Yesterday marked the anniversary of the landmark disability rights Supreme Court decision in Olmstead v. L.C., which was decided on June 22, 1999.
To mark the occasion, Advocacy Manager Noah Block attended a panel discussion on Capitol Hill hosted by the Senate Special Committee on Aging and the Senate HELP Committee about the importance of the Olmstead decision.
The recording of the event is now available to view on the Senate Special Committee on Aging’s website. Many advocates across the sector attended Tuesday’s event, including Senator Casey (D-PA), congressional champion for disability rights.
Because this was the first anniversary of Olmstead v. L.C. since the lead plaintiff, Lois Curtis, passed away last year, Tuesday’s event also honored Ms. Curtis’ memory and her life’s work of protecting the rights of people with disabilities to live in the community, rather than in institutions. At our Annual Conference in April, ANCOR honored Ms. Curtis through a collaborative mosaic portrait (shown at right).
In Olmstead, the Supreme Court found that under the Americans with Disabilities Act, it was unlawful to force people to live in institutions and people with disabilities have the right to be provided with services to live in their communities. The Olmstead decision affirmed that the services and supports that people still use today, including home and community-based services, are fundamental rights that need to be protected in order for people with disabilities to live and work in the community.
