Op-ed: Help people with disabilities live independently
June 19th, 2009Writing in the Des Moines Register, Jim Paprocki says it’s time for Iowa policymakers to end the unjustified segregation of people with disabilities in institutions. The ten-year-old Olmstead decision mandating community-based services for people with disabilities is one of the most significant actions in the Supreme Court’s history, he says, yet Iowa is not complying. An excerpt:
… Nearly 10 years after the Olmstead decision, Iowa ranks second among all states in its reliance on 16-bed or larger intermediate-care or residential-care facilities for people with cognitive disabilities.
… Our policymakers cannot continue to segregate and discriminate against our older citizens and people with disabilities. Iowans need to make the choice to follow the letter of the Olmstead decision by realigning our priorities to achieve quality community-based services.

