Obama Commemorates Olmstead; Announces "Year of Community Living"

THE WHITE HOUSE 
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2009

President Obama Commemorates Anniversary of Olmstead and Announces New Initiatives to Assist Americans with Disabilities

On the 10th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in the case of Olmstead v. L.C., President Barack Obama today celebrated that anniversary and launched "The Year of Community Living," a new effort to assist Americans with disabilities.

Specifically, the President has directed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan to work together to identify ways to improve access to housing, community supports, and independent living arrangements. As part of this effort, later today, Secretaries Sebelius and Donovan will announce several new initiatives including details about increased numbers of Section 8 vouchers and enhanced interagency coordination to address this critical civil rights issue. The initiative also will include listening sessions conducted by HHS across the country to hear the voices and stories of Americans and to keep the President's pledge to be as open and transparent as possible.

"The Olmstead ruling was a critical step forward for our nation, articulating one of the most fundamental rights of Americans with disabilities: Having the choice to live independently," said President Obama. "I am proud to launch this initiative to reaffirm my Administration's commitment to vigorous enforcement of civil rights for Americans with disabilities and to ensuring the fullest inclusion of all people in the life of our nation."

In the Olmstead case, the Court held that the unjustified institutional isolation of people with disabilities is a form of unlawful discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Since that time, progress has been made. Many individuals have successfully transitioned to community settings, but waiting lists for community services have grown considerably and many individuals who would like to receive community services are not able to obtain them.

To help remedy that problem, the Obama Administration provided over $140 million in the Recovery Act funding for independent living centers across the country. The Administration acknowledges that strides have been made, and knows and accepts that there is much work to do in order to maximize the choices and opportunities for individuals to receive long-term services and supports in institutional and community settings.

The President noted that his Administration looks forward to continued engagement with the disability community to achieve these goals.

Comment Below: What does this statement mean to you? Is this the long-awaited statement of solidarity and support our community has been waiting for? or is this a token recognition of our struggle which will not amount to any real change?  What would you like to see happen in the "Year of Community Living?" Are you excited, relieved, disappointed, cautious, energized, eager, or angered?

Comments

[Sara]

How will HHS let me know, individually, of these increased services? how will we access increased Sesction 8 vouchers? I have become utterly cynical since it seems that the money goes from one bureaucracy to pay the staff at another and the people who are to be served never even know the services (supposedly) exist . . . much less have any control over accessing them. . . Please tell me I'm wrong . . . that this will be different . . . is Sec Sebelius going to send me an email? a letter? an invitation? Or is it yet another battle in the endless endless mind-numbing effort to survive independently?

[Debra Exum]

These section 8 vouchers sound great, to a
good number of people with disabilities;
as long as they go to them! In the past,
Hud Housing seemed partial to family, friends, an unfair system. People with disabilities waited and waited for years, without any results. Laws were not enforced,
or followed up. I would like to believe this time things will change under the new
administration. Debra

[Daniel Garcia]

This is great for a start but like many of us we will see nothing and only the few well inform people will get the golden nugget on housing and the long waited promise of community choice act.
Olmstead as a U.S. Supreme Court decision it is crucial but powerless when there is no amendment or no law to enforce the olmstead decision.

Daniel Garcia
Systems Change Advocate
Community Rehabilitation Services
East Los Angeles, CA

[Janet Hunt]

For all interested in working together to close institutions, please join our Facebook cause at www.causes.com/institutionsclosethem

You may also find information on our website for states that are organizing action events around the country. Sign-up to have your own rally or protest to help compile a video or other recordings onto a DVD to share all over the world. Join us in getting the message out that institutions are wrong and must be closed.

http://www.peoplefirstofnh.org/CloseInstitutionEvents.htm

You'll find sample posters and signs to print and a flyer with data about institutions to use as hand-outs.

Janet Hunt
People First of New Hampshire
janet@peoplefirstofnh.org

[edithsego]

what happens to people with disabilities who need personal assistance at work and at home like aide with mobiity, cooking , laundry etc and are not medicaid eligible and cannot afford to pay on open market???

[Mary Ellen OBrien]

We need Cities to agree that the ADA is law! I live in St. Louis in an apartment building that has many places I cannot go to in my wheelchair. I filed a complaint, then the owner and 5 lawyers showed up at the city civil rights office and all the evidence disappeared! The ruling was NO VIOLATION. I am still in the same building. I am still here. I am still waiting. Mary Ellen O'Brien--mavesmom