Disability Pride Month is every July and is celebrated around the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the United States comprehensive civil rights law protecting people with disabilities. The 1999 Supreme Court Decision of Olmstead, made possible by the ADA and disabled self-advocates, ruled that Disabled people have the protected right to live and receive supportive services where they choose, in integrated homes and communities. Many disability rights advocates and allies call this “community living”. Even with this year marking the 23rd anniversary of the Olmstead decision and the 32nd anniversary of ADA, the right to community living has yet to become a reality for millions of disabled people.
On June 22, 2022, The Kelsey, The Century Foundation, and the Disability Economic Justice Collaborative co-hosted the #OlmsteadAt23 Twitter Chat, bringing together cross-sector partners and community members to commemorate the anniversary and share ideas for how the US can live up to the promise of Olmstead and make the right to community living reality: that all people have equitable access to economic opportunity, housing, home-and-community-based services, and community life.
Here are three ways that the United States can progress in making disabled people’s right to community living a reality:
- Acknowledge the problem. The right to community living has not been realized for millions of disabled people and the affordable housing and supportive services crises continues to exacerbate this need.
A4 23 years after Olmstead, we still have disabled people in institutions. No one should live in an institution, but many are forced to because of the institutional bias in the Medicaid program. Others are stuck on years-long waiting lists. #OlmsteadAt23 https://t.co/3uf0X8UuXz
— Autistic Self Advocacy Network (@autselfadvocacy) June 22, 2022
#OlmsteadAt23! Still so far to go, but we won’t stop. And let’s remember: prisons & jails are also institutional settings where people w/disabilities often land when community-based services could have led to a different outcome. https://t.co/EBBlDBqiDI
— TAC (@TACIncBoston) June 23, 2022
Today we mark #OlmsteadAt23. The decision helped thousands of disabled people out of congregate settings. We still have much more to do, including fully funding #HCBS, so more disabled people can live in their communities. https://t.co/OQDf9Eygwa
— CAPDisability (@CAPDisability) June 22, 2022
A4: Disability economic justice includes improving accessible, affordable housing, & access to home care. We need to improve inclusion in employment, education, transportation, & more. Read about barriers to economic security: https://t.co/IIjQLU68e6 #OlmsteadAt23 https://t.co/C1UbWtKbAO
— The Century Foundation (@TCFdotorg) June 22, 2022
- Change policies and invest in programs. In order for all disabled people to live out their right to community living, policies must change and investments made so there is equitable access to housing, services, support, care, food, and more.
A4: Our first answer to this question will always be the same: MORE ACCESSIBLE HOUSING. More Section 8 vouchers, accessible homes in every neighborhood (not just the white ones), and a better way to search for housing. #OlmsteadAt23 https://t.co/CLJMrZdhpk
— LaVant Consulting Inc (@lavantconsultng) June 23, 2022
A5 Policymakers can introduce and push for policies that prioritize funding for home and community-based services (HCBS) to expand HCBS, address long waiting lists, and increase the pay of direct support workers. #OlmsteadAt23 https://t.co/l24iXXYbRk
— Autistic Self Advocacy Network (@autselfadvocacy) June 22, 2022
Close the gab between minimum wage and living #wage rates for Consumer Directed #Medicaid in #home Personal Care #Attendants. In #Virginia the gap is $9.https://t.co/Ye48jZ8FcH#OlmsteadAt23 #CareCantWait#HCBS#FairPay4HomeCare #ChangeWagesChangeLives#EndInstitutionalBias https://t.co/RGY1Su12UT
— Ivy Kennedy (@CIvyKennedy) June 23, 2022
A4.1. Improving SNAP access for people with disabilities promotes their ability to live in the community #SNAPMatters #Olmsteadat23 https://t.co/G8BM9xVw1O https://t.co/qlDkai0D2n
— Food Research & Action Center (@fractweets) June 22, 2022
#OlmsteadAt23 recognized the right of persons with disabilities to be cared for at home, not in institutions.
Building on the Affordable Care Act’s pre-existing condition coverage and elimination of lifetime caps — Democrats will expand home care and invest in caregivers. -NP https://t.co/Cwhq1NGdzO
— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) June 22, 2022
- Listen to, center the needs of, and take lead from Disabled people, particularly Black and Brown people with disabilities who need supportive services – including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Have to say it’s so irritating that this case is known by the name of the governor of the state that was discriminating against Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson. #OlmsteadAt23 Let’s lift up the women involved in this case! pic.twitter.com/igA0K2EGnl
— Kathy Flaherty (@ConnConnection) June 23, 2022
The Olmstead decision affirmed that people with disabilities have the right to an integrated life in their communities.
We must keep working to make the promises of Olmstead a reality—& that means including & meeting the needs of people with disabilities in our policymaking.
— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) June 22, 2022
A3: So often people with IDD are left behind in conversations about disability freedom. We love how Olmstead centered the experiences of the IDD community. Lois and Elaine’s stories are the stories of so many. #OlmsteadAt23 https://t.co/DzirG4a2r8
— LaVant Consulting Inc (@lavantconsultng) June 23, 2022
A3: I love learning about Lois’ connection to the Olmstead decision because it’s a reminder as to how diverse the members in this community is.
And that Black disabled people have always been involved in critical moments of this movement. #OlmsteadAt23 https://t.co/3qjnMqgaWv
— Vilissa Thompson (@VilissaThompson) June 22, 2022
A5: Creating inclusive communities begins with YOUR stories, strong research and data, and making policy change real. Whether past, present, or future, our collective voices can make a difference. #OlmsteadAt23
— Disability Economic Justice Collaborative (@DEJCollab) June 22, 2022
Pride emerges when people have the freedom to choose where and how they live their lives. It also emerges when there is greater visibility and celebration of oneself and community. So, as this month continues and we celebrate Disability Pride, let us work together to create the policies and practices that will create community living for all. Continue to follow the conversations on social media by searching #DisabilityPrideMonth #ADA32 #OlmsteadAt23
