Striving to remove barriers that prevent us from building Vibrant, Diverse, Inclusive, Accessible Communities!
For fifty years, the U.S. moved from warehousing people with intellectual and developmental disabilities toward community life, but cracks are widening again as supports stall and expectations are lowered; confronting systemic ableism in how services are designed and managed is part of moving forward.
Community living rises or falls with the people who make it possible: direct support professionals, educators, and clinicians; rebuilding and respecting this workforce with training, pay, and a real career path is a practical step to advance disability inclusion so individuals can live, learn, and work alongside neighbors.
Programs should be judged by outcomes that matter — safe homes, friendships, integrated jobs, and participation — not just paperwork; shifting accountability toward measures that build a disability-friendly future keeps communities responsible for belonging, not just individuals for “fitting in.”
Modernization means abandoning a 1960s medical model for funding long-term supports and embracing the social understanding of disability; centering dignity, autonomy, and community problem-solving aligns policy with the social model of disability so barriers are removed across schools, employers, faith spaces, recreation, and local government.
Read the Full Article: Opinion | America is abandoning people with disabilities It doesn’t have to be this way..
By: Amy S. Hewitt
