Sec. 1. (a) It is the policy of the state that every individual with a developmental disability, individual with a mental illness, and individual seeking or receiving vocational rehabilitation services has the same right to legal and other professional and lay representational services to promote, protect, and advocate the individual's interests as any other individual.
(b) It is the intent of this chapter to secure to the state, the state's local units of government, and Indiana citizens maximum benefits under the Developmentally Disabled Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (P.L.94-103), and to this end this chapter should be liberally construed.