experience the intersection of multiple types of discrimination.
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Intellectual & developmental disabilites (i/dd) practice group
We are a statewide team of passionate attorneys who work at the intersection of impact litigation, individual cases, policy, and other systemic reform efforts to defend and advance the rights of intellectually and developmentally disabled children and adults in californiaOur guiding focus is that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities should be able to live, receive an education, work, and play in their own homes and communities, and receive the supports they want and need in those settings to lead self-determined livesWe have also adopted movement lawyering and identity-conscious approaches to our work to ensure that our advocacy seeks out and elevates the voices and goals of the communities we serve.
Our current i/dd practice group priorities include:
Representing intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals and their families in administrative hearings and superior court appeals challenging the denial or reduction of lanterman act services.
Challenging race and disability-based discrimination against individuals who receive services from california’s i/dd service delivery system.
Advancing the core principles of the olmstead decision and the rights of intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals to live, work, and play in their home communities and receive the supports they need in those settings.
Expanding access to supported decision making, self-determination, and other supports that advance the autonomy, preferences and choices of intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals.
State budget, policy, and legislative advocacy to protect and advance the rights of disabled californians.
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Community organizer - purpose of the job*
The community organizer will partner with legal staff to:
Develop and sustain relationships with organizations led by intellectually and developmentally disabled people and key stakeholders within the i/dd community.
Connect the expertise and lived experience of intellectually and developmentally disabled people and their families to our advocacy, with an emphasis on developing and refining practice group priorities in response to the ongoing impact of the covid-19 pandemic.
Identify and partner with emerging leaders within the i/dd community throughout the state, with particular emphasis on leaders with intellectual disabilities, leaders from communities of color, leaders from communities who speak languages other than english and/or use alternative modes of communication such as aac, and leaders from rural communities.
Support grassroots turnout at coalitions, stakeholder meetings, and community meetings to elevate the voices and build the power of intellectual and developmentally disabled people.
Support grassroots engagement by designing and conducting trainings, developing digital media strategies, hosting and participating in community meetings, and creating toolkits and other educational materials.
Develop and implement strategies for outreach and on-going communication with clients in systemic cases and projects.
Develop client engagement strategies, including opportunities for direct advocacy, when requests for legal assistance arise in the context of movement-building activities.
Actively collaborate across the organization and identify cross-unit strategies that support our advocacy goals.
Participate in other duties as assigned.
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Minimum qualifications
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Education and experience
High school diploma or general education degree (ged) and at least 2 years of paid or volunteer relevant experience.
Paid or volunteer experience may include:
Experience working in social service, human service, community-based, public interest, or educational environments.
Strong connections to grassroots intellectually or developmentally disabled leaders.
Ability to work in and with historically underserved communities and center the leadership of directly impacted people.
Ability to generate passion and optimism around our work through public speaking and public education.
Ability to develop training and self-advocacy materials.
Strong interpersonal skills and a collaborative mindset with the ability to work with staff at all organizational levels, as well as allies, coalition partners, and community leaders.
Strong project and time management skills, including demonstrated capacity to manage competing projects with tight deadlines and implement projects from start to finish.
Ability to lead client groups, organize client events, and work with clients in innovative ways.
Experience working with people across a variety of backgrounds in the community, which may include individuals from language or ethnically distinct communities, people with mental health disabilities, people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, people who are institutionalized or criminally justice-involved, aging populations, the lgbtiqia+ community, and a variety of socioeconomic groups.
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Senior community organizer - purpose of the job*
The senior community organizer will partner with legal staff to:
Develop and sustain relationships with organizations led by intellectually and developmentally disabled people and key stakeholders within the i/dd community.
Connect the expertise and lived experience of intellectually and developmentally disabled people and their families to our advocacy, with an emphasis on developing and refining practice group priorities in response to the ongoing impact of the covid-19 pandemic.
Identify and partner with emerging leaders within the i/dd community throughout the state, with particular emphasis on leaders with intellectual disabilities, leaders from communities of color, leaders from communities who speak languages other than english and/or use alternative modes of communication such as aac, and leaders from rural communities.
Develop and lead grassroots turnout at coalitions, stakeholder meetings, and community meetings to elevate the voices and build the power of intellectual and developmentally disabled people.
Develop and lead grassroots engagement by designing and conducting trainings, developing digital media strategies, hosting and participating in community meetings, and creating toolkits and other educational materials.
Develop and implement strategies for outreach and on-going communication with clients in systemic cases and projects.
Develop client engagement strategies, including opportunities for direct advocacy, when requests for legal assistance arise in the context of movement building activities.
Mentor, train, and develop less experienced staff in community organizing principles and activities.
Actively collaborate across the organization and identify cross-unit strategies that support our advocacy goals.
Participate in other duties as assigned.
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Minimum qualifications*
Education and experience
High school diploma or general education degree (ged) plus at least 7 years of relevant experience with a minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible community organizing experience.
Paid or volunteer experience may include:
Experience working in social service, human service, community-based, public interest, or educational environments.
Strong connections to grassroots intellectually or developmentally disabled leaders.
Demonstrated ability to work in and with historically underserved communities and center the leadership of directly impacted people.
Demonstrated ability to generate passion and optimism around our work through public speaking and public education.
Demonstrated ability to develop training and self-advocacy materials.
Strong interpersonal skills and a collaborative mindset with the ability to work with staff at all organizational levels, as well as allies, coalition partners, and community leaders.
Strong project and time management skills, including demonstrated capacity to manage competing projects with tight deadlines and implement projects from start to finish.
Demonstrated ability to lead client groups, organize client events, and work with clients in innovative ways.
Experience working with people across a variety of backgrounds in the community, which may include individuals from language or ethnically distinct communities, people with mental health disabilities, people at risk of or experiencing homelessness, people who are institutionalized or criminally justice involved, aging populations, the lgbtiqia+ community, and a variety of socioeconomic groups.
Travel requirements
*ability to travel (when it is safe to do so) for activities such as out-of-town meetings, trainings, or community organizing events up to 25% of the time.
Language fluency
Must be able to communicate fluently and write effectively in spanish or an asian language, or able to communicate using american sign language.
Preferred qualifications
Knowledge about california’s i/dd service delivery system or other systems that serve intellectually and developmentally disabled people.
Life experience as a person with a disability or a supporter of a family member with a disability.
Associate`s (aa or as) degree in a related field or equivalent from two-year college or technical school, a bachelor`s (ba or bs) degree in a related field from four-year college, or the equivalent combination of experience and/or training.
Working conditions
The following describes general working conditions and requirements of the job, which can be performed with or without disability-related reasonable accommodations:
Duties are performed between an office or home environment and the field in a wide range of settings, including courthouses, facilities, or other institutional settings, or in community-based settings.
Duties frequently require sitting and communicating with others.
Must be able to transport oneself to work-related meetings, training, and community events.
If you are interested in becoming a part of drc, please submit the following:
1Online disability rights california application form
2Your resume
3Cover letter: we need a workforce that can utilize insights and strategies that can come from both professional and personal experienceIn your cover letter, please tell us about yourself, why you are a great fit for this position and for drc, and any relationships you may have with organizations led by disabled people and key stakeholders within the disability communityPlease also state whether you are applying for the community organizer position, senior community organizer position, or if you would like to be considered for both positions.
At disability rights california, we value diversity among our employees because unique perspectives allow us to effectively serve californians with disabilities from a wide range of cultural backgroundsAs an equal opportunity employer, we hire without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, age (over 40), disability (mental and physical), sex, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military and veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.
Disability rights california endorses and supports the intent of the americans with disabilities act of 1990 (ada) and the california fair employment and housing act (feha) and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities who are applicants or employees who need accommodations.
Job type: full-time
Pay: $23.34 - $34.20 per hour
Work location: multiple locations
