Refers clients to local, state, and regional services for people who are deaf, deaf-blind, late deafened and hard-of-hearing as well as those with speech impairments.   Advocates for clients on statewide access issues.

Individualized advocacy services: Identify resource, navigate complex systems, research, and facilitation of communication/networking. Policy and community advocacy: Attend city and county council meetings and contact elected representatives and civil servants at all levels of government. Efforts are in support of policies and resources that strengthen communities and improve outcomes for consumers of the criminal justice system, as well as the families and neighborhoods most seriously impacted by incarceration. Offers workshops and presentations for community groups interested in learning more about incarceration and reentry. New Connections also serves as the fiscal agent for Pierce Community Partnership for Transitional Services (Pierce CPTS). CPTS is made up of agencies and individuals working together to support successful transitions for people returning to communities after incarceration.

Provides disability rights information, technical assistance for disability issues, general information about legal rights, strategies about how to become a stronger self-advocate, information sheets on a wide range of subjects to empower individuals with disabilities to better advocate for themselves, community education and training, and some legal services for disability rights violations. Focuses legal resources on systemic cases that will improve service systems for people with disabilities. Disability Rights Washington has attorneys and law student interns who provide Technical Assistance on specific information related to our ongoing systemic work and to people calling from treatment facilities. If you are calling about an education issue related to disability in school, Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) or foster care related issues, supported living and waiver services, or your rights as they relate to a treatment facility, we have appointments and can schedule you with staff. If you are a Social Security disability beneficiary under full retirement age experiencing a barrier to employment, including issues with paratransit, difficulty accessing job training and employment services, loss of ongoing employment supports, lack of access to assistive technology needed to work, or other issues that prevent you from getting or keeping employment, you can call and schedule an appointment with staff. Does not provide representation or advice for: - Criminal law - Family law - Assistance becoming the guardian of an individual with a disability - Out-of-state issues - Workers compensation - General medical malpractice & personal injury - General consumer bankruptcy issues - Any issue or problem not directly related to your disability - Assistance finding employment, housing or financial assistance - Assistance filling out forms & Social Security applications - Anything that is not the wish of the person with the disability