The Georgia Advocacy Office Email Format
Individual and Family ServicesGeorgia, United States11-50 Employees
The Georgia Advocacy Office (GAO) is a private nonprofit based in Decatur, Georgia, operating in the field of individual and family services. Its mission is to assist Georgians labeled as disabled or mentally ill in securing protection and advocacy. Federally funded and designated by Georgia as the Congressionally mandated agency to implement protections for people with disabilities, GAO runs seven programs anchored in federal law and employs a mix of self-advocacy, staff advocacy, legal advocacy, and citizen involvement to safeguard rights. The organization also supports Citizen Advocacy, an approach where an unpaid, independent advocate forms a relationship with a person at increased risk to advance the partner's interests within the community. A recent development is GAO's May 2026 launch of peer-to-peer trainings for legal professionals as part of the I DECIDE Georgia SDM Legal Community of Practice, in collaboration with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society.