For Immediate Release
Contact: Eileen@npagency.com
Washington, D.C. — Following a federal court order in Texas v. Kennedy that removes community integration provisions from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Section 504 regulations, Easterseals President and CEO Kendra Davenport released the following statement:
"For people with disabilities, the right to live in the community means being able to live at home, go to work or school, spend time with family and friends, and get the care and support you need without being forced into an institution.
The court ruling in Texas v. Kennedy is another brick in a growing wall of uncertainty around the rights and support people with disabilities rely on to live independently. Removing clear federal protections for community integration sends the wrong message to states and families at a time when Medicaid, home- and community-based services, and other critical resources are already under tremendous pressure. It takes away clear federal direction at a time when people with disabilities and their families need more certainty, not less.
This court order does not erase Section 504, the Americans with Disabilities Act, or the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision. People with disabilities still have the right to live and receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate.
But legal rights have to mean something in people’s everyday lives. Without strong protections and access to services at home and in the community, people with disabilities and their families can be left facing choices no American should have to make: go without needed care or give up the independence, family life, and community connections everyone deserves.”
