Ohio is added to the list of states being sued over segregated living and sheltered workshops.
Tony
Disability Rights Ohio sues Gov. John Kasich, state officials
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Advocates for disabled Ohioans filed a class-action lawsuit against Gov. John Kasich and the state of Ohio over what they say is illegal segregation of institutionalized people with disabilities.
Disability Rights Ohio filed the complaint Thursday in federal court on behalf of six Ohioans with disabilities and approximately 27,800 similarly situated Ohioans. The complaint alleges the state has not complied with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the U.S. Supreme Court decision Olmstead v. L.C. and E.W.
State officials pushed back on the claims, saying the state is working with providers.
Why are they suing?
The lawsuit alleges people with intellectual or developmental disabilities who want to live and work in their communities can’t because of limited state funding.
Large intermediate care facilities have eight or more beds and are “highly regimented and controlled, with little privacy, independence, or personal autonomy,” according to the complaint. Facility residents have few if any interactions with people other than paid staff. If they work, most facility residents work in sheltered workshops, which the organization says further segregates people with disabilities.
Tony Paulauski
Executive Director
The Arc of Illinois
20901 S. LaGrange Rd. Suite 209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 (OFFICE)
815-464-1832 (CELL)
Tony@thearcofil.org