E.W. and L.C. Celebrate Settlement After Olmstead Decision
by Dave Reynolds
Inclusion Daily Express
July 12, 2000

ATLANTA, GEORGIA--Elaine Wilson and Lois Curtis, who had been identified
only by their initials in their suit against the State of Georgia, will
never have to go to an institution. Never. And thanks to them and their
lawsuit, neither will thousands of other Americans who have disabilities.

Yesterday, the women known as E.W. and L.C. in the famous Olmstead case were
on hand as U.S. District Senior Judge Marvin Shoob accepted a settlement
from the state that ensures community-based supports for them. Three years
ago, Shoob ruled that putting the women in institutions while denying them
community-based services amounted to segregation and illegal discrimination.

Last summer, the Supreme Court upheld Shoob's ruling, stating that the
Americans with Disabilities Act protects people with disabilities from being
"unnecessarily institutionalized" if they are "appropriate for community
services".

The landmark case could mean that thousands of people who are currently in
institutions, and countless others who have not yet been institutionalized,
would be granted community supports rather than institutions.

"When I was in the hospital, I felt like I was in a little box, and I
couldn't get out," said Wilson, 48. "Now that I'm in the free world, I love
my freedom!"

Curtis, 32, said she can now exercise the right to listen to her radio and
do other things she was never allowed to do before.

The Southwest Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC)
has a summary of the Olmstead decision and other Supreme Court rulings
affecting the ADA at:
http://www.ilru.org/dbtac/ReviewofSupremeCourtDecisions_.html#Olmstead

The Supreme Court decision on Olmstead vs. L.C. & E.W. can be found on the
Cornell Law School's website:
http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/98-536.ZS.html
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Dave Reynolds, Editor
Inclusion Daily Express
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http://www.InclusionDaily.com