Pro Bono Net recently partnered on a new site – www.olmsteadrights.org – that will inform a wide audience about the Olmstead decision and provide resources and information for self-advocates, family and friends of people with disabilities, and legal advocates alike. The project was spearheaded by Atlanta Legal Aid Society, in partnership with the Legal Services Corporation, National Disability Rights Network, and Pro Bono Net.
“Olmstead” refers to the 1999 U.S. Supreme Court case Olmstead v. L.C. The decision held that people with disabilities have a qualified right to receive state-funded support and services in the community when appropriate, rather than in institutions. It was a landmark disability rights decision that has impacted the lives of millions of people – both with and without disabilities. The new OlmsteadRights site launched just in time for the 15th anniversary of the Olmstead Supreme Court decision. The attention and events surrounding the anniversary served as a perfect launching pad for the site – driving over 400 visits on the first day.
“Olmstead is the most important Supreme Court case for people with disabilities” explained Talley Wells, Director of the Disability Integration Project at the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. “It’s a very transformative decision and not enough people know about it. We wanted everybody to hear the stories of people living in the community and we wanted people to be able to take advantage of Olmstead.”
The implementation of Olmstead has been slow since the 1999 ruling, but increased significantly since the U.S. Justice Department prioritized and began enforcing the mandate in 2009. While there are bits and pieces of information regarding Olmstead on the Internet, OlmsteadRights will centralize this information in a cohesive site featuring case work, stories, and information on how to advocate for and enforce Olmstead.
The site is broken into three main sections: “I Am Olmstead” for educating the general public, “Self-Help Tools” for those with disabilities, and “Legal Advocacy Tools” for those wishing to use the law to advocate on behalf of their clients. According to Wells, the “I Am Olmstead” section has received the most enthusiastic response so far due to the powerful stories it features about the positive impacts living in the community has had for a wide variety of people with disabilities.
However, the team at Atlanta Legal Aid Society is most excited for the legal advocates section. “Helping lawyers provide Olmstead advocacy will have powerful implications” said Wells, “we’re excited to give legal services attorneys tools they can use to do Olmstead advocacy.” There is a wide variety of areas in which Olmstead will be useful, ranging from special education cases to areas of elder law, as attorneys often lack requisite information on how to apply Olmstead to these situations. The legal advocates section will transform attorneys into more powerful advocates for their clients.
One of the most promising features of the site is the Olmstead Legal Outline. The Outline allows lawyers to see which cases are most similar to theirs, read about the developed law around the country, and access sample pleadings. There will also be a series of podcasts on the site to provide further background information. These resources will give attorneys a strong base to build their case, allowing for more efficient and successful advocacy. The website is also fully accessible and inviting for people with all different kinds of disabilities. “It’s important for all websites to be accessible,” explained Wells, “but even more important for a website for people with disabilities.”
While the legal outline will undoubtedly be very practical, the hundreds of photographs on the site are what make it truly stand out. “We had such energy and excitement in the self-advocacy community – people are really excited about the website and sharing their stories and pictures,” said Wells. These photographs and stories will help fuel the dissemination of information about Olmstead, and hopefully lead to even more stories of individuals thriving in their communities.
