Monday, September 9, 2019

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Tomas Elias Gonzalez Venezuela and His Terrific Organization Along with Fantastic Business

Tomas elias gonzalez Venezuela and his terrific organization along with fantastic business

Tomas Elias Gonzales Benitez is actually a label which can not forget through anybody at all as there are lots of things put him to the spotlight. Regardless of whether you would certainly like to be actually a business owner or even if you are actually appearing to obtain success, it is quite significant to be actually stimulated so as to deal with tough along with all the intricacies and troubles you are actually encountering. One need to discover more regarding from the lifestyle of tomas elias Gonzalez, where he was staying an average lifestyle just before, today he is residing like a master considering that of his excellent hard work as well as brilliant job.

Presently, he has obtained wonderful apartment know Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, a Townhouse in Continuum building-- Miami as well as a Cessna Citation X, which is very pricey and also lovely, consequently residing a terrific lifestyle over there certainly. Tomas gonzalez Venezuela is linked with numerous providers, including-- Total internet solutions SA, which is actually the most effective site developing and promotion business helping the people and your business of throughout the globe properly. If anybody desires to bring in extremely pleasant, reactive and very awesome website as well as would love to advertise in a much better way, may easily move to the very same. Likewise, tomas elias gonzalez Venezuela is linked with other a variety of significant companies, including- AF Com Corp to Alox global LLC organization, Domar Trading SA, Latin capitalists SA, Oil gasoline innovation INC and various others.

All these business are actually operating quite possibly through the very best group of the specialists alongside great concepts and also suggestions provided through tomas elias Venezuela. He was also included in several conflicts, but absolutely nothing is proved however, and he is actually continually focusing in his service and also operating in a far better way.

Know More About Tomas Elias Gonzales Benitez

Do you know about tomas Elias Gonzales Benitez? He is incredibly popular in today times for some great as well as negative strategies. Currently, he is actually located as the risky member of the Madura's criminal group as well as understood to all. However, simultaneously he is extremely well-known business people as well as running a great deal of business all together, which are acquiring level of popularity day through time.

It is actually undoubtedly be actually stated that tomas elias Gonzalez is a component of the criminal group that has actually looted the repositories of the Venezuelan condition and also possessing an excellent exchange other Mafia. He is actually the one via his fantastic relationship along with the mafia has actually managed to scale as much as turn into one of the primary intermediators in couple of or even a lot more points. He is understood to offering a huge amount of products and also meals to the Maduro Regime along with its bureaucratic companies, consisting of- CASA, CORPOVEX as well as PDVAL. He was likewise detected to become finished with all the transactions with the totalitarianism of Venezuela have exhorbitant overpricing. Today, tomas gonzalez Venezuela is actually properly managing his thus supreme and also registered providers in a variety of portion of the world, and also they all received wonderful appeal. His one of the very best providers lies in the Dominican Republic, which is actually called Producer Panorama. Undoubtedly, the company is doing extremely well, but simultaneously it is actually claimed that they are actually all bag companies, breaking the rule that controls the Petrocaribe arrangement.

Today, tomas elias gonzalez Venezuela is recognized for running a variety of impressive firms, and also they are numerous and also pertaining to various domain names, consisting of- AF com corporation to the Alox international LLC organization, Oil gasoline modern technology INC, Total internet companies S An and numerous others.

High Hill Entertainment In Miami Florida Through Tomas Elias

We can easily find a great deal of providers around us, yet certainly not all are actually best-selling and also known to individuals. Listed here, our experts are actually going to discuss a person along with the greatest provider, which are actually recognized to all, and also it is not simply local, but received global popularity too.

Discussing tomas Elias Gonzales Benitez, he knows to run several companies entirely as well as take his A-Z organisation to the following amount. Among his primary providers is- High Hill Entertainment, which is popular due to several explanations and also delivering fantastic solutions to the people. This is the company contacted us to be very creative as well as usually job in the audiovisual as well as digital information manufacturing solutions, positioned in Miami. Along with the aid as well as direction of the tomas elias Gonzalez, the provider skyrocket the revenue as well as sales in a great method. The company is totally committed to using items that get in touch with the Hispanic market in the United States alongside the Latin America.

Tomas gonzalez Venezuela is actually very specific in his business design and also the provider appropriately going up offering the greatest companies. Specialists are concentrated on carrying out all types of work in all phases of product progression, ranging coming from concept of concepts to post-production of material. Along with the support of the tomas elias gonzalez Venezuela, the professionals listed below enlisted the most ideal staff or even can easily state the multidisciplinary staff of professionals, who are actually well in each the professions. Also, the professionals are recognized for using the most ideal innovation that assures an unique result, under a phenomenal tape of top quality, according to market criteria.

Know a lot more regarding tomas elias venezuela and the group as they all are actually the one offering excellent manufacturing solutions in the United States, Europe and Latin America.

Who Is Actually Tomas Elias Gonzalez Venezuela?

There are actually a variety of people around our team, but not all are actually extremely famous. Today, our experts will refer to tomas Elias Gonzales Benitez as well as if you are trying to understand more concerning the very same, this article will undoubtedly allow you understand more about him as well as what he carried out. Therefore, tomas elias Gonzalez is known for running great providers around the world and also his association along with lots of firms created him quite renowned. He is actually recognized for his new ideas and also fantastic work as well as put all the efforts, hardwork and funds to secure terrific earnings. Tomas gonzalez Venezuela was likewise an event of the criminal gang based on the report, where he has actually plundered the coffers of the Venezuelan condition. It was actually said that the Gonzalez through his mafia connects with has managed to scale around turn into one of the primary intermediators in numerous companies and also delivering a large variety of items and also food to the Maduro Regime and also its governmental entities including: CASA, CORPOVEX as well as PDVAL. Properly, it is actually not affirmed however,, yet still the attraction of this male is actually in the top amount.

Not just this, he was actually gotten in touch with as a common male and also was actually staying in El Paraíso, Caracas, a middle lesson general vicinity, however today he has gotten a ton of homes due to his wonderful brilliant and also tough work. Tomas elias gonzalez Venezuela has actually presently gotten the residential property in Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, a Townhouse in Continuum building-- Miami and also a Cessna Citation X and various others and also currently residing a luxurious lifestyle. Additionally, tomas elias Venezuela is actually understood for running numerous companies in the finest possible fashion and recognized for his intelligent suggestions as well as various other terrific factors which he has actually performed for the community.

Check Out Details On Tomas Elias Gonzalez

Do you understand just about anything about tomas Elias Gonzales Benitez, who was in the limelight as a result of numerous points? Effectively, he is the person recognized for operating different fantastic organisations altogether as well as together is recognized for his wonderful suggestions.

Lately, tomas elias Gonzalez is understood for associating with handful of or several unlawful activities and also mentioned that he was actually the aspect of the unlawful gang as well as swiped the repositories of the Venezuelan condition. He is actually the one having couple of or even a lot more registered firms in different component of the world, and also they are performing the best of all. A few of his wonderful firms are located in the Dominican Republic along with the name of the Producer scenery. Tomas gonzalez Venezuela is best-selling in terms along with his tips as well as actions, however it has been actually located that his all the firms are actually briefcase business and they are breaking the legislation that controls the Petrocaribe deal.

The tomas elias gonzalez Venezuela has likewise obtained a home in which he lies on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, a Townhouse in Continuum property-- Miami and a Cessna Citation X, very attractive and greatest. He has actually got numerous residential properties, he is actually also referred to as the owner of High Hill Entertainment in Miami Florida. This is actually the incredibly famous medial business, which lies at 690 Lincoln Rd # 202. Miami Beach, FL 33139. Apart from this tomas elias Venezuela has various other a variety of business which are flourishing as well as all dispersed in different portion of the nation.

When Gonzalez was actually certainly not known to the social and also residing an average lifestyle, he resided in El Paraíso, Caracas, a mid training class neighborhood. There are different companies relate to the very same and also he is actually performing well along with each one of all of them.

Tomas Elias Gonzalez Venezuela And Latin Investors SA

Are you seeking to understand additional concerning the tomas Elias Gonzales Benitez? Effectively, this is actually the individual incredibly well-known and also managing great deals of providers at the same time. If you are actually wanting to obtain encouraged and just how to place all initiatives and effort, one have to have a look at the past history of the preferred people around us.

One may check out about the tomas Elias Gonzales Benitez, that was living a common life in the El Paraíso, Caracas, a mid training class general vicinity, now he is operating different business completely as well as bring in fantastic profit. Now, tomas elias Gonzalez has actually got terrific level of popularity and also has obtained an apartment or condo through which he lies on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, a Townhouse in Continuum property-- Miami and also a Cessna Citation X as well as there are lots more various other buildings he owns. Speaking about his terrific business, including- Latin Investors SA, every business is actually operating so excellent and producing an excellent amount of profit.

Tomas gonzalez Venezuela was actually consistently picked up with his techniques and also whatever he carried out, he got the lime illumination. Extra on Latin Investors SA, the provider is proudly managing by the tomas elias gonzalez Venezuela and his wonderful crew of the specialists and also coping with various domain names, consisting of- wide range administration to quality economic consulting, tax obligation and lawful consulting, exclusive equity funds as well as several others. The group below is the most effective of all deal great examination to the general public to ensure that they may conveniently create a fantastic amount of monetize their tiny to significant financial investment.

Aside this, tomas elias Venezuela remained in the headlines considering that of his involvement along with the criminal gang, yet there is no such verification which mentions it is actually correct. Yet, when it involves the tough working as well as brilliant job, one take inspiration coming from him.


Saturday, July 27, 2019

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From the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee on Autism Housing Needs, 7/23/19


This is from an account of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee meeting on 7/23/19 by Jill Escher: 


Susan Jennings, founder of Keeping Individuals with Intellectual Disability Safe (KIIDS) shared an oral public comment that her son is one of those who kicks down doors and elopes into traffic. He has been discharged from six different group homes, as none could manage his challenging behaviors. She cited systemic shortcomings to community group home, including severe abuse and toxic over-medication. His salvation was an ICF, and she laughed at the idea of “forced institutionalization” since “You can’t force your way” into an ICF since “they are closed or closing.”

She said her son is far from an anomaly. About 40% of the autism population exhibits severe challenging behavior. Because of the lack of options, these adults often languish in psychiatric facilities, hospitals, or jails. The Olmstead Supreme Court decision recognizes that the ADA does not impel states to close institutions, and indeed that some individuals may need these setting for crisis periods or permanently. They must remain available, as they offer a superior form of care for a segment of the population, she said. There are very high costs to keep some adults “in the community” with too little assistance and supervision. “The state center is a bargain compared to the community,” and also provides her son a much greater degree of personal freedom. Also, unlike community settings, ICFs must meet rigorous standards to be certified. She drew attention to the direct service provider (DSP) shortage: “You are asking people to handle life-and-death emergencies at fast-food wages.” Finally she denounced the “cruel movement afoot” to defund out-of-home options. If parents do not have the ability to care for severely affected adults — who does? We must offer a full range of services.

Friday, July 26, 2019

Raise the Wage for some, Lose the Wage for others

This is from the VOR Weekly News Update, 7/19/19 on the recent passage of the Raise the Wage Act by the U.S. House of Representatives:

“On Thursday, July 18, the House of Representatives voted in favor of passing H.R. 582, the Raise the Wage Act. Tucked into this bill are provisions that would end Section 14(c) [of the Fair Labor Standards Act] wage certificates and re-structure wages paid by work centers, forcing tens of thousands of people with intellectual disabilities who are unlikely to participate in competitive employment, out of their existing opportunities to work at facility based employment.

“While some of our members may support raising the minimum wage while others may not, VOR members have come together to oppose this bill as written, in order to protect individuals who benefit from 14(c) and work centers that are designed to accommodate their specific needs and abilities.

“…most coverage of this bill has only mentioned the increase in the minimum wage, with no mention of the effect this would have on people who would be unhireable under competitive integrated employment. Once again, the most vulnerable Americans are suffering discrimination at the hands of agencies that are supposed to protect their interests, and by the work of advocates and self-advocates who focus only on one segment of the community of people with intellectual disabilities.” 

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The controversy over sub-minimum wage certificates comes up again and again as a disability rights issue, framed as blatant discrimination against people with disabilities. The assumption among many advocates is that all people with disabilities are capable of integrated, competitive employment, as long as they have the supports they need to be successful. The fallacy here is that there are, indeed, people whose disabilities prevent them from working in competitive employment, because they are unable to tolerate a competitive work environment or to keep up with other workers.

This is a fact, not a reflection on people with disabilities in general or an assertion that they are somehow less worthy than people without disabilities. To the contrary, the right to appropriate services applies to all, even to those who need a specialized facility-based work program that pays less than minimum wage. For the most part, these workers receive additional government benefits in the form of living supports, Medicaid health insurance, Medicaid waiver services, and often additional social services offered by their employers or other agencies.

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This is from a DD news blogpost from 2014:

"Workers with disabilities who are able to engage in competitive employment, with or without supports, should not be exploited in workplaces that profit off their labor but pay the workers sub minimum wages. The special wage certificates that are now issued, however, allow people with more severe cognitive and other disabilities to work at their own pace in skill development centers (sheltered workshops, usually in community settings) and receive pay adjusted to their abilities and how fast they work. To eliminate the special certificates would  in effect also eliminate this important option for people who can and want to work but would otherwise be unlikely to obtain employment in regular competitive workplaces. In the opinion of many who benefit from these programs, too little consideration has been given to what will happen to these people other than many more of them will sit at home with nothing to do.

"Efforts to increase competitive employment for people with DD in integrated settings should not be expected to offset the need for specialized employment services based on the severity and nature of an individual's disability. 'Robbing Peter to pay Paul' (or in this case, closing sheltered workshops to fund more supported employment), is never a good policy decision when it comes to people with needs as diverse as those with developmental disabilities."

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ACCSES is an organization representing providers of employment services. This is an editorial from their July 22, 2019 newsletter: 

"The Raise the Wage Act (H.R. 582) passed the House last week 231-199. This bill if enacted, would kill jobs for people with disabilities by getting rid of the special wage certificate under Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which will have a significant impact on opportunities for people with the most significant disabilities. On July 8, 2019, the Congressional Budget Office issued a report on the effects of an increase in the minimum wage on employment and family income, in which it found that the $15.00 federal minimum wage would benefit 17 million workers, and cut at least 1.3 million jobs. (The CBO estimates 125,000 people being served under 14(c) certificates.) Section 14(c) certificates are an important tool in the employment toolbox. Do not let Congress take away jobs for people with disabilities. Your Members of Congress are getting ready to head home for their August recess. Contact them today and invite them to tour your locations to see the devastating effect passing this bill into law would have on people with disabilities. It is vital that Members of Congress have a great understanding of the important role community rehabilitation programs play when setting disability policy. "

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See also:

"House Votes To End Subminimum Wage" by Michelle Diament, July 19, 2019, Disability Scoop
“…many families have opposed such legislation arguing that subminimum wage employment gives people with more severe disabilities who may not be able to succeed in typical jobs a sense of purpose and an opportunity to contribute.”


"Supported Employment : Is it Cost Effective for People with Severe Disabilities?", The DD News Blog, 2/15/16 


"Information on Sub-minimum wages for people with disabilities and appeal rights..." , The DD News Blog, 3/30/16

Thursday, July 25, 2019

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Happy Times!


These were Happy Times fifty years ago, except for the Vietnam War, racial and political strife, drugs, dropouts, cults, and Richard Nixon. Listen to 18 minutes of pure bliss.

Friday, July 19, 2019

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IACC Workshop: Addressing the Housing Needs of People with Autism, 7/23/19



The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) is holding a workshop to address the housing needs of people on the autism spectrum on 7/23/19:

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Hilton Washington DC/Rockville Hotel and Executive Meeting Center 

1750 Rockville Pike 
Plaza Ballroom 
Rockville, MD 20852 

9:30 to 4:30 pm

“The purpose of the 2019 IACC Workshop, Addressing the Housing Needs of People on the Autism Spectrum, is to convene a working group of the IACC that will focus on housing needs of people on the autism spectrum. The workshop will be open to the public, will include time for public comments, and will be accessible by live webcast and conference call. "

Remote Access:

Conference Call:
Dial: 888-946-9416
Access code: 1391703 (listen only)

Webcast: https://videocast.nih.gov/summary.asp?live=33279&bhcp=1 

It is too late to submit a request to make oral or written comments to the committee during the 7/23 meeting, but truth be told, any member of the public can submit comments in writing to the IACC at any time. You can also listen in by phone or webcast.

Contact information:

Ms. Angelice Mitrakas
Office of Autism Research Coordination
National Institute of Mental Health, NIH
6001 Executive Boulevard, NSC, Room 7218
Rockville, Maryland 20852
Phone: 301-435-9269
E-mail: IACCPublicInquiries@mail.nih.gov



Partial agenda that will include discussion of Intentional Community models:


Overview of Housing Issues

10:00 Status and Trends in Supports and Services from the Residential Information Systems Project
Heidi Eschenbacher, Ph.D.
Researcher, Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota

10:15  Trends and Insights from the Autism Housing Network
Desiree Kameka, M.T.S.
Director of Community Education & Advocacy, Madison House Autism Foundation 

10:30  Discussion of Public Comments

Susan Daniels, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Autism Research Coordination, NIMH, and Executive Secretary, IACC

Oni Celestin, Ph.D.
Science Policy Analyst, Office of Autism Research Coordination, NIMH

Intentional Community Models

1:00 Live. Learn. Lead. We’re the place for that…First Place AZ
Denise Resnik
CEO and Co-Founder, DRA Collective, Phoenix, Arizona

1:10 Benjamin’s Hope: a "Live, Learn, Play, Worship" Community Where People with Autism Enjoy Lives of Dignity and Purpose
Krista Mason
Executive Director, Benjamin’s Hope, Holland, Michigan


1:20  From House to Home: Thriving with Autism at The Center for Discovery
Terry Hamlin, Ed.D.
Associate Executive Director, Center for Discovery, Harris, New York


1:30 Organizing for Inclusive Community: Leveraging Partners and Policies to Make More Possible
Lindsay Johnson
Director of Policy and Partnerships, The Kelsey

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"The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) is a Federal advisory committee that coordinates Federal efforts and provides advice to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on issues related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Through its inclusion of both Federal and public members, the IACC helps to ensure that a wide range of ideas and perspectives are represented and discussed in a public forum. The committee reconvened in November 2015 to begin a new session under the Autism CARES Act."

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

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Delaware families lead the way for better pay and working conditions for caregivers


 


A Delaware advocacy group, Families Speaking Up , has been renamed A-Team Delaware, joining a national movement for choice in day and residential services.

From the Website:

"If you haven’t heard, Families Speaking Up has rebranded as A-Team Delaware. We are excited to be taking the grass-roots work we’ve been doing for the last several years statewide, with one chapter that meets in New Castle County and one that meets on the border between Kent and Sussex Counties. As one of the newest A-Teams in the United States, we have become a part of the national movement for choice in day and residential services. We would encourage you to visit ATeamUSA.net for more information about the other states that have joined this movement. Although our name has changed, our goals remain the same — to ensure that all voices are heard when policies are being made that affect people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families."

Delaware is experiencing the same crisis in caregiving for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) as the rest of the country. Low pay and poor working conditions for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) have resulted in extreme difficulty in hiring qualified people as caregivers and rapid turnover of workers. Families and other advocates thought they had found a solution when legislation passed last year to fully fund the needs of I/DD adults:



"The McNesby Act passed unanimously in 2018, which promised full funding for adults with I/DD in the next three years. Direct Support Professionals are an endangered workforce in Delaware and often leave the jobs they love for higher paying jobs in other industries. It has reached crisis levels and the Joint Finance Committee only put a Band-Aid on the wound yesterday. 

 "Wearing our green shirts, we held our rally and sat in Legislative Hall during the FY 2020 budget markup for several days. Despite our best efforts, only $2.2 M was added to $1.8 M in the budget for a total of $4 M. Read this press release from the Ability Network of Delaware to learn more."

This disappointing turn of events was followed up by an opinion piece at Delaware Online by Micki Edelsohn, "Be fair to those who care for adults with intellectual disabilities", June 12, 2019: 


Although our son Robert has an intellectual disability due to a difficult birth, our goals for Robert were the same as our older son, Andrew: to get the best education, reach his potential and someday live in his own home, have a job and enjoy his community.

While Robert was still in school, we began our dream of raising the funds to build a group home where he could live with his peers, with staff support. In February 1990 a miracle happened: a chance meeting with Charlie Cawley, former CEO of MBNA America Bank. After learning of our plans, to our amazement and delight, he committed that MBNA fund the first group home and, in addition, hire the residents.

That initial home was the catalyst. We established a non-profit, Homes For Life Foundation and created a partnership. Homes For Life raised the funds and deeded the debt-free homes to the Arc of DE. State government then contracted with provider agencies to hire the direct support professionals (DSP’s) to support the residents.

It was a win-win for the families and for the state, now given affordable housing.

Thirty years later, Homes For Life has built 25 group homes and purchased two condos where 104 adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) live. One thing has become very clear, the home is worthless without the dedicated direct support professionals, whose job it is to provide the appropriate support needed.

But today, the State of Delaware has turned its back on the agencies that provide the workforce to care for the most vulnerable people in our society. DSPs have not been paid a living wage.

The state’s payments to these non-profits only support a wage of $9 an hour. One agency lost 95 percent of their DSPs last year due to low wages; another had a turnover rate of 87 percent, and the turnover rate for most agencies is around 50 percent a year.

Even the most effective business leader could not operate in an environment with a turnover of employees at such high levels.

In 2018, the Michael McNesby Full Funding for Adults with I/DD Act was passed unanimously by both houses of the General Assembly and signed into law with great fanfare by Governor Carney. The Act ensures that funding for services be brought up to levels recommended by the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), namely $42 million over the next three years.

Despite the need for $14 million dollars this year and the promise made, only $4 million is in this year’s budget.

Without properly paid direct support professionals, the residents cannot survive. The beautiful neighborhood homes will slowly disappear — homes worth millions of dollars, with contributions by hundreds and hundreds of donors (individuals, corporations and foundations) hoping to give a “home for life” to an adult with I/DD.

How can this happen? Gov. Carney and our legislators must fulfill their promise to fully fund the McNesby Act. The lives of our loved ones with I/DD are at stake.

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Teaming up with a national movement for choice, green T-shirts, rallies, opinion pieces and letters to the editor and legislators, and a great big billboard advertising the cause ... This is a great example for other family advocacy groups to follow.

Micki and Lanny Edelsohn are founders of the Homes for Life Foundation in Wilmington Delaware.

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

VOR: Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Olmstead



VOR acknowledges the 20th Anniversary of the Olmstead Decision and celebrates in its opening doors to community living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) who are able and wish to take advantage of such opportunities. The Court’s decision in Olmstead was balanced and comprehensive. It presented a road map for how to meet the aspirations of those seeking inclusion while protecting the needs of those with more severe intellectual disabilities. VOR is proud of the role that we played in presenting an amicus to the court, showing the need to include all people with I/DD in their ruling. 

Recently, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Administration for Community Living (ACL) issued press releases celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Olmstead decision. Unfortunately, their ideological focus with one key part of Olmstead, “community integration”, at the expense of the other key part, “choice”, has reduced options for all people with I/DD and especially those with the most severe and profound forms of I/DD. Whether or not this is an innocent misreading of the ruling or a deliberate misrepresentation of the Court’s opinion, this limited interpretation of the plain language of Olmstead has done significant harm to many of our most disabled citizens. 

By insisting that all people with I/DD live in the community, the DOJ and ACL are treating people with I/DD as a monolithic group, not as unique individuals. DOJ and ACL are substituting the wishes of the government for that of the person with I/DD or, where relevant, the parent or legal guardian. While their policies have opened doors for the less severely disabled, they have closed important doors for the more severely disabled. Many of these individuals have lifelong needs that require a very high level of care, the kind often found only in public and private Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICFs/IID). 

DOJ and ACL are pursuing this agenda in the name of the ADA and Olmstead, but that is not what the ADA and Olmstead call for. Both the statute and the Supreme Court case embody the best values of American society —nondiscrimination and choice. All of our civil rights laws contain both elements. Civil rights laws do not tell people where they must live or work. They guarantee individuals are not denied opportunities based on a particular factor, and they expand choices for individuals who have suffered discrimination. In sharp contrast, DOJ and ACL are using federal dollars to bring lawsuits and promote policies that needlessly and dangerous eliminate important options – ICFs/IID, sheltered workshops and facility-based day programs – that many of our most disabled individuals rely on and prefer over small community residences. 

In pursuing a one-size-fits-all ideology, DOJ and ACL are ignoring the vital rights of choice embodied in the ADA itself: As the Court clearly stated in Olmstead: 

“We emphasize that nothing in the ADA or its implementing regulations condones termination of institutional settings for persons unable to handle or benefit from community settings . . . . Nor is there any federal requirement that community-based treatment be imposed on patients who do not desire it. Olmstead v. L.C., 527 U.S. 581, 601-602 (1999). 

In fact, the Court specifically incorporated the right of choice in the second prong of its holding: 

“(b) the transfer from institutional care to a less restrictive setting is not opposed by the affected individual,” Olmstead, at 587

Even DOJ and ACL’s concept of what constitutes the most integrated setting contradicts the view of Justice Ginsburg: 
“[For some individuals, no placement outside the institution may ever be appropriate. ‘Some individuals, whether mentally retarded or mentally ill, are not prepared at particular times - perhaps in the short run, perhaps in the long run - for the risks and exposure of the less protective environment of community settings;’ for these persons, ‘institutional settings are needed and must remain available.’ ” . . . Each disabled person is entitled to treatment in the most integrated setting possible for that person – recognizing on a case-by-case basis, that setting may be an institution” Olmstead, at 605. 
 Not only are DOJ and ACL ignoring the plain language of governing law and decision, they are ignoring the harmful effects of their policies. Journalists have time and again documented the high rates of abuse and mortality for our most disabled citizens who have been forced out of congregate care facilities into unprepared communities. Federal agencies should stop dictating the lives of the severely disabled, and instead, join hands with the community of individuals with I/DD to ensure that all people with I/DD receive quality services and supports wherever they choose to reside. 

The ADA and Olmstead are the beacons for providing more opportunities for people with I/DD, but they do not dictate one-size-fits-all solutions. They are to provide rights and protection for everyone. Individual choice among the widest possible range of quality living and occupational options is what is necessary to realize the goals of the ADA and Olmstead. VOR supports the full reading of Olmstead, making individual choice of services paramount and ensuring a full range of living and work options in order to meet the spectrum of needs of this very diverse population. 

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VOR is a national organization that advocates for high quality residential and work options and human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Established in 1983, VOR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, governed by a volunteer board of directors and funded solely by dues and donations. VOR receives no government support. 

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