In a press release timed to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark Olmstead decision, President Obama announced the launch of “The Year of Community Living,” an effort to assist Americans with disabilities.

The initiative is aimed at improving access for people with disabilities to housing, community supports, and independent living arrangements. The White House release pledged an increase in the number of Section 8 housing vouchers, as well as enhanced coordination between officials at the departments of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development.

From the release:

“The Olmstead ruling was a critical step forward for our nation, articulating one of the most fundamental rights of Americans with disabilities: Having the choice to live independently,” said President Obama. “I am proud to launch this initiative to reaffirm my Administration’s commitment to vigorous enforcement of civil rights for Americans with disabilities and to ensuring the fullest inclusion of all people in the life of our nation.”

Disability rights advocates have criticized Obama recently for backing off his campaign promise to endorse the Community Choice Act, legislation that would give Medicaid recipients equal access to services in the community and help them live independently outside of institutions. The administration recently said it would not address the issue as part of its proposed health care overhaul.

The Supreme Court’s 1996 decision in Olmstead v. L.C. held that unjustified segregation of individuals with disabilities in institutions is a form of discrimination prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

See also:

• HUD to offer assistance to 4,000 Americans with disabilities (press release.) The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced plans to offer rental assistance to 4,000 non-elderly families with disabilities, including 1,000 vouchers specifically targeted to those transitioning out of nursing homes and other care facilities.
• Sens. Harkin, Kennedy introduce legislation to commemorate Olmstead decision (press release)
• Obama boosts in-home services for the disabled – ProPublica.com

By Clark Kaufmann in the Des Moines Register:

Police in Carroll, Iowa, say they are worried about a 75-year-old woman with disabilities who has been living in a metal storage shed despite hot weather and lack of sanitation.

Carroll Police Chief Jeff Caylor said his officers have called state and county social workers twice to voice concerns about the woman’s living arrangements. The Department of Human Services has allowed her to remain in the shed, which has no electricity, ventilation or plumbing.

Experts say the case raises thorny questions about how best to determine whether people are able to function independently and make decisions about their own lives.

The [UK] Guardian presents a special package of news and commentary linked to the upcoming event Beyond Boundaries Live 2009, scheduled for July 4 and 5 in Hampshire. Inspired by a reality TV show featuring people with disabilities, the event is billed as “the UK’s largest lifestyle event for people with disabilities.”

Featured activities include beep baseball, wheelchair customization, adapted SCUBA diving, a fashion show, functional electrical stimulation, adapted skiing, and more.

Among the Guardian’s stories:

The quest for equality By Ben Furner. Significant steps have been made in the past 15 years to create a genuine state of equality in which disabled people can thrive. But this is no time to be complacent.

The future: in whose hands? By Ian Cook. One in five UK adults has a disability — meaning the disabled voice is becoming ever more varied. But are policymakers listening?

A sporting chance By Mark Gould. Too many disabled people are denied the chance to keep fit by poor facilities and a lack of support from their peers. How can this be remedied?

Individual thinking By Emma Bowler. Independent care for disabled people has evolved as far as it can in its current guise. But are providers ready to take the next step?

Willing and able By Emma Bowler. The disabled population’s desire to work is not matched by the number of jobs available. What is being done to redress the balance?

From the [Hampton Roads, VA] Daily Press:

Almost 5,000 Virginians with intellectual disabilities are on a waiting list to get community-based housing. Of those, more than 2,500 are listed as in urgent need. Another 17,000 are living at home with elderly parents, which qualifies them to be placed on the state’s urgent needs list as well.

For the fiscal year that starts July 1, the state will be able to provide services to only 400 of those people. At that rate, experts say, the list will keep getting longer, leaving people with intellectual disabilities with two just choices: stay with their aging parents or go to a state institution.

“It really is a desperate situation,” said Jamie Trosclair, executive director of the Arc of Virginia, an advocate for community-based living.

See also: An institution could be the best choice — [Hampton Roads] Daily Press

… While much of the recent focus has been on moving mentally retarded adults out of state care and into smaller, community-based group homes, some parents say that isn’t the right choice for all children.

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.”

From the [UK] Independent:

Some fifty years after the world’s worst drug disaster, Thalidomide survivors like Nick Dobrik (left) are still fighting for justice, seeking adequate compensation to help them live with disabilities caused by a drug that had not been fully tested before it was put on the market.

The over-the-counter medication was used by pregnant women for morning sickness in the late 1950s and early 1960s, resulting in the births of about 10,000 people worldwide with deformities like foreshortened and twisted limbs.

A Thalidomide trust was set up by the drug’s manufacturer in 1973, but Dobrik says it is not adequate to address the needs and expenses of people as they age.

“”It is ridiculous that 50 years after the events we are still fighting for justice,” Dobrik said. “… The least you can do for the Thalidomiders is allow them some independent life. They are very few in number but their needs are very great.”

Related posts here.

(Photo from the Independent)

In the Topeka Capital-Journal, Rud and Ann Turnbull say their son Jay proved that adults with autism can have purposeful, worthwhile lives if support personnel are in place to help with transitioning from school, housing, employment, social connections and other needs.

The Turnbulls, who are co-founders of the Beach Center on Disability at the University of Kansas, reached out to friends and colleagues to develop a plan for Jay’s life after he was expelled from an adult services program for people with disabilities.

Jay subsequently spent 21 years working as a clerical aide, a job that provided him with structure and a social network, and lived in his own home with a couple who oversaw his schedule and support services. Jay Turnbull died earlier this year, most likely of a heart condition, at the age of 41.

While strides have been made in diagnosis, early intervention and education, [Ann] Turnbull said much more needs to be done so children with autism can lead productive, independent and happy lives as adults.

The article is part of a Topeka Capital-Journal series on autism.