One of our readings from last week was the "Disability Gulag" which focused on disability rights from the perspective of a woman with a disability. One of the key points of that article was that Harriet, the author, and others had to fight to not be placed in an institution for individuals with disabilities. Harriet and her peers described being placed in an institution as a "gulag" because once you went to the institution you lost the majority of your freedom. While I was visiting family in Ohio a couple weeks ago, I came across an article in their Columbus newspaper entitled "Group says Ohio is violating Americans with Disabilities Act". As I read the "Disability Gulag", I thought back to this article I had read a few weeks before hand. There was many disturbing similarities. I was disheartened that 11 years after the "Disability Gulag" was written by Harriet, that there was still issues with the concept of institutions for individuals with disabilities.
A legal advocacy groups for individuals with disabilities in Ohio sent a letter to state officials arguing that the state of Ohio was violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. They claimed that too many individuals are being kept in these institutions because the state is unable to provide the support they need to live and work within the community. The letter sent by this advocacy group included the stories of three disabled individuals in Ohio who live in institutions despite their strong desire to leave. The Americans with Disabilities Act states that all states must serve people with disabilities in setting that are appropriate to their needs and in a way that most integrates them into the community and in the least restrictive manner. Harriet describes how her peers and herself had to testify before a community to urge the government to provide them the funding they need to function within the community. Harriet states how it is easier for the government to squeeze individuals into institutions rather than to address their individual financial needs. This problem mirrors the argument made in the letter written by these Ohio advocates. The letter claimed that too many disabled individuals were in institutions or on their way into institutions when all they needed was financial assistance that would allow them to function and participate within the community.
As I saw within both the Disability Gulag and this newspaper article, individuals with disabilities view institutions as a gulag because once you enter the institution you lose the freedom and your voice as an individual. One of the three individuals who shared their stories in the article described life in an institution as a "form of incarceration". The name "Americans with Disabilities Act" implies that the American people stand by those who are disabled. It is time for the government to stand by these individuals and give them the rights they deserve.
Article: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/07/08/Group-says-Ohio-violating-the-Americans-with-Disabilities-Act_.html
Letter: http://www.dispatch.com/content/downloads/2014/07/DRO_to_Governor_Kasich_et_al_re_ICFs-IID.pdf
A legal advocacy groups for individuals with disabilities in Ohio sent a letter to state officials arguing that the state of Ohio was violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. They claimed that too many individuals are being kept in these institutions because the state is unable to provide the support they need to live and work within the community. The letter sent by this advocacy group included the stories of three disabled individuals in Ohio who live in institutions despite their strong desire to leave. The Americans with Disabilities Act states that all states must serve people with disabilities in setting that are appropriate to their needs and in a way that most integrates them into the community and in the least restrictive manner. Harriet describes how her peers and herself had to testify before a community to urge the government to provide them the funding they need to function within the community. Harriet states how it is easier for the government to squeeze individuals into institutions rather than to address their individual financial needs. This problem mirrors the argument made in the letter written by these Ohio advocates. The letter claimed that too many disabled individuals were in institutions or on their way into institutions when all they needed was financial assistance that would allow them to function and participate within the community.
As I saw within both the Disability Gulag and this newspaper article, individuals with disabilities view institutions as a gulag because once you enter the institution you lose the freedom and your voice as an individual. One of the three individuals who shared their stories in the article described life in an institution as a "form of incarceration". The name "Americans with Disabilities Act" implies that the American people stand by those who are disabled. It is time for the government to stand by these individuals and give them the rights they deserve.
Article: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/07/08/Group-says-Ohio-violating-the-Americans-with-Disabilities-Act_.html
Letter: http://www.dispatch.com/content/downloads/2014/07/DRO_to_Governor_Kasich_et_al_re_ICFs-IID.pdf