As the nation honors Juneteenth and on the eve of the anniversary of the Olmstead decision, we have shocking news to share.
As many of you may have already seen, yesterday the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) at the U.S. Department of Justice
released a memo seeking to undercut and diminish the integration mandate in the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Olmstead v. L.C. and in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
While this kind of a memo does not have the force and effect of law, we remain gravely concerned that this continued devaluing of the foundational principles supporting access to community-based services has damaging impacts for people with disabilities and the providers that support them. It further signals the administration's intent to perpetuate harmful rhetoric and erroneous legal interpretation regarding the rights of people with disabilities and access to support in their homes and communities.
The memo also comes just days ahead of the 27th anniversary of the Olmstead decision, when as a nation we should be focused on reaffirming our commitment to community-based services for people with disabilities.
Although the memo does not change the Americans with Disabilities Act, these activities and their timing do not go unnoticed. We take our responsibility to represent you and to advocate on your behalf very seriously and will continue to push back, as ANCOR and in collaboration with the broader disability community, against misinformation concerning supports and services for people with disabilities.
We look forward to providing you with greater context next week.
Please register here for next Friday's briefing.
In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
We'll get through this - together.
Barbara
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Barbara Merrill
Chief Executive Officer
ANCOR
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