The SCOTUS Olmstead Decision

On June 22, 1999 the United States Supreme Court issued a decision that would profoundly shape where and how people with intellectual and developmental disabilities could live their lives. Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson were two women with developmental disabilities and mental health support needs. They cycled in and out of hospitals in Georgia because they did not have the supports to live independently. Although the state agreed to help them live in the community rather than an institution, the women were told no supports were available. The two women sued the state under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the case went to the United States Supreme Court. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the majority decision stating that unnecessary institutionalization of people with disabilities constituted illegal discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Lois Curtis and Elaine Wilson paved the way for others to lead productive lives in communities of their choice.