Power Grid Blog
Take action to prevent segregation and protect community living!
September 7, 2012 | Mark Perriello
Living independently in our community is a fundamental right.
For centuries, people with disabilities fought to be freed from institutions, hospitals, and nursing homes where we were warehoused, where we had no self-determination, and where we were often forgotten by those on the outside.
Finally, in 1999, the Supreme Court of the United States recognized that people with disabilities must have an opportunity to be integrated into the community. The Olmstead decision made clear that institutionalization is discrimination—leading it to be dubbed “the Brown v. Board of disability.”
Olmstead is the law of the land, but its promise is far from fulfilled. We are still fighting to secure community living for Americans with disabilities across this country. Without the tools for community living—such as supports for personal care and health—there is no route out of institutions. Securing those community-based services is a core mission of our movement.
Yet even as we fight to move forward, we are facing a grave threat to our right to independence. Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire stated that the state plans to appeal a federal appeals court decision, M.R. v Dreyfus, affirming our right to the tools to live independently.
We can’t let Washington State roll back our rights and push us out of our communities.
That’s why AAPD and dozens of other disability rights organizations have mobilized to change her mind. If the Supreme Court reverses the Dreyfus decision, it would undermine the civil right that is the foundation of all others: being fully integrated into society.
We simply cannot let that happen.
Call Governor Gregoire’s office 360-902-4111 and tell her not to appeal the Dreyfus decision. Let her know that she must say no to segregation and support community living.
You can also contact her on line or through social media at http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/default.asp
Please don’t stop there—let your friends, family, and social media networks know that this is a civil rights emergency.
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