Olmstead Decision

On June 22, 1999, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Olmstead v. L.C. that segregation of people with disabilities in institutions and nursing homes is discrimination and violates the law.

The video below maps how disabled activists in the Independent Living Movement in the 1970s began to build the foundation for this landmark 1999 decision.

Today we continue to celebrate the legacy of the Olmstead decision:

You have the right to choose your community and the right to access supports you may need in your home.

The Olmstead Decision Explained from Disability Rights Washington.

In the collage at the top of this post, on the top left, is a photo of Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson with Sue Jamieson, the lawyer at the Atlanta Legal Aid Society who represented them, in the middle.

The other photos in the collage came from real advocates and are shared widely across the internet. The “I am Olmstead” campaign is a project from Olmstead Rights. The middle photo on the lefthand side is Lois Curtis, holding a bright “I am Olmstead” poster years after she won her freedom in court.

One note on the video from our Missouri-based organization:

In the video’s illustration of the signing of the ADA, the minister standing in the background has visible arms.

Last year, during research for a panel on the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we learned more about that person.

The minister who joined President Bush on stage for the signing of the bill was Rev. Harold Wilke. Wilke was born without arms on a farm in Washington, Missouri, and had to fight discrimination in school, in religious institutions, and in society throughout his life. Without his efforts and that of our disability rights ancestors, there would be no ADA.

After the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed, President Bush presented pens from the signing to the disability activists who joined him on stage.

Rev. Harold Wikle, pictured here, is accepting the gifted pen with his toes. The edge of the photo is inscribed with a handwritten note that reads:

To Rev. Harold Wilke Thank you for blessing this special, historic event. Sincerely, George Bush