Olmstead Decision

News

• DOJ Finds North Carolina's Reliance on Adult Care Homes as Housing for People with Mental Illness Is a Violation of the ADA

  After an eight-month investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a letter of findings accusing the State of North Carolina of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by unnecessarily institutionalizing mental health patients instead of providing support in the community. The DOJ's investigation was prompted by a complaint filed in July 2010 by Disability Rights North Carolina, the state's protection and advocacy agency for people with disabilities.

• 39 Residents File Suit against Tennessee

  A group of 39 Tennesseans with disabilities filed suit against the state over cuts to medical assistance they say will force them away from their families and into group care homes.
  Source: The Tennessean, TN

• At 88, A Chance to Be Independent Again

  Rosa Hendrix was featured in an NPR News investigation in December 2010 that examined a federal law, which now gives people like Hendrix a civil right to receive long-term health care in their own home, instead of in a nursing home or state institution. But too often, the series found, that new civil right remains an empty promise for America's disabled and elderly.
  Source: NPR.org

• Modernize Medicaid to Better Support People with Disabilities

  This editorial is written by Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Washington).
  Source: The Hill (Blog)

• Statement of the DOJ on Enforcement of the Integration Mandate of Title II of the ADA and Olmstead v. L.C.
• Olmstead: Community Integration for Everyone

  Website dedicated to enforcement of the Supreme Court Decision in Olmstead v. L.C. (1999).
  Source: Department of Justice (DOJ)

• Justice Department Issues Technical Assistance Document on Enforcement of the Supreme Court Decision in Olmstead v. L.C.

  Technical assistance guide created to assist individuals in understanding their rights and public entities in understanding their obligations under the ADA and Olmstead.(June 22, 2011)

• On 12th Anniversary of Olmstead, Obama Administration Recommits to Assist Americans with Disabilities

• Olmstead Champion Meets the President

  Sue Jamieson is an attorney with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Mental Health and Disability Rights Unit. She was the lead attorney in the Supreme Court decision of Olmstead v. L.C. Twelve years later, Sue writes about this historic decision in the White House blog.