The Arc of the United States

Amen....

I agree!! the "R" word should be dead and buried like the "N" word was in Atlanta!!!!!

YAAAAY....those have to be the hardest words a person with developmental disabilities must face...and oddly, I hear it more in the north than in the south...about time something was done about it...

Across party lines....excellent!

You should put a link here.

The power of a small group of people to change the world.

By the time my 8-year old becomes an adult I hope that this will be the norm. I see some hopeful signs but the "Aren't we nice folks b/c we give those poor disabled people something to do, and even nicer b/c we pay them $2/hr" attitude is still more common. Kudos to those companies who are trying to make progress!

This plenary session was very inspiring and gives me hope that more employers will see what major businesses like Walmart, Walgreens, Lowe's, and Highmark are doing and step up.

Absolutely!!!

I will be there w/ my family, can't wait!

Why are you sorry that I defend the Constitution of the USA AND am concerned with the well being of those with disabilities? There does not have to be an either/or way to acomplish your goals unless you include dumping the Constitution in your goals. There are other ways to accomplish improving health care for those with disabilities without ... See Moretrampling the Constitution. There are times when those that offer to help you, are only using you for another purpose and will dump you cease to be of benifit to them. This is one of those occasions. The bill will reduce the number of doctors by threat of lawsuits and threat of fines for providing too much care for patients. That means less treatment options. Who do you think will be denied treatment as the system breaks down under the strain of fewer doctors and more patients? The elderly and the disabled are who will suffer - and you are endorsing it!

Excuse me, I menat to say"There are times when those that offer to help you, are only using you for another purpose and will dump you when you cease to be of benefit to them."

Florida is just a mess for services for our people, it's a shame......................

NO NEW INSTITUTION

A lawsuit filed today asks the court to stop the Commonwealth’s plan to build a new 75-bed institution for people with intellectual disabilities in Chesapeake. The suit, brought by The Arc of Virginia and the Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy, argues that the plan violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other federal laws.

According to the suit, Virginia plans to build and fully populate a segregated facility on the Southeastern Virginia Training Center (SEVTC) compound for a cost of more than $23 million. Virginia will place 75 residents from SEVTC in the institution, regardless of whether any of them actually require institutionalization. In fact, last spring, Virginia sponsored a review of the residents of Southeastern Virginia Training Center and concluded that each and every one of them can be served in the community. The study found that none of the residents at SEVTC had needs that were any more complex than people already living in the community. ... Read More... See More

Under federal law, Virginia may not discriminate against people with disabilities. In order to meet this obligation, the suit maintains, the Commonwealth must conduct an “individualized assessment” of the needs of people with disabilities and meet those needs in the “most integrated setting appropriate” to them. These requirements led the Supreme Court, in the Olmstead case, to hold that “unjustified institutional isolation is a form of discrimination.”

Nevertheless, the plaintiffs allege, in defiance of the ADA and the Olmstead decision, Virginia has chosen to ignore the individualized assessments it secured just last year and segregate 75 individuals in an institution.

“People with intellectual disabilities, even those with the most complex needs, can live full and safe lives in Virginia’s community - and thousands do, every day,” Jamie Trosclair, Executive Director of The Arc of Virginia, said. “Yet Virginia is planning to spend millions and millions of precious state dollars to segregate people, to require them to live in isolation. This is intolerable.”

The suit was filed against Governor Kaine, Secretary of Administration Viola Baskerville, Secretary of Health and Human Services Marilyn Tavenner, and other state officials.

The Arc of Virginia is a state-wide organization with 21 chapters, advocating for the rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Virginia Office for Protection and Advocacy is an independent state agency, with a mission to advance the rights of Virginians with Disabilities.

BRAVO, President Obama! :)

Now, I only wish Governor Tim Pawlenty (Republican-MN), here in Minnesota would also support comparable legislation. No luck so far. (Thumbs down, to Gov. Pawlenty). For information about Gov. Tim Pawlenty's stance on this issue, please see: ''Advocates call anti-bullying veto a ‘lost opportunity’ ''. Minnesota Independent: News. Politics. Media.
URL: http://minnesotaindependent.com/35560/advocates-call-anti-bullying-veto-a-lost-opportunity