From the New York Times:

A federal judge has ordered the state of New York to move some 4,300 people with mental illness out of warehouse-like institutions that keep them segregated from society.

The order by Judge Nicholas Garaufis follows his decision last fall that the state was illegally discriminating against people with mental illness by holding them in privately-run “adult homes” that were just as restrictive as the state-run institutions they were intended to replace.

Judge Garaufis ordered the state to develop at least 1,500 units of supportive housing a year for the next three years. The state had argued that supportive housing would be unacceptably expensive. Commenting on the proposal submitted by the state, the judge wrote, “The court is disappointed and, frankly, incredulous that defendants sincerely believed this proposal would suffice.”

Earlier posts here and here and here.

See also: The 2002 series of articles by Clifford J. Levy of the New York Times that described scenes of misery, squalor and exploitation in the adult homes.

From the Montreal Gazette, Toronto Star:

Canada must end institutionalization of mentally disabled people and invest in their quality of life by improving access to jobs and social supports, says a report released to coincide with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

The report by the Canadian Association for Community Living found that only a quarter of Canadians who have an intellectual disability and live alone are employed, and almost 75 per cent of them live in poverty.

The group also called for the closing of Canada’s three remaining large-scale institutions, which house some 900 people in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and called for community-based services to take their place. “Living in an institution is not living,” said Bendina Miller, president of the association.

Related story: Govt. report finds 60 percent of Israelis with disabilities live in poverty; Many are isolated — YnetNews, Tel Aviv

From the Chicago Tribune:

A growing number of Jewish children with developmental disabilities are preparing for their bar or bat mitzvahs with the help of synagogues and religious schools that are adapting curriculum for their needs.

The rite of passage allows these young people to take their places as full members of the Jewish community.

Religious leaders say the presence of a disability should not bar a person from participating in the mainstream of Jewish life. “We don’t say ‘no,’ we say ‘how,’” said one.

See related posts here.

(Chicago Tribune photo of Trevor Charney, 13, who has autism, during the celebration of his bar mitzvah.)

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

A handful of protesters were arrested in the courtyard of the Sam Nunn Federal Center in Atlanta Tuesday during a demonstration calling for better long-term care options for people with disabilities.

Representatives of the Office of Homeland Security refused to disclose how many had been arrested and whether they were being temporarily held.

The protest was part of a five-day campaign by members of ADAPT, a national coalition of disability advocates, to seek state compliance with the Supreme Court’s 1999 Olmstead decision. The ruling has been interpreted as directing states to provide community-based supports for people with disabilities rather than continue unwarranted segregation in institutions.

See also: ADAPT Action Report

Writing 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.

From the Dallas Morning News:

Twenty-year-old Adam Townsend of Mesquite, TX, has earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest honor bestowed by the Boy Scouts of America. He has Down syndrome.

Townsend began in scouting when he was six, and has completed years of requirements in such areas as camping skills, communications, citizenship and personal budgeting. For his Eagle project, he managed and supervised the renovation of a church parking lot.

Adam’s mother, Barbara Townsend, said she thinks it’s important for others to hear about all that Adam has accomplished. In addition to earning his Eagle Scout, he graduated from Mesquite’s John Horn High School and competes in Special Olympics basketball and track.

“For parents with children with disabilities, your child can do it,” she said. “You just have to believe.”

From the Wall Street Journal:

Sen. Edward Kennedy has included a measure for a new disability insurance program for all American workers as part of the broader healthcare reform legislation he is preparing to introduce.

Early reports said the measure would include the following provisions:

• All workers, unless they opt out, would be charged a premium to give them a basic level of protection in case they become disabled.
• Recipients would be allowed to collect benefits while remaining in their homes and continuing to work.

“Like all Americans, millions of senior citizens and persons with disabilities want to lead full and independent lives,” Mr. Kennedy said in a statement. “Our health reform legislation will make that possible. By providing access to long-term care and services, our legislation will enable our most vulnerable citizens to remain in their own homes and contribute to their communities.”